Crappie anglers reminded of special no cull rules
Crappie anglers are reminded of a special wintertime no-cull regulation that went into effect Dec. 1 on a couple of East Texas reservoirs.
At Lake Fork and Lake O' the Pines, crappie fishermen are required to retain the first 25 crappie they catch regardless of size. The time-specific rule remains in effect until Feb. 28.
Both lakes are extremely popular with crappie fishermen during the winter months. The fish have a tendency to group in relation to main lake structure in cold weather, usually in water deeper than 25 feet.
The no-cull rule was implemented several years ago because a high percentage of the fish caught from deep water are prone to develop a potentially fatal condition called "hyperbuoyancy" -- an over-inflated air bladder.
Like other fish, the crappie's air bladder inflates and deflates slowly to help it achieve neutral buoyancy as it moves up or down in the water column. When a fish is snatched out of deep water, its air bladder is sometimes unable to adjust quickly enough to compensate for the sudden change in pressure that occurs when it is reeled to the surface.
Hyperbuoyancy creates excessive pressure on other internal organs and hinders the crappie's ability to swim upright and resubmerge once released. This causes many fish to die from stress or predator attacks as they flitter about on the surface.
The logic behind the no-cull rule on high pressure lakes is to prevent anglers from sorting through, and possibly killing, multiple small fish before catching one that fits the statewide 10-inch minimum length limit.
The restrictive regulation has been in effect for several years on the Texas side of Toledo Bend, but it was lifted this year after the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department reached reciprocal agreements with Louisiana on several border waters. The current crappie limit on Toledo Bend is 25 fish per angler with no minimum length limit.
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