Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Help Crappie in my lake. HELP!

Ok guys bare with this story, I need some advice. This is what happened.
Last weekend I went crappie fishing with my brother in-law and father in-law to a lake here in ohio called ceasers creek. About an hour into the fishing trip I had to take off and go to work. That evening I got home and noticed my wife acting real strange. About an hour later I got a call from my brother n-law and he stated to me, "your going to kill me, when we got to your place to fillet the 3crappie christopher (my 7yr old son) drove us crazzy about letting the crappie go into your lake. We finally told him if your daddy or mommy say its ok then will let them go. Christopher then took off around the house to mommy and gave her a big hug and told her he loved her. He then came back around the house and told us mommy said it was ok to release them into the lake. So we did. A couple of minutes went buy and your wife came down do the lake and asked us what we were doing. We told her christopher said you told him we could let 3 crappie go in the lake." Needless to say my wife knew there was going to be hell to pay when I got home. The three fish were 8"to10" in length and all had black spots.
Cecil or anyone please help, I need some advice. What should I do other than ban my in-laws from my place? Also any recommendations on punishment for my son. HA!HA! I have to laugh to keep from crying. Before I leave, my lake is about 1/12 yrs old 3acr in size. I had a local hatchery stock my lake with channel cats, bass, bluegill and fathead minnows. Thanks.....

Lance, someone might correct me but the crappie should have already spawned for the year. Your best bet is to start crappie fishing this summer. All you have to catch is two!

For the first time ever you can start hoping for a fish kill. ... a targeted one at least.
Perhaps you will get lucky and either catch them out or they will die from transport stress. I wouldn't want to run the risk of them spawning so I would certainly target them the best you can with fishing techniques... though right now they will be hard to catch for a while.

Just got off the phone with the local fish hatchery and they said that it was white crappie that was put in. They also said about the same thing pottsy said. Thanks guys for the info...
One other question? Can these crappie spawn with blue gill? I know sounds like a dumb question but, it was a question my wife asked me, and to be frank I don't know the answer.

If they aren't caught before next spring I think I would ask one of the pond miesters of the odds of shocking them up.
Ric

Sorry guys but I think y'all are way overreacting. I know the risk with crappie and have made that known to every pondowner I consult. It may be years b/f they start to "takeover". WIll all three survive, did you happen to get both sexes, wIll they find each other in a 3 acre pond? Sure try to fish for them, and take out if you catch one, but paying money to shock them out, is ridiculous (This coming from a guy who makes his living shocking ponds).

Greg,
Thanks for the calming voice of wisdom.
Ric

I inherited a pond with black crappie already in it - I take all I catch out but still have a good fishery and good bass - they aren't preferred in a pond but I don't think they ruin one either. Just pull them when caught