But I’ve changed my mind.
The Ohio Division of Wildlife will hold open houses all over the state on Aug. 29 from noon until 3 p.m. to hear from the public. The nearest will be at the Greene County Fish & Game Club, 1538 Union Road, Xenia.
Here’s what the state is proposing for crappies:
The number of lakes with 9-inch minimum size limits will rise from six to 44. All of those lakes would have a daily bag limit of 30.
So the limits would only be at selected lakes, not statewide. However, most of the lakes in southwest Ohio would be included. At present, Caesar Creek Lake is one of the six with the size limit. Those lakes added to the list would be Acton, C.J. Brown, East Fork, Grand Lake St. Marys, Indian, Kiser, Loramie, Paint Creek and Rocky Fork. There are 29 others scattered around Ohio.
The only southwest Ohio state-owned lakes not affected would be Cowan, Stonelick, Clark, Adams and Rush Run.
Probably like many others who like to fish for crappies, I wondered if such a regulation is necessary. It’s not like Ohio is going to run out of crappies anytime soon.
So I called up Doug Maloney, fish management supervisor for this part of Ohio, to find out the philosophy behind this proposal. Maloney, as it turns out, was very involved as a member of the study committee that is proposing the new rules.
“The goal is to improve fishing on these lakes,” Maloney explained. “We want anglers to be able to catch more fish, improve catch rates and the average size of the fish.”
Surveys taken by the division show anglers generally support the size limit on crappies and many had no objection to a daily bag limit. Ohio, unlike many states, does not have possession limits.
Anglers who fish at Caesar Creek have noticed the 9-inch size limit has improved crappie fishing. The recent Crappie USA tournament there displayed more large fish than several years before.
Perhaps the most noticeable change has come at Delaware Lake, where crappie size limits were first implemented.
“Delaware is the shining star of this program,” Maloney said. “If you ever want to see a success story, then look at what the size limits have done for the crappies in that lake.”
The lakes chosen were picked mostly because the average growth rate for crappies is very good. At lakes where tests have shown crappies grow slowly, the size limit wouldn’t help much, Maloney said. Cowan and the other lakes in the area that were excluded all have slow-growing crappies.
If the proposals do not encounter a large outcry from the public at the open houses or the statewide hearing at 9 a.m. on Sept. 10 at 1500 Dublin Road, Columbus, the Ohio Wildlife Council is likely to pass the proposals at its Oct. 7 meeting.
In addition to the crappie regulations, the division has proposed:
• A change for announcing when bag limits are set for Lake Erie walleye and yellow perch. The proposal would make new bag limits effective on May 1 instead of March 1. Changing the date allows for the walleye and yellow perch quotas set by the Lake Erie Committee to be considered prior to setting the bag limits.
• An extension of the statewide catfish regulations to the Ohio River. Anglers would be allowed only one channel catfish 28 inches or longer with no limit for channel catfish under 28 inches. In addition, the proposal would allow for only one flathead and one blue catfish 35 inches or longer to be possessed, with no limit for flathead and blue catfish under 35 inches.
• 2009-10 waterfowl regulations also will be discussed, letting hunters know season dates and bag limits.
For more information, call (800) WILDLIFE (945-3543). Proposals and directions to open houses are also found at wildohio.com.
About the Author