MS Crappie Limit Reduced Due to Livescope

redblood

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Lewisburg
My take on it (which has not value): The law reads "...to place in storage at any one time...". Seems that I am good as long as I don't take more than the daily limit on a given day or bring in more than two daily limits after a multi-day trip. "Place" does not mean "possess". The way I read the law, it does not restrict me from having multiple limits stored in my freezer. I'm also reading "at any one time" as on any specific day but it is not defined.
It mot just the fish, its also deer. So jow many people are in violation of putting up enough deer to last all yr? And turkey? Sounds like an impossible law to enforce. Most be more to the story.
 

rsimms

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Chattanooga, TN
My experience as a GW was LONG ago, but I don't think anything has really changed. The only time a GW is going to go digging into the "fine print" of enforcing possession limits - especially in your home freezer - is if he or she has clear evidence of commercial use (buying/selling wild game or fish) or an otherwise extremely gross violation.

Especially in the current climate, when the Agency is suffering from a major black eye over the "trailcam camera case," and have had their hands tied behind their backs as a result. It's going to take something FAR bigger than me having 45 crappie in my freezer (versus possession limit of 30) to have them going in front of a judge to seek a search warrant.
 

WTM

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benton co.
My experience as a GW was LONG ago, but I don't think anything has really changed. The only time a GW is going to go digging into the "fine print" of enforcing possession limits - especially in your home freezer - is if he or she has clear evidence of commercial use (buying/selling wild game or fish) or an otherwise extremely gross violation.

Especially in the current climate, when the Agency is suffering from a major black eye over the "trailcam camera case," and have had their hands tied behind their backs as a result. It's going to take something FAR bigger than me having 45 crappie in my freezer (versus possession limit of 30) to have them going in front of a judge to seek a search warrant.
my ex BIL daddy would have on average about 1500 crappie filets in his freezer for fish fries.

the guy had many takents and catching crappie consistently was one of them.
 

killingtime 41

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greene county
I love eating and catching crappie I have fished for them for nearly 40 years. I'm still not the greatest at it. But I eat everything I catch nothing go's to waist. Yet I still don't hardly ever catch a limit. When I feel I've got enough for a meal to feed several people I'm good. But I also will have several bags in my freezer. All will be eaten most of the time before I catch anymore.
 

Headhunter

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Tennessee
SCN on here told me over the phone a few years ago, back when he was employed with the TWRA, that if you had 2 limits, even if you gave some away, then you even had to wait until who gave them to, to eat them, before you could legally keep more. He said the possession limit was twice the daily limit no matter where.
 

Spurhunter

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Munford, TN
I had a place at Sardis for over 20 years and the over fishing started waaaay before Livescope. I haven't fished there since 2012 because we were seeing decreasing fish back then. When the spider rigging trend for crappie really caught on back in the early 2000's us tight liners were struggling to catch a limit of 30 and the trollers with 20 poles out front and dragging 10 or 15 crankbaits behind the boat were wearing out the crappie.

They were loading up pontoons with mamma and the kids plus the neighbors and pulling limits for 10 people a day. There was no boat limit back then and we argued for pole restrictions as well but Mississippi G&F said it wasn't hurting the fish. We saw multiple boats coming in with 250 to 300 crappie a day. It was crazy. I remember my Dad asking one guy that had 8 or 10 people on his boat how big his freezer was. He said he didn't keep any, he just liked catching them and gave them away to people. Then asked if we wanted some fish. LMAO. Seemed a little counterproductive if you just like "catching" them.

We saw it coming.

And this year with the water at record lows, fish concentrated near the dam and Arkabutla drained, my friends that still fish there said it was like shooting fish in a barrel. Yea, they got hammered. Not really surprised and changes should have gone in place 20 years ago.
Your thoughts are why I kinda laugh at people blaming livescope. The problem is GREED! I've been hearing your uncle and AC talk about trollers (floating trotlines 😅) and how they are decimating the fishery for years. It doesn't matter how you catch 'em. If someone is just trying to see how many they can take out, they are the problem.
 

Crow Terminator

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McMinn County
Here's a clip from yesterday. Those are largemouth. I caught several on crankbaits and then tried forward sonar on them. Tell me how easy it is to make em bite just because you can see them. I dropped shaky heads and drop shots on em too.

20240629_070657.jpg
 

JRC1

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Feb 5, 2021
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Humboldt
Here's a clip from yesterday. Those are largemouth. I caught several on crankbaits and then tried forward sonar on them. Tell me how easy it is to make em bite just because you can see them. I dropped shaky heads and drop shots on em too. View attachment 233253
View attachment 233256
Exactly like me crappie fishing. I casted to them then dropped various jigs straight above their noses and couldn't get them to bite yesterday.
 

redblood

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Jan 22, 2006
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Lewisburg
SCN on here told me over the phone a few years ago, back when he was employed with the TWRA, that if you had 2 limits, even if you gave some away, then you even had to wait until who gave them to, to eat them, before you could legally keep more. He said the possession limit was twice the daily limit no matter where.

Exactly like me crappie fishing. I casted to them then dropped various jigs straight above their noses and couldn't get them to bite yesterday.
I can catch em with the right bait , but i never on a bobby garland. Useless bait for me….

1/24 jig head and a thin 1.75" chartreuse and black crappie stinger- they will usually bite
 

mjwendorf

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Jul 7, 2009
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229
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birchwood,tn
I'm so tired of people crying about scoping. Maybe we should limit all these damn guides or at min start charging them a high permit fee that would then go back to the fisheries. The amount of guides on little Ole chick is stupid. Then add all the out of towners and the fish don't stand a chance. The fish are getting the crap beat out of them!
And anyone that thanks scoping is sooo easy has never tried it. Also the fish are starting to spook from it on pressured lakes. Saw it with downscan years ago. Would go over a school spin around an poof nothing. OK rant over.
 

WTM

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Oct 16, 2008
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benton co.
yeah sitting right on top if fish and youll have a hard time, FFS or not. KY lake has become a lot clearer over the years and you almost have to cast to them to catch the larger fish and try different casting angles. a lot of fishermen would have never figured this out without FFS.
 

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