There's no denying Wappapello Lake is overloaded with small, stunted crappies, and that's what Department of Conservation Fisheries Management Biologist Dave Knuth tried to stress during open houses this week in Poplar Bluff and Greenville.
The current 9-inch minimum crappie length limit at Wappapello, in effect since March of 2006, hasn't helped the fishery and in fact has resulted in higher numbers of smaller fish in the system.
Before the current regulation, about 26 percent of the crappies in Wappapello were 9 inches or longer, but today, that percentage has fallen to 22 percent.
"A length limit can never work in a lake with such variable levels," Knuth told the Poplar Bluff crowd of about 35 anglers Monday evening. Length limits only work in bodies of water with good fish growth and high harvest rates, neither of which Wappapello has.
Very few fish make it to 9 inches long, especially black crappies, which now, unlike in the past, make up nearly half of the lake's crappie population. That means few fish are harvested.
Crappie growth in the lake is slower than it should be, Knuth said, because of competition for food among so many smaller fish. In years with good shad spawns, crappies seem to fare better, while in other years, they suffer because of a lack of food.
Knuth noted white crappies in Wappapello should reach 9 inches after three growing seasons, but current data suggests they are currently only reaching 7.4 inches.
Black crappies, being primarily insect feeders in clearer water, almost never reach 9 inches in Wappapello, adding to the problem. In fact, Knuth said, only 2.6 percent of the lake's black crappies are legal size.
To combat the overpopulation of small crappies, Knuth has proposed a new regulation on the lake.
"This is a compromise regulation," Knuth said. 'It's not a magic bullet, but it will still allow anglers to keep 30 fish."
Currently, anglers can keep 30 fish daily which are at least 9 inches long, and the new proposal states anglers could still keep 30 crappies, but only 15 could be 9 inches or longer.
The hope, he said, is anglers will begin to take out some of the smaller fish, especially the black crappies, which would allow more larger fish to survive longer and also reduce competition for food.
"This will only work if anglers harvest some small fish again," Knuth emphasized.
The end goal, Knuth said, is to create a fishery where 30 percent of all crappies caught by anglers are above 9 inches. That's far better than the 12 percent legal catch rate shown in 2016-17 angler creel surveys conducted by staff from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Other regulation options were considered, including a 15 fish-per-day limit, but it wouldn't help reduce black crappie numbers. Another possibility was allowing 15 white crappies and 15 black crappies daily, but proper identification and enforcement would be a problem.
The proposed regulation, if approved, will take some time to be effective, Knuth said, but he's hoping anglers will be receptive to it.
"I had people tell me they were mad before they got here, but after the presentation they said they were happy," he noted.
While a few grumbled, many at Monday's open house seemed receptive to the change, and some even said a boost in the crappie fishing could bring more anglers and traffic back to the lake, boosting local businesses.
The Department of Conservation currently is taking public comments on the proposal, and you can share your feelings online at mdc.mo.gov/crappiecomments or by mail at Missouri Department of Conservation, Attention: Policy Coordination, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, Mo., 65102.
Knuth also welcomes comments and input from anglers and can be reached at MDC's Southeast Regional Office at 573-290-5730 or by email at dave.knuth@mdc.mo.gov.
Once the public comment period is over, tweaks to the regulation could be made, based on angler desires. The proposal then would go to the Conservation Commission for approval and then through the Secretary of State's office as part of the required rulemaking process. If approved, it likely would take effect March 1.