loaftech
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crappies on willhelm yet?
any of you guys doing any good on lake wilhelm yet? i am hoping to make a trip up after i get my boat registered for some crappies.
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fish guts
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RE: crappies on willhelm yet?
2009/03/30 11:49:39
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I really think lots of nice crappies at wilhelm are a thing of the past, the last two years have not been real good. The old days of getting a limit of 9-10 inch + (measured) is over or I have forgot how to fish.
It can be good but not consistent like it was 3-5 years ago. Many people hogged them by taking bucket fulls away several times a day and comig back for more,also taking any size. Buggies had 4-5 buckets full leaving night and day even 3-4 inch crappies and blugills.
I always wondered when this would end ,I think it has.
Ny chatauqua learned a hard lesson with national crappie tournaments and no limit or season.
A couple years after the hogs came in the crappies were nearly depleted ,, Now NY has a size limit and creel limit and the last few years has tourned the crappie fishing from marginal to real good (no take of small ones ) and 30 limit. I think they are being smart.
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Bogeyjoker
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RE: crappies on willhelm yet?
2009/03/30 12:24:33
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ORIGINAL: fish guts
Ny chatauqua learned a hard lesson with national crappie tournaments and no limit or season.
A couple years after the hogs came in the crappies were nearly depleted ,, Now NY has a size limit and creel limit and the last few years has tourned the crappie fishing from marginal to real good (no take of small ones ) and 30 limit. I think they are being smart.
I agree 100% fish guts. I fish Chautauqua lake a lot and the slab fishing has improved dramatically. I don't know why PA doesn't add a size limit to crappie...Bluegills and perch are prolific enough reproducers that I don't think it's necessary for them, but crappie don't reproduce as well and don't grow as fast as the other groups of panfish do. The same thing happened on Edinboro 15 years ago...and hasn't rebounded. What happpens is when the crappie are slaughtered it opens the door for other species. Perch populations exploded yet the food source did not. So, what Edinboro ended up with is a crapload of 3-6" perch eating all the zooplankton and aquatic insects resulting in the rest of the remaining species of panfish stunted. There is still a decent population of crappie in there, but their size is, on average, poor.
post edited by Bogeyjoker - 2009/03/30 17:31:47
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FishHuntForever
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RE: crappies on willhelm yet?
2009/03/30 14:42:08
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I agree that this lake is not what it used to be, there were some many guys taking fish and a ton of small fish taken out, sooner or later I figured this would happen. Heard of a lot of guys that have quit fishing there as well due to the same reason and hoping that others do the same so they have a chance to recover.
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Josh7388
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RE: crappies on willhelm yet?
2009/03/30 19:51:03
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gonna make a trip up Saturday to fish for them
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Steeler Fan
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RE: crappies on willhelm yet?
2009/03/30 19:55:02
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I have not fished Wilhelm since they permitted electric motors in the game lands. Can you go over the log boom with a boat, has it been removed, or do you need to you the lauch in that area?
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ready2fish
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RE: crappies on willhelm yet?
2009/03/30 20:05:03
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Log boom is gone. You can lauch a small jon or canoe near where the boom used to be, anything larger you will want to use launch 3 or the marina launch.
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eyesandgillz
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RE: crappies on willhelm yet?
2009/03/31 11:40:14
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I have launched my 14' starcraft with a 15hp on it at the dirt launch where the log boom used to be but, I had to get wet to do it and my boat is heavy and it wasn't a lot of fun. I have a full floor and a casting deck and 2 swivel chairs, etc. If you have a plain jane 12 or 14' aluminum with a 9.9 and a trolling motor, you probably can do it without too much extra effort. If the lake temp. is down, I'd take waders. It was summer and warm and I didn't mind it at the time.
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fryem
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RE: crappies on willhelm yet?
2009/03/31 13:16:54
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I also would say that crappie numbers are down in Wilhelm but walleye numbers are up. I recently read somewhere (can't remember where or the link) and for once my thoughts on crappie numbers vs walleyes where confirmed by someone with a degree in fisheries management in the article. The article was about pymatuning by the way, just look at the two lakes ...pymy walleyes down crappies up I think wilhelm is the opposite crappies down walleye numbers up.
Just my observation...I don't have a degree in fish management but I do fish both lake on a regular basis.
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Josh7388
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RE: crappies on willhelm yet?
2009/04/05 11:53:23
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fished it yesterday, not very good results.
only got 15 between 3 guys, over a span of about 3 hours.
No slabs either, the biggest was 7 inches
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nightowl207
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RE: crappies on willhelm yet?
2009/04/05 22:02:15
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thats been the case since last year at this time. My first trip out last year I caught about 10-12 all over 13inches and the biggest being over 15 1/2 inches. Every trip after, they were no bigger than 4-5 inches. What are your opinions/ideas on why this happens? over population, food shortage, over harvesting....
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