Slot Limit

[Cisco]

What do ya'll think about TWRA putting a slot limit on Crappie? I love catching those big females just like anyone else, but how many get took home and never to lay those thousands of eggs to repopulate the lake? I think they're harder to fillet than a 10 or 12 incher anyway. Just a thought

 

[Jmax]

Why would you want to do that? There is no shortage of crappie on the Chick. Normally you put a slot limit on a fish if there is a shortage or over harvesting of that fish. The Chick has more crappie on it then any lake I have ever fished. You can sometimes find a sweet spot and literally catch over 100 sitting there. emoScratch Jmax

 

[lafae7]

I'm not a biologist anymore (I work with hazourdous chemicals now), but if they did put a slot limit on the crappie it could be because of how the drought affected something that affected something else that is affecting their reproduction some how idk for sure. I have fished Weiss lake a lot and i have seen their crappie population really take a hit over the past 10 years. I'm not defending the TWRA cause I think a lot of things they do are hindsight-ridiculously-sub-mental, but they might have a reason IDK.

 

[Carl]

1 Crappie lays up to 150,000 eggs in one spawn. You will not have a crappie problem until they run out of food.

 

[jonboatin]

We have a good population of crappie here on the chick. BUT rarely does one catch anything over the TWO pound mark. There are a lot more "seasonal" crappie fisherman and tons more bank fisherman here in early spring then previous years taking home good limits. I would like to see the size limit increased to 11 inches. It seemed to do wonders for the granda and sardis lakes. Heck just goto watts bar and you can catch more monster slabs there than anything here on the chick.

 

[Fishheadspin]

Chickamauga does not have the pressure that Weiss has for crappie. There are several towns that the whole local economy is based on crappie fishing in Weiss Lake. People come from all over the country to fish there year round for crappie.

There is a small percentage of people who fish for crappie on Chick outside the months of March - May.

Chick is fine as long as we don't start advertising it as a crappie capital.

 

[lafae7]

Cisco - 12/15/2016 7:52 AM

What do ya'll think about TWRA putting a slot limit on Crappie? I love catching those big females just like anyone else, but how many get took home and never to lay those thousands of eggs to repopulate the lake? I think they're harder to fillet than a 10 or 12 incher anyway. Just a thought

I re-read your post and I just assumed you were talking about the chick, but I cant find anywhere that they have put a slot limit or changed the creel limit for Region 3 in TN for 2017. Were you talking about a specific lake outside of the TN river? emoScratch

 

[Cisco]

I know there's not a shortage, but why take home a 16" or bigger fish when there's 100's of 10 to 12 inchers? That's like taking home a 5 pound or bigger bass to fillet out. Why not have quality crappie to catch on Chickamauga just like our bass? Who wouldn't want to catch a 3 or even a 4 pound crappie? I Know I would and would throw her right back. after pictures of course.

 

[TOPWATER23]

It sounds like population isn't his issue he's wanting trophy size crappie just like our bass if everyone was keeping 8 9 10 lb bass to mount or fillet i guarantee you someone would propose a slot limit on bass also

 

[Cisco]

Guess I didn't make myself clear on the reason for the slot limit. My reason is for quality size crappie. Not Population. Sorry for misunderstanding.

 

[fishinvol]

There is no issue with the quality sized crappie in the lake . From what I can tell .

 

[Jmax]

I have caught several two and one three pound crappie on the Chick. I have never kept them that big, I have always let them go. I like the size from 11 up to 14 inches. I guess in a weird way I have a slot limit in my mind. Also that size is easier to clean when you fillet them. When I went yesterday I had four 13 inchers but nothing over 14 inches. If you were to have a large population of big crappie on this lake that was to get publicized you might find the Chick even more crowded. emoBang However you do bring up a good point. emoAngel Jmax

This one was over three, now that is a Chick SLAB! (Released)

 

[SHane]

If you had a huge population of 3-4 lb crappie, would they not be competing with the bass for the same food supply? Can't the lake only hold so many fish no matter the species?

 

[Cisco]

That's a good question, but as much bait out there, I don't see how it would effect anything.

 

[SlabDog]

Personally I think slot limits are good for any species of fish on any lake. The facts seem to point to the larger females of any species of fish lay the most eggs.....by the millions. There is no one here that will convince me that this is not good for any lake so don't even try. I personally have a slot limit of 11 to 13 inches on crappie. Not only are they easier to fillet but better eating IMO.....EVERYTHING else goes back in the lack immediately. No pictures or anything. I don't need anyones approval of the fish I catch. I'm just interested in my freezer supply. Oh...speaking of freezer supply, how many abide by these rules?

http://www.tnfish.org/FrequentlyAskedQuestionsFAQ_TWRA/FrequentlyAskedQuestions_TWRA.htm

If you read closely you'll see that the possession limit of crappie is twice the daily creel limit. That's only 60 fillets per fishing license in any household at any given time. I've talked with people that brag about having hundreds of crappie in their freezer with the excuse that when they fry fish they fry fish for 15 or 20 people. That does not give anyone the right to keep 1,000 fillets in their freezer by my understanding. Every single year, these rules are violated by a lot of people.....sometime through a claimed ignorance of the laws others because they don't give a crap. The fish in our lakes are not a non exhaustible resource that is guaranteed. Some of you know what I'm talking about, some don't and others don't give a ****.

 

[bullshot]

Cisco - 12/15/2016 7:52 AM

What do ya'll think about TWRA putting a slot limit on Crappie? ...

What you propose would have almost zero affect on the population of larger crappie, yet at the same time would restrict the volume of fish being put into the creel.

Here is the guidance that TWRA used to come up with the current minimum size limit: http://pubstorage.sdstate.edu/wfs/350-F.pdf
Yeah, I know it is a little dense, but the take away is 10" size limit provides the best mix between high harvest rates and a good population of larger crappie.