Fishing

It was a great day to get out and do some fishing. The day's catch - enjoy the pic.



Now, I just wish it was me with him that caught all of these slabs. This is from Alabama, and it is one reason I can't wait to get back there next summer. My buddy I played baseball with down there (not pictured) is responsible for finding this mess of slabs. I bet it was a heyday on the water.

Nice. I have always heard crappie fishing on over there is awesome. But i bet ya if you posted a pic of a haul like that here people will bicker about keeping that many.

Probably right. But when anyone catches that many and keeps them, you can bet there will be a nice family & friends dinner that night or the next evening.

This can be you! Just get down to Lake Powell now! The crappie/slab/sac-au-lait fishing is red hot right now and they are bigger than the ones your buddy caught. I posted a couple videos from Powell earlier this week. Make your buddy jealous with the monster crappie we have here.

Sorry - but why the hell should they? Short of some lakes with special regs - I think 50 is the crappie limit. Many panfish are might prolific. Such that there is a high limit, taking a bag full helps thin the crop, and reduce competition, making better opportunity for them slabs to become bigguns. I've taken a full bag of perch from the ice, or a fall stringer, and didn't get any public grief for it. Nor should I expect to.

If it's within the regs, nobody should have a beef. I know some of the forum members get pretty protective about their fisheries, and there's nothing wrong with that. C&R can be a good philosophy to teach and share, but look in the guide book on bass for example. They ENCOURAGE anglers to take and keep a share of smaller bass, for the good of the fishery. I know the lift on keeping bigger bass at some lakes has folks on end, and we'll see what the end-game of those changes is.

If you spot a poacher, call them in. If someone takes and keeps a legal bag-limit, leave them alone. That's MY take on it anyway. Makes folks afraid to post a catch or keep if they think folks are likely to jump them for doing so.

That's a wicked load of slabs. I'd love to fill a bucket of those! Tender flaky white meat - can't be beat!

Amen, Yote. Too many people out here rip on you when you are well within the regulations and laws. It's sad.

That's the problem - it's Lake Powell. Not too manageable when you are 465 miles away. I won't have to worry about driving more than an hour or so when I am back in Alabama. And I will be able to catch these year round wherever.

Heh, I'm not trying to stir anything up so easy easy i've had people call the rangers on me for "overlimit" had to go through all the trouble of them searching my car and searching around the area i fished at. In the end they don't have anything on me when i asked what the problem was, they told me somebody called me in for overlimit... Thing is there were only 2 other people there not catching anything when they left and the rangers came... I've seen them fishing this yr too. I just act like i don't know them but my defenses are up. I only said what i said in the other post b/c i always hear people bicker and blame for "shortage" of fish in areas i fish...

+1....!!!!
Do Right and Fear No One

Bama I think there is a big difference in the attitudes of anglers from your neck of the woods (mine too!) and the attitude here. Not everyone in Utah gets bent out of shape if you keep a limit but definitely more seem to than what I ever encountered in Texas. Keeping a limit of crappie, bass, catfish, bluegill, etc. is not a big deal because either folks are having a big fish fry or filling their freezer. Here not as many anglers are fishing for meat but just for sport. In my ever so humble opinion, I don't care what people keep as long as they are keeping the rules. They will get no grief from me. Thanks for the pic.
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wagdog

+1 on everything you said. I noticed the attitude difference shortly after beginning to fish after I moved out here. I don't want to come across as putting anyone down, but sometimes the harshness of comments is way overboard, especially when you have done absolutely nothing wrong. I am with you - I don't care what people do, as long as they are within the limits and regulations of the law. No grief will come from me either.

Hey Ben, the Alabama board could sure use some help, maybe you could post a few reports or even moderator that board when you move back there? As far as bama crappies goes, I've never caught any big ones there, how long are the ones in your pic? It is hard to catch those numbers here in Utah but it is done every year, just like that member this year at PV that had 81 or something like that. When crappie get up to 17 inches here, it is hard to imagine them gowing much larger there.

I plan on contributing to the Alabama board when I get there. The smallest in that pic was around 12-13". There are some big ones there. He, along with others, have had some pics of some days where the smallest was as big as the biggest one on that table. I am just excited because there is more of an opportunity to catch bass and crappie and bluegill than there is here. The fisheries for those species in Utah are great, but they aren't as plentiful as down south. I don't want to sound like I am belittling Utah, because I am not. The climate and geography make it totally different out here than there. I enjoy the heck out of fishing here. If I wasn't a full-time student and had a safer boat to tackle bigger bodies of water with, I would be doing that a lot more, like at Pineview and Willard. My little boat just can't handle much wind at all.

I would love to just go state to state and fish. How amazing would that be!!!!! I'm jealous of you BAMA.....the fact you get to fish any where south must be awesome!!!!

I am heading to Arkansas in June for two weeks to visit my parents. We fish Bull Shoals and Norfork Lakes, Norfork River, White River, and the Buffalo National River. It is a lot of fun to do that. All of those bodies of water are within a half-hour drive of where my dad is. You have your pick of species to fish for too. A lot of people from out here don't like the south because of the humidity. But I love it. I enjoy fishing for warm-water species more than common cold-water species fish (example, trout). And the climate there makes it prime for that.

Great pics WH2! I can't speak for Alabama because I have never fished there but I would imagine that it is similar to some of the waters in Texas that I have fished. The biggest difference I have found as far as the black crappie I have caught here is the body condition of the fish. In Lake Powell and Willard Bay, you'll find black crappie more similar in size and shape to what you would find in Alabama or Texas. The key is a strong shad forage base. TubeDude told me this a while ago and after doing a little research on my own as well as discussing this very thing on other boards, I've reached the conclusion that he is 100% correct.

There is a growing population of black crappie in Utah Lake but the average "slab" is maybe 9 or 10 inches. A 7 or 8 inch gill from Utah Lake will typically have meatier fillets than a 9 or 10 inch crappie from Utah Lake. Why? Difference in forage. Willard and Lake Powell are different stories since they do have a strong shad forage base.

Another difference is the length of the growing season. The water warms quicker in the south and definitely will stay warmer longer. It really seems to make a difference in the growth rate and overall body condition of black crappie since they will actively feast on shad longer. I'll shut up now and stop hijacking Bama's thread.

Just for giggles, I've attached some black crappie I caught out of Lake o' The Pines in Texas. The pic with the crappie lineup has a little guy that was 9.5 inches but way thicker than a 9.5 incher from Utah Lake. The other pic is of a 12 inch black crappie that is closer to the average pulled from that water. For those that care, these were caught during the special regulation period on that particular lake when you have to keep any black crappie (up to 25) you catch regardless of size.
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wagdog

I don't mind the humidity at all. So I'll just tag along :-) LOL....I do wish I lived farther south in UTAH. Northern Utah does seem to be a bit sluggish on options. I know I know there are lots of bodies but not as many as most areas or states.

I would love to be able to fish Lake Powell. But due to how far away it is from me, it just isn't feasible.

Great, that board could use a hand, just no one to start a conversation with, even if someone was to post a report. I try and reply to the post but it is hard to keep new members interested there.
I guess I just never fished enough areas in alabama to catch any large crappie. We mainly fished Guntersville and certain spots on the Tennesee river around the power plant. You are so right when it comes to how many areas there are to fish there, seems everyone has a pond in their back yard and lakes and rivers are rarely more than a few miles from any location.

You just like to make the rest of us jealous by posting those pics. Part of the problem here is that some of us old timers have fought so hard over the years to get Warm Water fisheries developed, that we tend to be over protective of them. Unfortunately, by doing so, we harm the fishery we are trying to protect. Willard Bay Crappies, Utah Lake White bass, LMB and SMB in general, etc. Lake Powell is another good example. Without the guidance of Wayne Gustaveson, the Project manager down there, I doubt that the fisher would be as good as it is. His guidance has been instrumental in establishing and maintaining the fishery.

Drew Cushing and his crew are trying to establish some great fisheries in the Northern part of the state. We all need to look at our practices and follow their recommendations to help maintain healthy fisheries. Keeping a half dozen 10 inch SMB on Deer Creek or Jodanelle will not hurt the fishery, but help it. Panfish like Crappie, Perch, and WB need to be harvested to help maintain a healthy population and reduce over crowding.

Back in Bama, keeping a mess of Crappie like that has little effect on the overall fishery. Even here, it would not create big problems unless there are several dozen fisherpersons doing it every day of the week.

We all need to be more "Selective Harvest" vs "Catch and Release"

+a billion

I agree. Along with the idea of Selective Harvest, it helps to educate yourself on the species you are selectively harvesting. Prolific species like black crappie, yellow perch, bluegill, and white bass can stand a good bit of harvest and I honestly believe the current limits promote that.
*Fish Nerd Alert*
A mature female black crappie can lay between 5000 to 30,000 eggs during the spawn.
A mature female white bass can release between 200,000 to 500,000 eggs (some biologists report some larger females at just under 1 million eggs)
A mature female bluegill can release 2300 to 81100 eggs during the spawn.
*End Nerd Alert*

On a large body of water like Utah Lake, those fish can stand some harvest.
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wagdog

No harm no foul, at least as far as I'm concerned. Obviously stirred the bees nest a bit here... lots of passionate angers and conservationists out there, and kudos to you all.

Certainly the put-and-take lakes that are heavily stocked suffer not by keeping a 4 trout limit. I certainly wish our DNR were more supportive of the warm-water fisheries, and fishes. Seems like they are left to their own for the most part. That is where our stewardship of the resource can have a bigger impact for sure. It's sad to see the bass-regs change, but nice to see the Wiper limits change.

Depends on the species and location too. Walleye are fewer and farther between, while channel cats can be pretty prolific. (or maybe that's just me, that I don't know how to find the walleye!)
Panfish are panfish. They might have ups and downs seasonally, but in general, are prolific, and can accept a fair amount of harvest. (plus can be mighty tasty in a fish-taco, or deep fry!)

I can't recall relative size, but just know we caught grundles of bass and bluegills back in the days of Michigan summer camps. Plus big perch out of Lake Michigan off the breakwaters, and suckers and cats out of the Illinois river. Good times, good tugs. Had I only known about Salmon fishing on the great lakes! Missed opportunities!

Definitely - farther south, longer growing season, bigger fish. It's a simple equation. So - yeah Bama, got any extra beds out there? Or maybe we could camp in the backyard, and just suffer the humidity! That's what the lakes are good for right! Diving IN!

I couldn't agree with your statements any more. I agree 100%.

I am C&R all the way -- only because I'm way too damn lazy to clean/cook my catch.

I am what I am. /shrug
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"I'm not even against removing the carp from Utah Lake but I just think we should do it ethically and I also think if anything carp help protect some of these other fish from being overfished. " OMG, Save Teh Carpz!!1

I have plenty of those days.