Questions for the WDFW

[Hal]

I really like you Yellowbear but really, come on man!! You have a direct link to the WDFW ask the question yourself instead standing there and not asking. Defeats the whole purpose of promoting the NWWF. We'll have a beer sometime and have a heck of a good time. Peace bro!

There was a guy from DNR ( Mike Schmuck?) that was saying feel free to ask questions. Im thinking a public website will be a better place to get questions answered. Also thinking thats what YB was shootin for

[muskyhunter]

Okay Hal, maybe that is his way of asking questions. But according to the website he promotes one of its mission statements include INTERACTING with the WDFW. Don't get that at all. The other worry some thing is the VHS thing with the salmon? huh? Why would you throw something like that out there? wow

[crappie007]

Great questions yellow bear, I enjoy reading them and someday look forward to all the answers. I hope you keep asking them on differnt sites and on here, your efforts have not gone un-noticed and I for one will cheer you on. I hope you keep it going from all
angles. There will always be opposition, but you handle that very well.
Thank you , a friend
Crappie007

[crappie007]

After so many years, I would say Crappie have deep family roots in Washington State!
Yb- this might help answer your 9" min. question....

The first crappie plantings in Washington were
reportedly in 1890 in Lake Washington (285 yearlings,
unknown species); 1891 in Loon Lake (220 adults) and
Liberty Lake (50 fish); 1892 in Deer Lake (25 fish); and
1893 in Shepherd Lake. Crappies were well-established
in the lower Columbia River before 1910, and many
other transplantings probably came from this source.
One documented transfer of Columbia River crappies
was into Silver Lake, Cowlitz County, in 1912.
Today, the most popular and productive crappie
fishing is in the waters of the Columbia Irrigation
Project, including Banks Lake, Moses Lake and
Potholes Reservoir. Sprague Lake, Silver Lake (Cowlitz
County), the Columbia and Snake rivers, and many
smaller lakes and ponds around the state are also
popular crappie fishing spots. In general, crappie
populations in Washington have declined in the last
decade or so. In particular, concerns for the species in
Moses Lake and Potholes Reservoir have led to harvest
restrictions in those two waters.
Special regulations enacted in 2004 are designed to
enhance populations in some key crappie waters.
Effective May 1, 2004, the following lakes have a daily
limit of 10 fish, with a 9-inch minimum size limit:
Sprague Lake (Adams County); Lower Goose Lake
(Grant Co.); Duck Lake (Grays Harbor Co.); Sawyer
Lake (King Co.); Coffeepot Lake (Lincoln Co.); Tanwax
Lake (Pierce Co.); Big and Campbell lakes (Skagit Co.);
Cassidy and Roesiger lakes (Snohomish Co.); Downs,
Eloika and Silver lakes (Spokane Co.); and Black Lake
(Thurston County). Potholes Reservoir also has the 9-
inch minimum size limit, but with a combined
crappie/bluegill daily limit of 25 fish.
Other waters with special crappie regulations (as of
May 1, 2004) include Alkali, Coffeepot and Moses
lakes. Check the latest regulations pamphlet for up to date rules.
SOURCE: WDFW--warmwater fishes of washington. Interesting read on the tiger muskie there as well.

[Rosann G]

Thanks for the info Crappie007. I also enjoy reading YB's posts and questions and hope to read answers to them here one day too.
Rosann

[YellowBear]

The info on VHS and the Pacific Northwest can be found at www.dec.ny.gov you can decide if its gibberish or not.

Thanks for the info and support Crappie007.
I understand that there should be a minimum size, what I can't grasp is the 9 inch size.
A 9 inch Crappie is not much of a fish.
I guess I was spoiled as a child with 12 to 18 inch slabs in many of the lakes that we fished.

Rosanne, I would not expect these questions to be answered here but I will keep asking.

On another note, I was up on the Pend Orellie Saturday. It was good to see fry just about everywere we went.
I had not been up there in 20 years and I was surprised at the amount of vegitation that was in the river.

[YellowBear]

What were the size and amount of warm water species reintroduced into Sprague?

[Smalma]

Yellowbear -
Here is some additional information on black crappie here in Washington.

Crappies generally tend to be a short lived fish. While it is possible that the a crappie might live to an age of 9 years here in Washington few live much longer than 5 years. Washington growth rates are pretty slow with it taking 4 or 5 years on the average (17 lakes) to reach 9 inches. In other words at a large size limit most fish would die of old age prior to reaching the minimum size limit.

You probably have to contact WDFW for more details though maybe a search of their site for 2004 regulation changes might yield a write up of the proposal for the change including the rationale for the change.

Tight lines
Curt

[kevinb]

Yellowbear -
Here is some additional information on black crappie here in Washington.

Crappies generally tend to be a short lived fish. While it is possible that the a crappie might live to an age of 9 years here in Washington few live much longer than 5 years. Washington growth rates are pretty slow with it taking 4 or 5 years on the average (17 lakes) to reach 9 inches. In other words at a large size limit most fish would die of old age prior to reaching the minimum size limit.

You probably have to contact WDFW for more details though maybe a search of their site for 2004 regulation changes might yield a write up of the proposal for the change including the rationale for the change.

Tight lines
Curt

Great information,Thank you