To Keep or Not Crappie Willard?

[Uintaman]

What is the consensus on keeping Crappie? I did, but now question it, the females were heavy with eggs. I do enjoy eating, but not a must.
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[gmwahl]

Keep it if you want to eat it! They're crappies, not sacred cows!

I wouldn't get caught up in the illusion that we are going to fish out the crappies at Willard. Harvest and an abundance of forage for them is why we are catching big ones. The DWR already figured out what the sustainable harvest can be and that is why the limits are lowere there than on other waters.

Above all else, have fun catching them!!

Mike
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]This is a good year to keep a lot. There are a lot from the last good spawn year...about 2012. There have not been very good spawns since, even though there have been decent numbers of crappies. They like flooded brush and aquatic weeds upon which to spawn. Hasn't been much of that.

There is this year, with the higher water. So in spite of heavy harvest there should be a good spawn. Can't say how the crappie fishing will be the next two or three years but about four or five years from now we should have another super crop.

Kinda like the walleye huggers. A lot of them will not keep an egg-laden female. Pure romanticism. The fish still tastes fine and the fish is removed from the ecosystem in the summer just as much as it is when spawning.

Unless a species is severely low in numbers there is seldom a reason for restricting harvest at any time of the year. DWR monitors the populations and makes projections based upon real research. If they anticipate a problem then can change regulations to reflect it.

That being said, it still torques me to see the bucket brigade hauling off multiple limits in one day.
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[jurkneyes]

So this is my take on the crappie at Willard. History has shown that there rarely is good recruitment year in year out at Willard. The last time the crappie population has been this big was way back in the early to mid 90's. 20 years ago.. My personal opinion is the crappie fishery at Willard simply can not sustain this kind of harvest and it will be another 20 years before we see numbers like this again.

I could be wrong, there is going to be flooded brush this year and maybe the recruitment of this years young will make it to catchable size. But it just kills me to see all the big females being pulled out of there the last 3 years. I don't want to wait another 20 years to have great crappie fishing at Willard again. I have not harvested any crappie from Willard this year and I have not allowed anyone in my boat to keep any of the females.

I know most are going to disagree with me, many of the crappie that are not harvested that do spawn this year will not make it to next year, crappie don't live that long. So most will say why would it matter anyway. I guess my thought process is, the more young produced the better chance of a few making it to adult hood and spawning age.

Chris Penne is doing a wonderful job with our fisheries. He actually does care about the anglers in the state. He is taking a much more proactive role with Willard. But I truly believe when we have a good population of crappie in the lake we need to do our very best to limit the harvest and spread those fish out over many years instead of a couple. This should increase the likely hood of better spawns and recruitment over time.

Don't get me wrong, I don't fault anglers for taking some fish home to eat. And I am not saying your are a terrible person for taking some females home to eat (because they are gooood) But there has to be some restraint shown.. There are those that have been out there day after day filling the buckets and live wells with them...

I love catching those big old slabs and there simply is not another place in the state besides Lake Powell and some years Pineview, that produce crappie like Willard.

Just my 2 cents, I could be wrong!!! []
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[Fowl-Hook]

10 fish Crappie limit at Willard is already tightly restricted.
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[BSF]

Good to hear that the females are still heavy with eggs, I sure hope to be able to be at Willard when they finally go in to spawn. Any projections (TD) on when that might be?

The conditions all seem good for them to get in to the flooded brush, and the water temperatures are in the low sixties on sunny days. Maybe their just afraid to go into the flooded brush, because the carp are causing such a ruckus in there.

Brian
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[Therapist]

The only problem as TD stated is those that overfish the population. A 10 fish limit is not going to hurt the fishery, but if they are taking 30, 40, 50, 100 fish, then you can do some damage. Selective harvest is the key, you don't keep every fish you catch. I will keep a limit of 10" SMB at Deer Creek or Jordanelle, I'll keep 10-15 yellow perch at Rockport, I'll keep 4-5 12-18 inch walleye in most waters. Those are reasonable limits, that do not hurt the fishery and provide me with some delicious eating. Catch a Tiger Musky, I'll take some pics and release it. A 22" SMB or most LMB, they get photographed and released. I can't stand at a cleaning station after fishing all day and clean 40, 50, 100 fish. It is like watching some of our immigrants fill a pickup bed with White Bass at Utah lake, totally unreasonable !! Keep a few for a meal, let the rest go !!

[CoyoteSpinner]

True for many varieties, except bass! All bass just have to be released, just haves too! And maybe perch, gotta let them spawners free!

You want some fish, go buy some Talapia! [crazy][bobdumb]

[TubeDude]

[quote BSF]Good to hear that the females are still heavy with eggs, I sure hope to be able to be at Willard when they finally go in to spawn. Any projections (TD) on when that might be? Brian[/quote]

[#0000FF]Just as with most species...humans included...the boys are already at the party and lookin' for love. Lots more dark (spawn ready) males being caught now. And some females are getting with the program. There have been a few spawned out females caught recently,. Once the water reaches and remains above 60 degrees that triggers final maturity of the reproductive organs.

The good news for anglers delayed...commitments or self-imposed...is that the crappies will prolong their spawn for a while. As is also common with other species they don't just flip a switch and they're done with it. As a precaution against sudden nest destruction, predation or other deadly happenstance, the spawn cycle is spread out over time. Some males and females just naturally ripen a bit slower than others. By being able to spread the spawning out over more time there is a greater chance that some new hatchlings will make it to a party sometime a few years later.

I keep a pretty good log system of all my trips. I have records of catching big fat egg-laden female crappies in the north marina as late as mid June. I'd hate to think it was just because they couldn't get a date...or that they were going transgender.

Some species of fish do that, ya know. Several members of the wrasse family all start out as females. Then, as they get older, some change to males...especially if there is a low ratio of males to females. I know, I know. Some folks are gonna say "yer wrasse".
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Now that's just crazy talk. Next thing yer gonna say is that if God meant us to go around in the nude we would have been born without clothes on.
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[Uintaman]

My saltwater clown fish, change sex to spawn and may change back. Life is tenacious.
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[BSF]

Thanks TD,
Great information, and good to know.
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