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So why not institute a length limit on these lakes?
You are correct, Daryl. I did not articulate that very well.What I meant was that a lot of small/medium 6-7" bluegill and 8-9" crappie are being harvested out of Wanahoo since those are about the biggest fish of those species that one is going to find. Since the bar has been lowered and those are now the "big" fish, they should be released, at least according to selective harvest philosophy.The definition of "big" is all relative, is it not?So, my next question is, what is the solution in order to try to get some bigger panfish in Wanahoo? If all the 9" crappie are being taken home in buckets right now, and those are essentially the biggest fish of that species, what do anglers need to do now in order to someday have a chance at a trophy crappie fishery there?
What kind of length limit?Daryl B.
Convince more people to release more, and bigger fish.Daryl B.
Daryl do you know if they have ever tried a slot on crappie like 12"-15"(whatever size) must be released or anything like that or maybe a 14" inch max with one over 14" kinda deal?
Kansas crappie seem to do just fine with 20-30 fish limits, no length minimum.pot>kettle
i agree daryl most of our problem is the fisherman not the regulation i was just wondering if was ever done in nebraska i know they do it will walleyes so i dont see why they couldnt do it with other species. do they do any experimenting with stuff like that on some lakes?? i dont see what it would hurt to do it on a few lakes and maybe show some people the benifites of releaseing the big ones and keeping the small ones.
Slot limits could be an interesting experiment on certain lakes. On groups of lakes like the Valentine Refuge, a rotational harvest might also be worth considering. By that I mean selected lakes would only be open to C&R fishing for panfish on alternating years or every 3rd year to help alleviate pressure and give lakes "time off" to boost populations. Of course that could just shift pressure to other lakes that currently allow harvest defeating the purpose Probably the best approach IMO was the shift to a 15 panfish aggregate limit. Unless you are keeping some really small pannies, 15 fish (30 fillets) is a whole lot more than I can eat in one sitting. 5 decent crappies, fried taters, and a salad leaves me full as a tick with leftovers.
I just wish we had fisheries like South Dakota and State Parks like South Dakota. Lots of fish and clean facilities....and free showers!! Guess I best be moving north.
That would be the key. But with panfishing its all about bragging you caught your limit. When lakes like Home valley and the refuge get hot, there are dozens of trucks perhaps nearing a hundred anglers some days. And when people see everyone else keeping limits. So too will they. Its really hard to fish with the crowd and put nice fish back in and watch everyone else who doesn't give **** keep limits day after day.