So is this a bad thing or not?

[RUGER]

In the last three trips I have made to Garrett Lake I have caught a total of 230 crappie.
Granted I sat on a huge group of fish that were all between 5 and 9 inches twice and just kept catching them to just see how many I could catch.
The other two trips I moved around looking for bigger fish.
Of the 230 I have caught I have gotten exactly 4 keepers.
Granted one weighed 2 1/2 pounds but still.

175 acres of water
How many is too many in terms of small crappie?
That averages about 1 keeper for every 50 fish caught.
Just seems like an awful lot of little fish and very few big ones.
Last Fall there is no telling how many 9 1/2" fish we caught.
Where are they now? Are they still 9 1/2"?

I called the guy in Nashville two years ago and he said they have not seen the data that would lead them to remove the length limit for any amount of time.

Would removing more smaller fish help or hurt?

 

[beefydeer]

Removing smaller fish will help. A female crappie will lay 100,000 eggs.

 

[scn]

They need to lower the size limit.

 

[gasman]

The last 2 years I was catching 8-9" crappie at Whiteville Lake. This year I caught very few less than 10" most were 11"-12". There was 8" limit last year, 9" the year before that, 10" before that. No size limit this yea. Lowering the size limit helps tremendously.

 

[Hduke86]

I can't comment cause I was on Lake Chickamauga today and between the 30mph winds and about getting sea sick. All I got was a catfish that I foul hooked somehow

 

[WTM]

i wonder why theyre keeping a 10" minimum? in a lake tgat size max grow length will more than likely be 8" unless they are the main managed fish.

most of those small lakes around here went to a no length limit and on some still have a 30 fish creel limit.

 

[RUGER]

i wonder why theyre keeping a 10" minimum? in a lake tgat size max grow length will more than likely be 8" unless they are the main managed fish.

most of those small lakes around here went to a no length limit and on some still have a 30 fish creel limit.

No clue man.
The fishery dude I called a couple years ago said they had seen no data that would suggest they need to change anything.
Typical twra response, we are doing a great job, if you don't believe it, ask us.

A buddy of mine that bass fishes there more than anyone else in the state actually goes to church with a fishery guy.
He was asking him WHY there are chain pickerel in there and he said it was to balance the eco-system.
He said I get that but Saturday I caught two bass and 17 chain pickerel.
He was like how many??
17 !
Do you throw them back?
I have been but I'm fixing to put an ice pick in my boat.
I need to make a phone call. LOL
He also told him about the amount and size of crappie I have been catching.
Guy said, you think he really caught that many?
Uhhh yeah I sat there and watched him. LOL

Maybe something will change.
Honestly as far as being able to catch bigger crappie I don't really care. I am just worried the little savages will ultimately hurt the bream population.
With people keeping every single bream they catch they don't need anything else going against them there.

 

[DayDay]

Is the boat ramp in good shape at Garrett Lake?

I keep my boat at my cabin near Parsons so I mainly fish the Tennessee River but look for different places for variety at times. Garrett Lake is about 60 miles from my place so I may want to spend a day there sometime.

 

[RUGER]

Is the boat ramp in good shape at Garrett Lake?

I keep my boat at my cabin near Parsons so I mainly fish the Tennessee River but look for different places for variety at times. Garrett Lake is about 60 miles from my place so I may want to spend a day there sometime.

Yes sir, it's a good ramp.

 

[WTM]

sounds like the management is more like throwing in a bunch of fish and hoping for the best.

bluegill will always take a hit until people change the way they think about bluegill and learn something about their biology.

i know a guy from pondboss that wanted to test some middle tn twra lakes with a bluegill limit. of course he was blasted into obscurity on crappie.com. i never have likes that site much anyway but that guy got absolutely hammered on there.

 

[RUGER]

sounds like the management is more like throwing in a bunch of fish and hoping for the best.

bluegill will always take a hit until people change the way they think about bluegill and learn something about their biology.

i know a guy from pondboss that wanted to test some middle tn twra lakes with a bluegill limit. of course he was blasted into obscurity on crappie.com. i never have likes that site much anyway but that guy got absolutely hammered on there.

Carroll Lake has a limit of 20 on bream.
I am fine with that.
If everyone abides by it that place is gonna be really good for bream.
Caught several limits there last year.
It go to where we would see how quick we could get a limit.