Why Couldn't We Keep It A Crappie Lake?

[matthothand]

Before I really show my feelings on this one I just want to simply ask.. Does anyone know why URL brought back walleyes rather than maintaining the healthiest population of slab crappies in the universe? Was it part of a treaty agreement? URL used to get write-ups in national fishing publications such as In-Fisherman Magazine (as well as others) because it was a special lake where an angler could catch crappies of bigger proportions than found anywhere else in the midwest. Now those write-ups are gone and URL seems to be "just another lake" with perch, pike, little-medium sized walleyes, and a few crappies here and there but nothing special.

Why?

[upnorth]

My understanding is that it is a natural Walleye lake and the only reason the Crappies boomed becuase of over fishing of Walleye. I am of the belief even if the DNR and the Red Lake Band didn't go through the stocking effort it Walleyes would have taken the lake back over, just would have taken a bit longer.

[kelly-p]

It was a 1 in 1,000 shot that the crappies were able to pull of a great spawn just when the walleye numbers were way down. The crappies have not been able to do it since even with high numbers. Most "crappie lakes" have secluded bays or areas that are calm for spawning, URL does not. Crappies need 3 weeks of calm weather to pull off a good hatch. When is URL calm for 3 weeks? Something was going to fill the nitch left when the walleye numbers were way down. Be happy it was crappies,,,,it could have been sheepshead. There will always be some crappies in URL but the boom crappie years we had were sadly to say a fluke. In 50+ years of trapping shiners in URL my family has only seen young crappies in the shiner traps once. The spring of 1996 when the 95 hatch was 1 year old

[Bobb-o]

I had a buddy who was doing the electro schocking for teh PCA and he told me that when they did the Tamarack they had literally thousands of young of the year crappies.

[Capt.Blaine]

Kelly, has your business changed much over the last few years? Have you seen fewer fishermen since the crappies have thinned out?

[Powerstroke]

I wouldn't say little-medium sized walleyes. Last year was my first trip to URL. Better late than never and although WE never caught any crappies, people around us did. Its not that I've never caught trophy crappies before, so Iwasn't too disappointed.

In fact the only disappointment I had was having to release 50+ walleyes in 2 days of fishing. I caught many fish over 20" including a very fat female who measured 24.5". If thats small to medium I can't wait till this lake gets reestablished as a trophy walleye fishery. Oh yeah, and there's nothing wrong with the occasional 40" northern either.

[steeplechaser2]

I just heard the rumor,Kelly....when are where can I get into those fabulous sheephead....and do I need an extension yet....great post, Kelly....I don't think the sheeephead would have brought the #s north, although I hear they are making fish sticks and fillets out of those big headed carp on the Mississippi.....!!!!!!!

[kelly-p]

As the crappies have thinned down there are less fishermen around overall. Our business has slowed a little but nothing drastic. We have a lot of great customers that are coming whether they catch fish or not. Many of them just want to lean back, relax and hide from reality out in a lake. The one good part of less fishermen is that it is more peaceful fishing without the crowds. If we get into a good run of fish we can sit right there for a few days rather then have to move away from the crowd. Also with less fishermen there is a better chance of tangling with a big old slab crappie. Less fishermen means less crappies leaving the lake and more of them living and growing.

[Random guy]

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URL used to get write-ups in national fishing publications such as In-Fisherman Magazine (as well as others) because it was a special lake where an angler could catch crappies of bigger proportions than found anywhere else in the midwest. Now those write-ups are gone and URL seems to be "just another lake" with perch, pike, little-medium sized walleyes, and a few crappies here and there but nothing special.

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And years before the crappies Red used to get articles about the great walleye and pike fishing in small publications like Infish, Outdoor life, Field and Stream etc etc. Cats like Al/Ron Linder, Babe, Doug Stange to name a few used to come up and film walleye and pike segments. Nobody really cared about Red until anyone and everyone had a chance at a trophy crappie. Red is just getting back to normal as it was expected to do if it lived through the crash at all.

She was a top notch walleye lake that everybody drove by on the way to Lake of the Woods and she will be a top notch walleye lake again if we all do our part to take care of it.

[12lb8oz]

LOW is tough to beat, but ice fishing I up there I only catch walleyes or saugers. At Red, you can catch a mess of huge crappies, walleyes or maybe even hook into a huge northern occasionally. You can also catch them after dark, which seems nearly impossible at Lake of the Woods. Of course I miss the days of filling out on huge crappies in a matter of minutes but I am sure glad the eyes are back.

[Pikester]

That is another reason Ill stay on Red in the future, the fish will bite at night. And hopefully in the future they will up the walleye limit by a few fish.

[Outdoors_Junkie]

They will up the limit, maybe even this July. The DNR are being cautious, and that will only benefit URL.

[Capt.Blaine]

With the fewer fishermen out there they are going to have to loosen up the limit or slot. Otherwise the growth rate will slow down. The DNR has already noticed this happening. Just too many fish for the forage base. But for us fisherman this means more fish are going to be hungry.

[fishforever7]

Crappies will never come back as big as they once where. They tend to only have 2 strong year classes in a lake and that was the 1995 and 1997 class that everyone is catching out of the lake. Chances of the crappies coming back is pretty slim seein how the walleyes are thriving.

[Random guy]

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Just too many fish for the forage base.

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I definetly agree with that. Lots of starved out looking fish, I'm no expert by any means but some fish just appear starved.

[fishuhalik]

Quote:

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LOW is tough to beat, but ice fishing I up there I only catch walleyes or saugers. At Red, you can catch a mess of huge crappies, walleyes or maybe even hook into a huge northern occasionally. You can also catch them after dark, which seems nearly impossible at Lake of the Woods. Of course I miss the days of filling out on huge crappies in a matter of minutes but I am sure glad the eyes are back.

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i take it you guys haven't heard of the crappie bite on lotw...wanna slabbo? trust me, they're definitely there!!! I would say just as good if not better than red, and i fished red a ton in it's heyday.

[Capt.Blaine]

fishuhalik

Are you talking about the US waters of LOTW?

[LABS4ME]

I caught a 8" crappie out at Pine Island about 5 years ago... Pete at Walleye Retreat said that is only the second crappie he's heard reported caught on the 'big lake' since he moved up there. Many crappies up in Canadian waters though...

[Browningbolt]

Many people i talk to, talk about catching and keeping their limit of crappies on Red lake, Why? Why do people feel they need to Keep their limit of fish? I think, keep enough for a meal.

In a couple days i will be making a trip up to red lake. Many people asked my why red lake where is can only keep 2 fish, instead of Lake of the Woods where i can keep 6.If i really wanted fish that bad i would drive to my local grocery store and buy fish, it would save me 5+ hours of driving, bait money, and an ice house rental. I am going to catch fish, maybe bring one home for dinner the next night, that's it.

If anyone agrees with my stance one keeping fish please let me know, Please let me know!

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[basskid]

brilliant, i agree

[Pikester]

Different strokes for different folks.

[Pikester]

I put a little more thought into this subject and came up w/ some sort of theory. I would be willing to bet that the average angler on Red Lake drove a number of miles to get there and probably fishes the lake two to three times a year. Because that angler only goes a couple of times a year they want that limit of trophy crappies for the freezer and they probably also want something to brag about to their buddies back home. I could care less if I catch a d a m thing when I go up there. For me, it's about getting away from the concrete jungle, having no cell service, and spending time with my family and friends. Like I said earlier, different strokes for different folks.

[Toby]

The typical Minnesota fisherman is meat driven 6 walleye mentality. The whole state should be reduced to two walleyes a day--one over 18" .

[westrush]

Lake of the wood is 4 and 4

[steeplechaser2]

Again, the meat isn't even third on my list of reasons to go to URL....the quiet, the action, the company, the escape...eating a few fish is great, but let's not forget to relax and have fun! I can't wait to get up there on the 28th and 29th and 30th....sure, I'll be happy to take a few crappies and/or walleyes back, but more than anything I want to release some bigguns!!!!!

[hanson]

That greed, that "need" to fill their bucket with a limit of crappies, is what brings out the bad side of fisherman on Upper Red Lake.

Speeding on the ice roads, passing people on the ice roads, littering, encroaching on people, overlimits, double dipping, multiple lines, fishing in the roads. There is more complaining in this forum of the etiquette of anglers than in any other forum.

Why is that? I think it is that idea that I drove 5+ hours to fish crappies and darn it, I'm going to get my limit at all costs.

Thankfully, I think that attitude is disappearing as the lake is now full of anglers that genuinely want to be there, fish, and enjoy URL for what it is.

[Pikester]

Good post Hanson, I agree.

[findergameandfish]

Ditto!!

[james_walleye]

I had a game warden up there tell me once that more crappies will die in URL from those 2 huge year classes from "old age" than have ever been caught by anglers. So what is the problem with people keeping a limit of these 13-14" crappies right now if they are on their last leg?? I myself dont care if i get a limit too keep. I could care less if i keep a limit too eat because i'm not a huge fish eater, I just like catching them. But if it really is true what that warden told me, then i hope people can find them this winter and get some meals out of them.

[Poppin' Cats]

I haven't posted in a few years, but reading where this conversation has gone I thought I should add my 2 cents. I have parents that live in Bemidji and everytime I come home I make the hour trip to URL on the Ice and Open Water. I mostly fish around St. Cloud and we have good fishing down there, but nothing like URL. I have fished URL during the Walleye Five of Diamonds Days back in the early 90's and the Crappie Boom. I have seen the walleyes came and go and the Crappies come and go. The most important thing for me is that when I make that three hour trip to Bemidji and then the extra hour to URL, I am going to get a bend in my rod more than a handful of times. If that could be gaurenteed for me I would never take a fish out of that lake again. It is the experience of fishing a completely unique lake like URL that is enough for me. And like said before me here, it is about getting on the lake with no cell phones and just being in your own little world relaxing and catching fish. I just think that the DNR is doing it right with the eyes to ensure that the eyes are here to stay. I have had people tell me that it is stupid that you have to sift through fifty fish just to get your limit. Those people can't tell me that it isn't fun just catching that number of fish. Go somewhere else on any lake and try to every catch that many fish of any species. It just dosen't happen every day and when you find that kind of a lake you want to protect it. I know that alot of you that check sites like this share my point of view, but it feels good to let a rant out every now and then on something thing that is so great and fragile like fishing. No one likes fishing and not catching anything and if you have fished long enough in enough places you have experienced the feeling of having a population of fish get ruined by to many people being to greedy with what they keep. I hope that we will be able to fish URL for many years to come with many fish to bend our rods in the future. I am going to Red right now as a matter fact and I hope I catch fifty walleyes and everyone is going back. Merry Christmas.