10 in. Crappie limit

[larry ipock]

What was the reasoning behind the 10 in limit? I had a fisheries biologist tell me that most crappie don't live long enough to reach 10 in. Would it not be better to have a 8 in limit, and change the numbers limit on some lakes? Maybe I'm in the wrong section of the lake, but on Norris, I'm lucky to see a 10 in crappie, much less catch 5.

 

[Biggun4214]

Compare a 10 inch crappie to a 8 inch and take note of the overall size. Much more meat in that extra 2 inches. Most crappie will reach the 10 inch mark by the 3rd year. So it's easily obtainable. it also protects the fish and allows them to spawn at least twice before reaching legal size.
I remember when there wasn't a size or creel limit and watching fishermen carry 5 gallon buckets of 5-8 inch fish from Douglas.

Also I'm not sure who told you crappie wouldn't live long enough to reach 10 inches. On Douglas and Cherokee 12-14 inch fish are fairly common. Those fish are probably 5-6 years old.