Crappie growth

[jigitup]

As much as I love fishing Crappies,especially thru the ice,I don't know much about their growth potential. Can anybody help with information about how much they can grow in the first three or four years of their life? thanks and goodluck on the ice!

[fisherman-andy]

Ah... my super long detail post reply to this got deleted while the forums was being fixed again. Oh well. Im still having trouble loggin in too. Seems like I have to log twice to be able to post?

Anyhow i'll make this short this time around. Crappies under the right conditions or attributes can grow fairly well & fast. Forage, basin, weather, geographical location, other present fish species etc. all tie in to growth rates. With good forage a Crappie fry can reach 4 to 5 inches within 12 months. They can be fully matured adults by the age of 2 or 3 and double in size. By age 3 or 4 they can be between 8 to 12 inches. And of course by age 5yrs+ is where you find them at 14" to 16".

Crappies generally live up to 10yrs of age but can have been recorded as old as 15yrs. White Crappies is said to grow faster than Black Crappies. Although the Black Crappies retain heavier weight which populates their nick name otherwise known as Slabs!

[ole]

Crappies can grow extremely fast in lakes that are prone to freeze out. I know of a lake where they get in there in the spring if the water level is high enough and grow quite rapidly once in there. Small fertile dark bottomed lake = big crappies if they make it . ole

[Matt Johnson]

A lot of it has to do with the available forage as well as their habitat. Predator fish also play a role, but I'm more of a believer in their food and surroundings.

Very fertile lakes will produce larger fish faster, but the vast lakes of the north will produce bigger fish overall because of the more wide-spread year classes. It will take longer to grow larger fish up north, but you will see a more abundance of larger fish on average, regardless of lake type.

A four year old crappie up north might be several inches smaller than a four year old crappie that's further south. Warm water allows for a longer "growing" season and the fish are constantly putting on their feedbags. There is no metabolic slowdown like some of the lakes receive in the winter. The hot bite can last quite long

Crappies are very durable fish, and can withstand some harsh conditions. You'll find crappies in some very dingy, oxygen-depleted lakes, but they're still survive and grow.

As far as age and length ratios... again it all depends on the area. You might find a 10 year old crappie only measuring 12-14 inches up north, while further south a 12-14 inch crappie could be 3-5 years old, and you might not even find any crappie that even reach 7-8 years old...