im curious , how do you guys know when the lake/pond your fishing is safe to eat the fish out of? im aware the fishery people do water tests monthly (or whenever) , but i would imagine they dont go to every single pond around.

i do go to this private pond and always catch black crappie , but the water looks super stained. is there any sure fire way to know if its safe to eat the fish out of there?

as a general rule, never eat bass , only eat crappie. The green backs belong back in the water.

If you are going to eat a fish, you might as well eat one that tastes good.  There are a number of fish that taste better than bass....crappie, bluegill, walleye,  and catfish just to name a few.

Take a look at the runoff that flows into the pond.  Does a creek or stream flow through it?  Is it a farm pond?

If nothing raises any red flags, then it's likely ok to eat the fish out of it.  The next thing to do is to determine who else fishes the pond and if anyone else is taking fish.  If not, then you can likely take anything that you want without harming the fishery.

When you're hungry.  

as a general rule, never eat bass , only eat crappie. The green backs belong back in the water.

Bass are quite tasty.  Nothing like some good fried smallmouth after a day on the river.

from what im told , no one fishes out of there and it almost seems over populated. its around an acre in size. last winter we went and were catching 10"-12"+ crappie all morning. we went about a week or so ago in the afternoon and every one of them was less than 10" along with the single smallmouth.

also , do you guys have a size preference on crappie? or do they all taste the same no matter the size?

I like crappie over 10" they all taste good but you don't have to clean so many to get a meal if you go for larger ones. bass are pretty good too just don't take them if they are bigger than average for your lake around here average is around 2 lbs.

When you're hungry.

It's scary how GREAT minds think a like.  I was thinking the exact same thing ;D.

When they make a Rice-o-Roni for Bass.

When they make a Rice-o-Roni for Bass.

You've never had Bass Helper?

You should check out Rahmen's new catfish flavor.

good stuff.

from what ive been seeing , crappie are one of the easier fish to clean as well. seeing as ive never had to clean one myself (besides a few dolphin a couple years ago) , i may just go for it. is there a recipe thread somewhere?

as far as bass , eh. i may give that a shot sometime once i get my fish cleaning/cooking skills up there.

Sound's Tasty.

with the single smallmouth.

Are you sure it was a smallmouth? I've never heard of any farther east than the Uwharrie River. If the owner stocked it and they have survived, that's pretty unusual.

You could also pick up a local fishing / hunting magazine and they should have a color coded grid showing which bodies of water around you is healthy or not to eat out of (daily / weekly / monthly etc).

im not 100% positive it was a smallmouth , but the hinge of its jaw was in front of its eyes. isnt that the way to determine if its a smallie? please correct me if im wrong.

i never thought about the local magazines... any where in particular they would have them? im VERY new to this area (just moved here a few weeks ago).

the pond in question has a huge 'no trespassing , no fishing , beastly attack dog on site' sign on the front of the property so the only people who fish there are friends of the family.

Just go to the source....

http://www.epi.state.nc.us/epi/fish/

Just go to the source....

http://www.epi.state.nc.us/epi/fish/

Thanks!

High mercury levels have been found in black crappie caught south and east of Interstate 95.

im west of it , so i should be good.

and nothing in the areas i plan to fish as far as i know.

When they turn up dead in the live well.  

When they turn up dead in the live well.

no live well here. im shore bound.

im not 100% positive it was a smallmouth , but the hinge of its jaw was in front of its eyes. isnt that the way to determine if its a smallie?

It's usually a good way to tell as long as its mouth is completely closed. But on small fish it can be too close to really tell. Since it is in a pond and it's that far east in the state there probably aren't any smallmouths in there unless the owner put a few in. If you post a picture of the next one you catch that you think is a smallmouth we could tell for sure.

To be on the safe side practice catch and release.  Eat fish from the grocery store.  

To be on the safe side practice catch and release. Eat fish from the grocery store.

One's I catch taste better IMO.

It's usually a good way to tell as long as its mouth is completely closed. But on small fish it can be too close to really tell. Since it is in a pond and it's that far east in the state there probably aren't any smallmouths in there unless the owner put a few in. If you post a picture of the next one you catch that you think is a smallmouth we could tell for sure.

after picking up one of the state fishing and game regulation digest book things , it may have been a large mouth. i will post a picture when i get another one.

fish from the grocery store cost money. id rather spend that on more bait/lures.  ;D