Poll: When to Keep Crappie

[USMarine1171]

OK Gents,

After looking through pics of crappie that people have been keeping I've noticed alot of variation and in particular, some small crappie. Now, I'm not saying keeping a 7" crappie is wrong, because there is no size limit. But I think we can all agree that crappie in general get bigger than other panfish. From what I've read about crappie the average length falls at 8" in most lakes. So, what size crappie do you consider a keeper???

[walleyeman2006]

generally about 9 inches..not many around here and its rare to catch anything under 10 inches any way

[USMarine1171]

generally about 9 inches..not many around here and its rare to catch anything under 10 inches any way

Yeah, I suppose alot of it would have to do with the average size in the lake.

[roger23]

I only keep enough to eat that day or the next .I usually 3or4 smaller ones I don't care for them frozen. in the freg any way

[fish eater]

I only keep the ones in between 8 and 12. Anything under 8, or over 12 goes back in the drink.:)

[icefishermanmark]

and its rare to catch anything under 10 inches any way

Wanna take me fishing with you?

[catfishtom210]

I voted 10 but it is probably closer to 9. I am not a great crappie fisherman and don't have an eye for size by length. I go by the thickness. If they have some shoulders on 'em I'll keep em. I kept three last night that are probably around 10 and threw back a few smaller that I wish I had kept! They were probably under 9!

As to fresh v. the freezer.....there is little choice when you only catch a few keepers at a time!:lol:

[steve myers]

And give them away to people that love crappie I catch enough perch,bluegills and walleyes I don't care to eat the soft textured crappie but I do love to catch them in the winter as most are good fighters.

[redneckman]

I like to keep them 8" and up. I will keep a 7incher if they are hooked deep or anything like that.

Redneckman

[walleyeman2006]

guys there around you can see where i live lol theres only one river here.....ive caught 16 inch fish but your not going to get 25 in a day and its not been good at all since the water dropped......5 fish is a great day if all you do is fish crappie here thats why they get big no one bothers them much except for the local kids......the marina here in town is a good place to start...or any other dead water attached to the river.....its really a place to fish if your looking for some perch and maybe a crappie for the wall....and lots of pike

if any one wants to try for em in another week or so..last ice is best..shoot me a PM

[Hammerin' Hank]

I don't know if you're looking at the pic in Mudflapimmc's post, but if we layed them out flat you would see 95% of them are 8" and above (Lite bottle is 9" and tilted), with a majority being over 9". We catch them in that range all evening long, and that is the avg. for the lake. Fished it many many times and rarely catch anything under 7" or over 10". We throw back two or three "shorts" per outing, with four people fishing. The bluegills are fat shouldered pigs too:D !

Sean

[jlcrss]

I we talking an honest 9 inches or what I tell the woman?:whistle:

[USMarine1171]

I don't know if you're looking at the pic in Mudflapimmc's post, but if we layed them out flat you would see 95% of them are 8" and above (Lite bottle is 9" and tilted), with a majority being over 9". We catch them in that range all evening long, and that is the avg. for the lake. Fished it many many times and rarely catch anything under 7" or over 10". We throw back two or three "shorts" per outing, with four people fishing. The bluegills are fat shouldered pigs too:D !

Sean

No, I wasn't talking about that pic. There are some nice fillets on those crappie though. If I could choose though, I would rather catch a 13" crappie(who wouldn't). And it's just me, but I'd rather throw back some decent crappie just to see those fatties when they are 13". In the meantime, the dinner plate will have some gills in it.

[Hammerin' Hank]

No, I wasn't talking about that pic. There are some nice fillets on those crappie though. If I could choose though, I would rather catch a 13" crappie(who wouldn't). And it's just me, but I'd rather throw back some decent crappie just to see those fatties when they are 13". In the meantime, the dinner plate will have some gills in it.

I'd love to see them at 13" but I don't think they make it that big;) . Never seen anything over 10"-11". Can't be us taking 'em all, we only hit it in the winter, a couple of weekends with the kids. Private lake, not much action.

Sean

[skulldugary]

Count your blessings......could be like Tennessee and have a 10"-5 fish limit.

[Radar420]

I only keep the ones in between 8 and 12. Anything under 8, or over 12 goes back in the drink.:)

:yeahthat: Unless it's a pig that is mount worthy. To me, anything over 12" doesn't taste as good as the smaller ones

[brad arnett]

I like to keep crappie's that are 9" or better, I usually throw back anything over 12". I usually only keep 'gils that are 7 1/2"+ and anything 10 or bigger goes back too. Here is a little trick that helps to keep from bringing home smaller fish. I use a dot of white nail polish on all my panfish rods at 7.5", 8", 9", and 10". It is a quick way to gauge them and get back to fishing. Managed to scratch a limit of 7.5" plus gils, and 9" specks last night.;)

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f281/brdeano/100_1077.jpg

[Chuck1]

I have found that I am not a fan of eating crappies anyway, so I let them all go. But I do like fishing for them,and have a blast catching one and taking a pic. If you like eating Bass crappies are right up your alley,I prefer Perch,gills, and walleye for table fair.

[RichP]

Probably 8", but if it's been ages since I've had a crappie dinner I might go closer to 7".

As far the taste comparison comment above between crappies and bass, :SHOCKED: :SHOCKED: :chillin:

[Connor4501]

Probably 8", but if it's been ages since I've had a crappie dinner I might go closer to 7".

As far the taste comparison comment above between crappies and bass, :SHOCKED: :SHOCKED: :chillin:

like apples to oranges...especially inland but also in the big waters...No comparison, crappies are among the best, but that's just my opinion...

[FISH]

when they bite;)

[Radar420]

Interesting distibution in the poll, a perfect bell curve.

BTW what's wrong with eating bass:confused: A 14-16" largemouth tastes just like a bluegill IMO. Now if you get larger than that they taste muddy.

[USMarine1171]

Interesting distibution in the poll, a perfect bell curve.


Almost, at least it's a bit skewed towards the high end. I wouldn't oppose a size limit for crappie.

[catfishtom210]

Interesting distibution in the poll, a perfect bell curve.

BTW what's wrong with eating bass:confused: A 14-16" largemouth tastes just like a bluegill IMO. Now if you get larger than that they taste muddy.


I'm sure most would have guessed this distribution of responses......guess that's why it is also known as a normal curve! Not sure if you can interpret that as saying the guys on this site are normal tho!:lol:

BTW...nobody eats bass on my boat....unless they take a bite before they release it! ;) But, I respect your right to eat them! If you like bluegill tho, leave the bass to eat the small ones so the others can grow to fit your frying pan better! I do love bluegill!:)

[fasthunter]

I generally keep them at 9 or more inches. I know they get bigger and I'm pickier. I let the smaller gills and perch go too. I like at least 7 inches on the perch and a bare minimum of as big as my hand for gills. 9+ inches is about right on the Crappies.