1 minute ago, Bass_Fishing_Socal said:

I saw some groups kept like 100 of them down to 5-6”. I even jokingly asked them what is he gonna do with crappie those small, he said fry them whole.

That happens here too.  Sunfish get hammered in the same fashion down to the very small ones too.

 

The primary issue is the culture here.  Crappies are simply not targeted as a sport fish like bass primarily are.  Same with walleyes here.  Most people won't even think twice about releasing one that's appropriate eater size and legal to keep.  But when they catch a bass, most anglers automatically release them.  Until that mindset changes, one species will continue to get slaughtered and the other will thrive.  Crappies spawn in the spring time and people still keep them during that period.  But when someone catches a bass off a bed, I bet they are released almost every time.  As to why they keep one but release the other is a real head scratcher.

6 hours ago, gimruis said:

This is the biggest one I caught last spring, 12.5 inches.

 

That’s a beauty for a northern crappie,

31 minutes ago, Jigfishn10 said:

That’s a beauty for a northern crappie

I've actually seen them quite a bit bigger on a fairly consistent basis out of this lake.  Up to 17 inches.  Just haven't found any bigger than about 12-13 inches though.  Maybe this is the year I stumble into a school of those famous freaks.

Nobody releases them here either but we have lakes that kick out 2lb crappie regularly. So many shad and fertile water I think grows them fast.

12 minutes ago, Bass_Fishing_Socal said:

My PB on scale is only 2lb 8oz.

Catching them all at night time?

The waters I fish are covered with ice now.

 

I caught two nice bass this morning, but also some yellow perch, lake trout, and a very orange pumpkinseed...

 

 

Edit to add: caught on Lake George, NY on a tiny 3" version of the Reins Bubbling Shaker in chartreuse glow.

Are those yellow perch?  I don't think we have them on this side of the state.

1 hour ago, roadwarrior said:

Are those yellow perch?  I don't think we have them on this side of the state.

Yes indeed, and You sure do! My buddy got a bunch in Kentucky lake last summer 

Hmm...

Just now, roadwarrior said:

Hmm...

I think he was well downstream of where you fish, somewhere around Paris 

The bag limit of yellow perch used to be 100 daily up here about 20 years ago. People thought they were trash fish. Well someone musta realized how tasty they were and the word got out, and I mean QUICK because the bag limit went from 100 to 50 to 25 to 20 in like 5 years.

 

The lakes I used to catch them on about a decade ago are completely devoid of jumbos nowadays. I can’t even catch a sizable one by accident anymore. They’re still the primary prey in many lakes here but they get gobbled up by all the predators before they reach any size.

40 minutes ago, gimruis said:

The bag limit of yellow perch used to be 100 daily up here about 20 years ago. People thought they were trash fish. Well someone musta realized how tasty they were and the word got out, and I mean QUICK because the bag limit went from 100 to 50 to 25 to 20 in like 5 years.

 

The lakes I used to catch them on about a decade ago are completely devoid of jumbos nowadays. I can’t even catch a sizable one by accident anymore. They’re still the primary prey in many lakes here but they get gobbled up by all the predators before they reach any size.

There’s no limit here, most people have no idea that exist. There’s a few tributary lakes loaded with jumbos

 

Some guy even showed me a picture from 2016 of some jumbos he got right where I was standing today. I’ve only ever caught small ones there, i was at a dam on the main river 

13 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

There’s no limit here, most people have no idea that exist.

There may not be a better tasting freshwater fish than perch out of cold water. They are better than walleye, trout, and catfish.  I have not kept and ate fish in years but yellow perch would make me change my mind. My brother always called a jumbo perch “swimming gold.”

 

I remember them having scales that were tougher than iron. Anything less than a very sharp knife wouldn’t suffice.

Just now, gimruis said:

There may not be a better tasting freshwater fish than perch out of cold water. They are better than walleye, trout, and catfish.

 

I remember them having scales that were tougher than iron. Anything less than a very sharp knife wouldn’t suffice.

Haha! Halfway through cleaning them today, I was feeling that. I didn’t go inside to sharpen the knife but I should have 

20 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Haha! Halfway through cleaning them today, I was feeling that. I didn’t go inside to sharpen the knife but I should have 

Does that mean we get to see a gnarly picture of a sliced up finger?! hahaha

7 minutes ago, HaydenS said:

Does that mean we get to see a gnarly picture of a sliced up finger?! hahaha

Ha! Negative. Somehow, someway, knock on wood, I’ve never cut my self filleting fish. And by golly I have filleted a lot of fish 

 

I kept having to use too much pressure to get through the scales and then accidentally slicing right thru the small ones backbones 

Law……… I broke out the fine china for this one 

Nothing tastier!

 

The local lake where I fish is full of them.  The interesting thing is the size...  When I was young, you could catch all the big 10" yellow perch you wanted.  There was no limit on "panfish".

 

Now, there's a 25-fish limit on perch because people were getting crazy, catching hundreds and selling them to the local bait shops that had started buying them at attractive prices.  But now, you're lucky to catch any over 8" or 9".  Guys say that's because they were overfished.  But fisheries management experts have always said that stunted panfish are a sign of overpopulation...

?‍♂️

 We took Redneck south to Bara De Navidad this week.  Fishing was good.

First day.

2 Blue Marlin. Biggest 250 - 300 pounds.

1 striped marlin, 130 pounds.

1 Sail fish

All bill fish released.

9 big dorado.

 

Day two.

8- Yellowfin Tuna.  Biggest around 100 pounds.

1- Dorado.

 

Stopped at a rock pile on the way home to Puerto Vallarta, and picked up a nice snapper.  Great trip.  Hope to go again in a couple weeks.

That Snapper has Fish Tacos written all over it..Yummmy

Dorado with a blackened seasoning...couldn't tell you the last time I had it.

Great pics, thanks for sharing @king fisher!

Since we’re still frozen here I’ll share some of last seasons.  The lakes around here are very multi species so you never know what’s going to bite.  We do get some good perch and they are in most of the lakes around. This one ate a chatterbait. I keep meaning to go after them one day to bring some home but never do.  Tons of pickerel here and various other predators.  Walleye on spinnerbaits and topwaters?  Why not. Crappie on crank baits?  Sure. 

 

 

Sammich?