Crappie overharvest

[kingspade651]

Anyone else notice the crazy number of 6-8" crappies coming through your holes this winter. I think the better early ice this year has caused a tremendous harvest of crappies, depleting the larger ones and leaving smaller ones. This year will be tough for nice crappies, but next years class is looking great. Keep less crappies!

[BoxMN]

 Originally Posted By: [PleaseGetAuthorization

] Keep less crappies!

Actually, I am in favor of keeping the small ones... will be better off next year with less smaller ones and more bigger ones, IMO. But I am no expert.

[kingspade651]

Sorry lemme rephrase that, keep less bigger crappies, it will help sustain a healthier population of quality craps and weed out the stunted ones.

[crappiefisher26]

I agree Keep only a few Big Crappies and let the rest go. Keep smaller ones. How about we all just keep enough fish for a meal or two a week. Fishing pressure has rose in the metro area, making it tough to catch nice fish especially the south metro. Practice Catch and Release!!!!!!!

[kingspade651]

The sport will keep growing too, with more women and children being brought out. Therefore selective harvest will continue to be more and more important over the years. And like somebody said in a different post, just cuz the limit is ten, doesnt mean you need to keep that many. If you're planning on having a meal for yourself, keep 3-5 and let the rest go. If you're bringing people with you, say 3-5 people, do you really need to keep 30-50 crappies?

[LindyRig]

Why cant I keep 30-50? It is in the law to do so, and I pay every year to have that right. I love fishing and rare, if ever have I ever done that, but quit with all these threads about keeping smaller, or less number of fish. I pay the DNR to keep fish populations up, and to do other things. But to preach to us everyday to take less, when the price to fish keeps going up, it is getting old.

[turn_in_poachers]

 Originally Posted By: LindyRig

Why cant I keep 30-50? It is in the law to do so, and I pay every year to have that right. I love fishing and rare, if ever have I ever done that, but quit with all these threads about keeping smaller, or less number of fish. I pay the DNR to keep fish populations up, and to do other things. But to preach to us everyday to take less, when the price to fish keeps going up, it is getting old.

I would have to agree.

[kingspade651]

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[kingspade651]

that was wierd, the first part of that was you can be all about yourself and keep what you want, but nobody wants to hear anything......

[blueroof]

Lindy, Turn in Poachers - you have to be kidding!? If you think the DNR has the ability to keep the populations up with fishing ideology like that, you give them way more credit than they deserve. Generally speaking the DNR deserves more credit than most sportsmen are willing to lend, however I think this is an instance were your sadly missing the mark. You're paying a couple hundred bucks a year at most. That piddly amount really shouldn't let you feel entitled to taking bucket loads of big fish (even if rarely done.)

I think protecting our resources requires stewardship, that rests firmly on each of us as anglers and sportsmen... The DNR can't make stewardship happen..

The law allows lots of stuff, wouldn't recommend doing most of them myself...

LB

[kingspade651]

thank you blueroof, thats what i was trying to explain in a nutshell.

[iFishMN.YT]

There is a big difference in what is "legal" and what is good for our lakes.

If all you care about is not breaking the law, and you dont give a [PoorWordUsage] about the quality of fish in the lakes, now and in the future, then yea, go ahead you have the right to take your legal limit everyday on a tiny lake as long as you keep eating them.(possesion limit includes all the fish in your freezer BTW). Theres nothing wrong with keeping and eating fish, its part of the sport, but we need to at least care a little bit about our lakes and practice selective harvest if you wish to have good numbers of big fish in our waters. Its not the law, just common sense and the smart thing to do if you care.

[kingspade651]

And you're protecting the future of our waters around here too. Do you happen to have kids? Do u want them to be able to fish without having to drive to canada one day? Like i said and Chad said, there's nothing wrong with keeping and eating fish, most of us do it, but also take into account who else is doing the same thing when you keep a limit

[djlong]

What I don't understand is that the DNR states that fishing is becoming less popular but all the posts say that every lake is getting more and more pressure. I am pretty new to the state and thought that will all the lakes around, fishing would be fantastic but with all the ice fisherman man there are a lot of small fish.

[blueroof]

I believe sport fishing in the summer is down, kids want to tube or play other sports (or video games.) Ice fishing is on the increase from what I've heard. Much of it has to do with the price. Pretty much anyone can get to a hot spot when ice fishing, it takes more money proportionally to fish open water in many instances...

Not 100% on the truth of this, just what I've heard.

LB

[andrew chadwick]

You also have to figure in technology. 20 years ago I dont think we had the advanced fishfinding, aquafiewing, GPSing and general knowlege that makes fishing as easy as it is today.

That has a HUGE impact on the amount of fishing pressure, and now people are talking about a two rod law year round. I only see that doing major harm with the fishing populations.

MY points-

- less attention will be payed to a rod. mathematicaly 1/2 as much. wont this increase gut hooking?

- two lines down will further increase the speed that a limit can be taken, and even the chance that a limit WILL be taken?

-It will give those people who like to bring their whole family of 13 down to the river/lake so they can use more rods the oppertunity to use 26 rods? even if it is legal, how sporting/ ethical is it.

What we need are stricter regulations- slot limits, reduced limits, and protected spawning areas.

My .02$

[djlong]

I agree totally with the practice of selective harvest. I have only been ice fishing since last year and have only kept a few fish. I don't want to clean a ton of 6-8 inch crappie and sunnies.

The use of electronics is amazing. I couldn't imagine fishing without them. My wife got me a vexilar for x-mas and it helps a lot. Now I need to get a power auger and I will be in business.

[Dkoy]

I keep fish rarely and practice catch and release. Being a guy in the early 20's I can say about 95% of buddies I know around my age range to all those teenagers growing up today have no interest in fishing. Almost everyone I talk to at college only fishes when they camp, etc., and don't fish for the sport during openwater, but ice fish to drink. I've gone camping up north with 20 or so and sadly I was the only one wanting to fish while others had plans of their own. Living the metro area putting that into perspective, good fishing is almost deceased due to property's along lakeshore. Only those that really enjoy fishing are willing to put in the time to find decent shore fishing spots. I feel the DNR's slot range is been adjusted pretty good, and it's ones own right to keep that much or less.

Second, fishing open water these two last season, I havn't seen anyone keeping their limit in fish, at the launch or open water. Fishing is great, besides keeping an eye out for those d.a.m.n. pleasure boaters that fly by next to you.

[blackdog1101]

 Originally Posted By: LindyRig

Why cant I keep 30-50? It is in the law to do so, and I pay every year to have that right. I love fishing and rare, if ever have I ever done that, but quit with all these threads about keeping smaller, or less number of fish. I pay the DNR to keep fish populations up, and to do other things. But to preach to us everyday to take less, when the price to fish keeps going up, it is getting old.

You gotta be joking me. Your $18 license entitles you to harvest all the fish you want? It's selfish comments like this that make me doubt that my son will have any sort of quality fishing when he is an adult.

[kingspade651]

I kinda understand but at the same time i have to disagree with you. Im around the same age, and i have plenty of buddies that go fishing for the sport. You're basically trying to say that not many people fish and people arent taking limits. And yes i dont see as many limits coming out of open water except for around spring, but any time i ever venture out to a semi-busy lake on ice, i ALWAYS see people leaving with a limit of something, unless the conditions just arent putting out that kinda fish. I dont think lakeshore development plays that much of a key role in larger fish being produced, its the number of larger fish that are coming out of these lakes and a portion of poor year classes too

[turn_in_poachers]

I fished South Center last saturday. I caught one 9 inch crappie and I kept it. I was in 32 feet of water, and the fish were suspended anywhere from 16 to 20 feet. It hit on a small Frostee spoon with a minnow head.

Thanks.

[OLY]

What exactly do you mean by this statement?

[turn_in_poachers]

[post removed by admin]

[Burnham]

yea i thought that statement was way out of line

[andrew chadwick]

as did I,

[Burnham]

people do legally have the right to keep their limit of fish. i think it is selfish to do this all the time! once and a while go ahead keep your limit but not all the time..if i could find a way to use the small stunted fish(dont want to fillet 3-4 inchers) i would because there are WAY too many in the metro! when people keep there limit all the time i do wonder what the fishing is going to be like when i am older...i cant wait till tommorrow cuz i take my DRIVERS TEST and i will pass so i can fish some lakes OUT of the metro!!! but now i will care what the gas prices are lol

[aanderud]

Selective harvest? How could I possibly feed my family then?

I eat 3 meals per day. If I chow down a 1/2 pound of meat per meal, that's 1.5 lbs of fish meat per day, or roughly 500 lbs per year. Add another 500 lbs for my wife and about 100 lbs for my son, and we need to keep at least 1100 lbs of fish per year. The average 10 inch crappie weighs .9 lbs. I'd say they have about 1/2 lb of meat and the rest is skin, bones, and guts. That means we have to keep about over 2000 of these 10 inch crappies per year just to feed my small family. We can't possibly use selective harvest, nor could we possibly sustain life on the 8 inchers. They only weigh .4 to .5 lbs or so, with at most .25 lbs of meat. That means we need to keep about 4500 of these things per year!

Luckily for me, I don't have to rely on just crappies. One of the easiest ways for me to help keep food on the plates is muskies, flatheads, and sturgeon. Boy are those guys huge! I have a much simpler time cleaning fish when there's fewer of them too. Oh yeah, and once in a while, I eat an upper red lake seal, but they're hard to catch.

[fisherman-andy]

Although I agree with alot of you on this thread I will note a few strong statements.

1. If your doing it legal, no one has the right to tell you what you can and can't keep. Big or small, as long as it is legal to keep than so be it. I don't think we should be poking our fingers at where it doesnt belong. So if someone wants to keep 10 Crappies as long as it legal it's fine with me.

2. If you really love the hobby or sport of fishing and enjoy eating fish you will already be aware of selective harvesting and practice good sportsmanship. So doing it is good, but you don't have to bore yourself with it every time. Its call living a little an enjoy what is given to you every once in a while.

3. Educate yourself and others about the responsibility of fishing and how preserving it can benefit you and others the enjoyment for years to come. Do not however look down upon those who don't practice the same ideas you do as long as they do it legal it's their right to do so. They aren't wrong. You aren't right.

[tisosy11]

Have you ever heard of a grocery store? They sell food there...

[MidCoast]

Come on man!... Really, if somebody wants to keep their limit of fish, this is their decision. You guys shouldnt preach and put them down because of it... If you want to release fish instead of keeping them for a meal, then it is your OWN personal choice. Just because you do it, doesn't mean that everybody else should follow in your footsteps. LOL.

You wanna make a difference? Then run for Governor or something and change the fishing regulations to catch and release only.. Until then... I think it is best if everyone keeps their opinions to themselves.