While the 9-inch minimum size limit will make it more difficult to take home a mess of fish — just in case you do run into a school of jumbos — there also is a 30-fish bag limit this year at those same 44 lakes across the state.
At first look, a bag limit of 30 could be somewhat limiting ... but on second look, that’s 60 fillets. And if you take your wife along in the boat to read a book and dangle a minnow over the side, that’s 120 fillets. Every time my wife goes fishing with me, she catches the most fish.
The area lakes where the 9/30 limits will be enforced are: Acton, Caesar Creek, C.J. Brown, East Fork, Grand Lake St. Marys, Indian, Kiser, Loramie, Paint Creek and Rocky Fork.
The idea behind the new limits is to improve the quality of Ohio crappies. In Delaware Lake and Caesar Creek, where the 9-inch limit has been in effect, a difference in crappie sizes has been seen, especially at Delaware, where the limit has been in effect for several years.
“Clearly, our intention with the crappie size limits is to improve the quality,” said Doug Maloney, fish management supervisor for District 5 of the Ohio Division of Wildlife. “By quality, we mean the size. In some places that might also mean the number of fish caught.”
It will, of course, take several years to see the results of the new limits.
Maloney pointed out it’s the 9-inch size limit that will do the most good.
“There aren’t that many fishermen who regularly kept more than 30 crappies, so this law won’t really be changing the habits of most anglers,” he said.
Looking ahead to this coming fishing season, Maloney said he was surprised to see recent data about the number of white bass in area lakes.
“We always knew there were plenty of white bass in Caesar Creek and C.J. Brown, but we are also seeing large numbers of white bass at Cowan, Rocky Fork and Paint Creek,” Maloney said.
He said there is the possibility of a 50-inch muskie being caught for the first time at Caesar Creek. The first muskies stocked at the lake went in during the fall of 1998. That means those fish would be 12 years old now.
“If their measurements were accurate, we saw a 48½ and 49-inch muskies caught last year. So there is no reason to think there aren’t some 50-inchers in there this year,” he said.
There are also new catfish regulations for the Ohio River. Anglers will be allowed only one channel cat 28 inches or longer, but there is no limit for catfish less than 28 inches. Only one flathead or blue cat 35 inches or longer can be kept. Keep as many as you like under that length.
So if you are out hunting big catfish and catch a 30-inch channel cat, better keep it alive because a 32-incher might be just seconds away.
Unlike some states, Ohio still has no statewide limit on bluegills and other sunfish.
Outdoors columnist Jim Morris can be reached through his Web site at www.tinyurl.com/ylh2rol or by e-mail at sports@Dayton DailyNews.com.
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