Open letter to the MDWFP

[MSDawg870]

I don't know about on a menu I guess a fish house in MO or AR could offer crappie. Its probably more along the lines of goin to a guys house and gettin em by the pound. I know I've gone to a commercial fisherman's house before and bought some catfish for a fishfry.

Thats my guess, I don't have proof that there sellin em but its legal and there takin back more than one family could eat before they spoil so you do the math.

"I know that crappie are probably the most prevalent reproducers in MS waters."

They can't reproduce if all the females that are oozing with eggs are in coolers and not spawning.

Solution- Lower the limits on transport and possession(this will stop the campers from filling up), I don't think you have to lower the daily limit. With enough public outcry I think this can be done.

[goosebruce]

When you see all those MO plates at sardis, camping and they bring deep freezers with them, sumthing is going on. travis

[torch]

Thats what I have been talking about. I bet I caught over 7000 crappie last year. I kept less than 1000 and gave most of them to friends and family.
I tournament fish and we aren't hurting the popuation because of catch and release.

[Dennis Riecke FW15]

When someone can figure out how to effectively enforce a "possession limit" perhaps we will have one. To me, this is an "us" versus "them" debate. "Us" being local resident anglers who can legall take home 30 crappie per person per day and fish much more frequently than the "them" who are nonresidents who can only legally transport 7 daily creel limits (210 crappie) and who usually only fish --- at the most --- a few weeks a year.

The MDWFP did a research study with tagged crappie which showed that the river does not restock the oxbow lakes. Very few fish moved from the river to the lakes.

Yes the local anglers really opposed the 15 crappie per day limit. So, the MDWFP gave them what they want. Now they want something else???? I hate to say it but we (the MDWFP fisheries staff) told you so. We predicted what we thought would happen if people don't comply fully with the current regulation.

When harvest reaches over 20 pounds of crappie per acre, it has been the MDWFP's experience that the average size of crappie harvested will decline. The MDWFP is trying to maintain --- not create --- a world-class trophy crappie fishery. This may be impossible given the tremendous amount of angling pressure and harvest. Crappie populations are cyclic, good year classes develop and grow and are harvested. These may be followed by poor year classes and reduced harvest. There are very few fisheries that can continue to sustain high harvest levels for years and years. As the MDWFP fisheries biologist in charge of managing the Grenada Lake fisheires said, "Grenada was the last reservior to be discovered". The fishery will probably become like that in Sardis and Enid but, we will have to see because Grenada is the only one with a 12 inch minimum lenght limit. Perhaps it is the only water body in the country with this limit.

Comprehensive enforcement of the "possession limit" would require that every cooler, freezer, camper and vehicle at Grenada be searched everyday to take a count of the crappie present. Then the Conservation Officer has to ask the anglers how many of them were fishing and how many fish of the number found belongs to each angler. And each angler, would of course tell the truth about the number of fish they caught. Remember there is no law against giving away fish. Then to treat everyone fairly we need to keep track of everyone who was on the lake each day to make sure that any local folks don't go home with a limit and return the same day to catch some more crappie. Let's just not get into searching people's freezers at home. So, which group of anglers "us" or "them" does the enforcement burden fall on the most? Since we are not going to go into the houses of "us" to check on their catches, it falls more heavily on "them" who are easily encountered and identified because they remain adjacent to the lake for a week or so. The "us" anglers go home each night.

Perhaps we need to issue crappie tags and make a regulation that states that no one is permitted to leave the lake with untagged crappie. Everyday you would be issued tags stamped with an indelible date on them for you to use on the fish you caught that day. Possession of untagged fish at any time would be a violation.

The point of this entire discourse is to illustrate one concept: You must be self-enforcing. There is not any other practical way except to enforce the daily limit by checking everyone, each day. Over 30 crappie per person in the boat results in a violation. Perhaps we should get the 190 or so MDWFP Conservation Officers to camp out at Grenada and check every single angler each day and record their names so they will know if they leave with 30 fish and come back later that day to continue fishing.

How much of your personal liberty and rights do you want to give up to ensure the creel limit is effectively enforced? How much hassle do you want to endure to ensure the creel limit is effectively enforced?

Harvest what you can use and nature will take it's course. The end result will be manifest in your angling experiences at Grenada in the future.

[Spoonallard]

I can deal with tags and a season on them.
Spoon

[digger]

I can give you the proof 2yr's ago had 2 different men from Mo. tell me they got over $6 a pound for dressed crappie,I know this aint Mo but get up around Tiptonville Tn. and crappie is on the menu.My wife has a clothing store and 2 women from Mo came in shopping while their husband's fished said they had been at the camp ground's at Grenada since the last week of Feb. and were staying until Memorial day.

[cajun squealer]

This sounds like a job for the El Camino Crew.

[Wingman]

It has been my experience, however limited that may be, that the locals around a particular lake will violate more frequently than the non-locals (whether they are from out of county or out of state).

On Moon Lake, for example, I have encountered very few OOS anglers that didn't have a license or had over-limits and/or length limit violations. It's the people that live on the lake or live within 30 miles of the lake that are fishing w/o licenses, keeping over the limit, keeping too many short fish, running at night w/o nav lights, etc. There seems to be an attitude of "this is my lake, I'm gonna do what I want" on Moon Lake. But I'm not lumping all locals in that same pile. I've gotten several "thank you's" and "Keep it up, the word is getting out" this year and I really appreciate those.

The spillways are a different story. I see more TN residents and non-resident hispanics than MS residents at the spillway at Arkabutla. On the lake, it's probably 60-75% residents.

[tunica]

The spillways are a different story. I see more TN residents and non-resident hispanics than MS residents at the spillway at Arkabutla. On the lake, it's probably 60-75% residents.

You ever tried to carry a boat across the desert?


Sorry I dont buy that the river does not restock Oxbows. I know for a fact it restocks the catfish population on the cut...or else there are alot of catfish that take trips on the river only to return when the water is high.

I would really like access to the study that proves the river does not restock a oxbow

[torch]

If I could get deputized I bet I could have over 30 arrests in a week on Enid. I wouldn't pick on anyone just check freezers in the campgrounds.

[Greenhead22]

I've seen crappie on menu's in the state of ms before too.

[Spoonallard]

Hey wingman, Just deputize Torch and I for the weekend and we'll help out.

[MSDawg870]

God knows the COE rangers aren't doin schit I saw one cruise by the other day, 4 trucks(MO) didn't have hangtags, no tickets were written b/c he didn't exit his truck.

[Wingman]

I've seen crappie on menu's in the state of ms before too

I hear a local CC has them on the menu.

[DUCKAHOLIC]

Look at ole big daddy Riecke bustin out on the board..................