Crappies full of eggs?

[Crappiechaser]

How do you feel about keeping crappies full of eggs? Will it be a big impact on the spawn or is it not a big deal? The reason im asking is because I let them go because I dont know what impact it would be if I kept them.

[poutpro]

Well obviously it will be a huge impact on the spawn. What spawn will there be if the females don't get to lay their eggs? It definitely hurts to crappie population if a lot of these girls full of eggs are taken out.

[Guest]

I was catching so many nice crappies full of eggs that i just quit fishing them until after spawn,they dont need that added stress,I can wait

[Dan Thiem]

Good job Lee!

[CrappieJohn]

It will depend alot on the waters where you are taking them.....not all waters are created equal. Some lakes can tolerate a pretty decent harvest of spawn laden fish while others simply cannot. Some waters can almost depend on a moderate harvest to stay healthy.

The black crappie is a very prolific breeder in most instances and generally do not have any trouble sustaining their numbers. They also are pretty good about telling you whether you have a female or a male in your mitts too. The males will be thinner as a rule and minus the bulging gut that the females develope, plus they are going to be almost black.....hence the name. I enjoy a meal of fish a couple times a week, but I only keep five or six fish at a time and try hard to target the males. Once in a while a female gets hooked deep and is going to die or slips past the recognition thing. If you want to keep some fish, try to keep the males.

Releasing your fish is commendable if you are concerned about the affects of harvest. But another practice is to develope a solid selective harvest ideology and keep only what you intend to eat fresh. This way you can enjoy the fish as food as well as a sport.

[EYEHUNTER10]

I have beat this topic to death in a few forums all winter and spring so i wont do it anymore people just get way to defensive, I fish nearly every day, and to be honest have caught well over 1000 crappies since Ice out. I love catching them big females but feel guilty if i ever bring one home to eat so this year I decided to simply let every crappie I catch swim away and use jigs only sometimes even using barbless jigs, and have only seriously injured 1 crappie this spring that swallowed the jig right to you know where. I think the average fisherman shouldn't be to concerned what crappies you keep because alot of guys only get out a few times each year, but what I hate to see is the locals that fish the same lake day in and day out like clockwork sort and sort just to keep the 12 inch plus fish which are of course females I'm sure. I kept 2 full limits of crappies making a total of 20 this spring out of thousands of fish and smoked em up to be honest them 20 were actually bigger some were females even, but since then I have released everthing, How much smoked fish can 1 eat any how it was a nice treat with a cup of coffee on the dock for many mornings, I actually traded the last three to a local for some pickled northrern yesterday, it was a hell of a deal for both of us. I live near minnewaska, and fish it religiously and also practice c&r religiously, and keep only the occasional meal. It feels so good to see other people watch me realease every one especially the big ones, and the best part is when they want to see whats in the pail I can say I didnt bring one, and see the reaction on there face. Waska has taken a hard hit on the crappie population, its definitly in a down cycle on pannies both size and numbers, last year every body was catching them cuz they never really spawned and it kept em biting well into june and most were big females. Even an 8000 acre crappie maker can be fished down, and with the cool spring/summer we had last year the spawning was screwy to say the least alot of pannies never dropped there eggs they just absorb them, and maybe the reason we had such a poor winter bite so if you question your ethics even a little just throw it back and you'll feel much better!! Love the posts guys this crappie and sunfish forum rocks.

[markkstanley]

I am with Crappie Tom. If you want to keep a few crappies to eat (and I do) go with the males. Plenty of them to go around. Unless I am absolutely sure it is a male any crappie over 10" goes back. Same with walleyes - anything over 20" always goes back and I try to just harvest males. The larger females of any species will have many more eggs and just the exact genes you want to keep going. Not sure about size difference in sexes of crappies but I assume any male over 12" is on the downside just like a 25" male walleye. Harvesting these fish wouldn't hurt anything.

[EYEHUNTER10]

Do male crappies get that large? Is there any way to tell a female from a male after the eggs are gone? Walleyes or crappies? Just curious cuz I keep anything under 20 when I want a meal but never can tell if they are male/females but only assume most of the 15-20 inches are males for sure but i'm sure i'm wrong because a female has to look nearly identical to a male no matter the size. I wouldnt know the difference until after 20 inches I'm sure. I've seen what a 7 pound male walleyes looks like long and skinny, and ugly. If I knew a way to tell I would release all the females I catch. Thanks for the imput I have heard about them big slabs having the best genetics a few times lately, I wish more people were educated on the subject like you guys in here seem to be, most people I talk to around give no thought to anything but whats going in there pail, I wish there was a law that stated you have to keep any fish that goes in your pail, because these guys sort for hours and hours every day, and buy the time they release the small ones they are all ready dying when they let them go I suppose they figure the birds gotta eat too. I actually heard one guy say he has been feeding his 10 crappies a day to his Pigs. I was down where I have been fishind and counted an easy 30 pannies floating there dead. I was also suprised to see how many fish released in community crappie hole end up dead in the weeds below on my aqua view this winter, probably cause they layed on the ice for an hour as they got sorted, thats the biggest reason I have been releasing most of my fish I feel that unless I absolutely know I'm goona come out of the situation with a limit or at least half- a limit it does me no good to keep any of them as one or 2 fish isn't worth cleaning cuz it wont feed a family of four and I like my meat fresh and do not freeze them so I started realesing more and more, and figure them 1 or 2 fish add up to alot more fish in the lake for next time out or even a better shot that they my reach their true potential, everytime I catch a 14" walleye I picture what it could look like in 20 years as I let it swim away.

[Bobb-o]

Eyehunter, there actually is a law in Minnesota that makes culling illegal, if you see this happening, call TIP.

[CrappieJohn]

You are right, Bobb-o. People thinking about harvesting fish should set their personal slot and measure as they catch.

[EYEHUNTER10]

Hey thanks for the tip I didn't know that, Culling huh? I will have to read up on the subject. I'm not the type too call in a person and never have, but i'm ready to start I have seen some nasty things this spring on waska, and I hate to say it but I'm afraid alot of this stuff is done by the Locals that fish religiously every morning like clock work. It would have to be really bad for me to call tip but I wanted to a few times this spring. Most people here are sorting through alot fish daily just to get 5 or 6 that are 10.5 inches, and alot that get tossed back are really dying because it takes these guys at least 4 hours to catch that many and release the little ones, its not everybody of course, and I'm not saying that, I really dont know what I'd do if I kept 10 crappies everyday, they must give them away or feed them to there gardens, and cats I guess. Yesterday a guy that I respect dearly, since he's somebody who is older and still manages to be a die hard no matter what the season, came up to me and asked how many I had in my pail I replied I didn't bring one, I said someone has to release around here, my hope are a few others will see and follow my example, I was hoping for a better response, but he stated if you can manage a 10.5 incher you (Contact US Regarding This Word) well better not let it go because thats the biggest you'll get down here this year, I said ya kinda funny We used to catch 12-14 inchers every time out I have caught one that size at that particular spot this year out of thousands of 6-9 inch crappies the only big ones I seen caught in fact was while the main lake still had ice on it. My hopes are that these fish still remain in the lake and truly arent gone, I managed a 16.5 inch on the other side of the lake and immediately released it but I think it must be one in like 5000 fish i'm sure.

[united jigsticker]

Ease the horses here.

I had a 10 minute conversation via telephone with a DNR representative on the subject of CULLING.

"CULLING" is LEGAL until you have reduced a limit of fish into possession.

That means, if you have 8 Crappies, and you catch a 9th one and wish to exchange it with one in your livewell, as long as it is ALIVE, you are allowed to do so.

But, if you have 9 Crappies in your possession and catch number 10, you technically have a limit in possession, and may not cull any fish there after.

Keep in mind that the fish you choose to release must be of healthy nature to the best of your judgement, and swim away freely.

I spent 10 minutes on this subject with this DNR folk, and asked them to repeat this to me 3 times. I then repeated back to them, for clarification.

"OK...I have 6 Crappies...I catch #7...I want to keep #7 and throw back one I have already kept....This is OK???"

"YES IT IS SIR"

Ok then. These are just the laws. It DOESN'T mean I condone doing so. It is for clarification purposes only.

So, calling tip while seeing people culling may not be justified unless you have personally witnessed them KEEP a limit of fish.

On the subject of impacting the spawn by keeping fish...

Use your best judgement. I for one am not going to stop fishing Crappies during the general spawn period. I think that is rediculous.

Be careful with your fish during spawn, and also be selective in what you choose to harvest, no matter what time of the year it is.

That alone is enough to keep populations healthy.

[CrappieJohn]

Thanks for the clarification Jeff. Job well done and a couple other issues you mention are also shared by myself.