Here are some pics of some crappies I caught out of a nearby public lake.

Lucky me, that lake I caught them out of is within 5 minutes of the house. It was a blast catching them on the inside and outside perimeter of a ridge that came up to about 2 feet and has presently dead bullrush.

The thing I really like about this lake is it's electric motors only and there is virtually no development on the shoreline. I was the only angler on the lake for part of the short time I was there.

Pics could be better, but holding the fish with one hand and operating the camera with another is rather awkward for me.

And unlike a week ago when I put three in the pond, you can now tell the two sexes apart easily. I now have a total of 10 fish in the pond. The 1/10th acre pond has thousands of fathead minnows for forage. Hopefully as soon as I see crappie fry I will seine the brood fish out.

Here is a male: Notice the dark pigmentation.




Here is another male:


Here is a female that did not only not have any of the dark pigmentation, she also had a noticeable bulge in the abdomen.

Nice job Cecil. Beautiful fish
How can you find the fry? I never see any signs that mine pulled off a spawn or not

Good question. I was hoping it was like bluegill where I start seeing the fry around the shallow edges of the pond. Perhaps not? Maybe I will have to imploy a light to see what I attract?

At some point I will seine the brood fish out with a large mesh seine, and then later come back with a 1/8th inch mesh seine to remove the fry.

Here's another pic:



They are beautiful species aren't they?

Cecil, What are you than going to do with the fry?

I'm bringing them inside to feed train and grow out through the winter. Then at some point I hope to sex them, and put one sex in the single sex bluegill and yellow perch pond to feed pellets to, and grow to trophy size to sell to taxidermists just like the other species I sell.

Anybody have any ideas on which sex grows the fastest and the largest? So far everybody I've talked to doesn't think there is a difference.

Nice fish with good coloration. Now with 10 BCP you should get some sort of spawn. It will be interesting to follow your progress to see what type of spawn and recruitment occurs.

I would think the female would outgrow the male ...... The males i catch are smaller than the female. but that's in my puddle..... Guess that's your homework assignment

I think it will be interesting to see how well they feed train, if anyone can do it Cecil can.

Oh crap pie now the pressure is on!

I whacked a couple of partially dead lower limbs off the big weeping willow, and dropped them in the water on each side of the pier, where I've been seeing the crappie hang out at. Since crappie can be "vertical spawners' it's hope they will feel more like making whoopee under the branches.





I'm also seeing a brownish bloom come on that this pond typically takes on every year in late spring. Cody examined the phytoplankton and said it was primarily a benign golden yellow species.

Yup and I plan to get an A!

It's nice that you can get away with that down there. Up here it's illegal as hell to do what you just did, and are planning to do, is even worse.

I did browse thru some Indiana State reg's, and did see where you can take a public (state) fish home and toss it in an aquarium, but did not see any reference to stocking a pond with public, or propagating public fish for commercial resale. That's one thing I would want permission in writing for, and signed with their blood!!!

Esshup posted here a few years ago that he heard that if you stocked public fish (Indiana) in your pond, that you have to open your pond up to the public for fishing. He said something like, I ain't putting no sign out front and have people wander on my property.

Public fish are supported by the public thru license purchases.

JKB,

I have passed it by a couple of Indiana biologists I know, and they have no issues with it and even offered advice on what lakes were best when I was considering getting some red ears. The only concern they had was bringing in zebra mussel veligers into my pond if I took water from a lake with zebra mussels and the the pond overflowing into the watershed. However even if that were the case this particular pond has no overflow as I've got both overflows blocked. And once I seine out my fingerlings the pond will be drained and limed. It will also be treated heavily with PP once it fills before adding trout next spring.

The law here says as long as I have a fishing license and stay within the bag limit I'm O.K.

I would be perfectly happy taking them back to the lake after I'm done with them but that is illegal. I can't even relocate a snapping turtle from my pond if one shows up.

I know your state is very strict on a lot of things. Some of your laws seem way over the top but then that is not my call.

I think your laws could be fairly tough as well, just maybe not defined very clearly.

Do you think if I emailed them this thread, you would get a thumbs up?

Just want to make sure your Ass is covered, and cool to proceed.

Well kind of late now don't you think? They are already in the pond.

I'm not worried. I know the law down here, and like I said the biologists are fine with it.

Cecil,

To be on the safe side, once you get all the spawn you need, you should fillet those stockers (no bones please), freeze them and send them to me UPS!

Damn good idea! And let them rot for a few days first! Anybody know their CEO's address that makes 6 million a year?

Not sure why the CEO of UPS would care if I got rotten fish? Kinda hurt my fellins man... But to follow that thought, send the rotten ones UPS to the CEO of UPS!

The BCP are liable to spawn on your dock posts. Consider tying a 3"-6" wide wooden board upright from bottom to surface onto one of the dock posts.

Seriously?

They will adhere to the board? Will do!

Like I said I know the laws here. No worries. The public fish thing you are referring to is in reference to when the INDNR produced fish for stocking private waters decades ago.

Hey Cecil, You were right!! Dan

About what?

KS had the same deal when my folks lived there: if the State stocked the pond for you, you had to let the public fish.

In this case the State didn't stock the pond. Cecil went out and hunted for the fish on waters he partially owns (forced taxes). I'm sure Cecil paid for a licensee to do so. If you catch a fish on public waters are you to provide anyone who stops by with a fish fry?

I contacted the state a couple years ago when I was researching the free fish issue, to see just how many private ponds contained public fish. The program ran for a few years in the seventies. Aside from the state voluntarily restocking some private ponds in the Boggs lake watershed, ( they obtained permission to kill off those ponds first), there were NO takers on the offer.

I

In reference to the comment about me putting public fish into my private pond and allowing others to fish it to do the walk and not just the talk:

Here are just a few of the people that have fished my ponds. I'd say I've had at least 30 or 40 people have fished my ponds over years. Esshup has on more than one occasion as has Fatih. And Bob-0 and his granddaughter.

More people that have fishing my pond. Keep in mind there are many that I have not taken pictures of.

More people:

And more:

Sorry I misunderstood your post.

UPS made the mistake of sending me a survey about how they're doing. Oh boy did I let them have it.

That 2nd pic is sure cool !!!

Yep that's Bob-O and his beautiful granddaughter. Look at those smiles!

I've had lots of smiles from folks that have fished my ponds. Many of have never seen fish like we all here on the website manage in our ponds.

Here's is an email to Jed Pearson district II biologist in Indiana.


Jed,

I have to bother you one more time. I have an individual giving me grieve for taking crappies from a public lake and planting them into my pond. He feels since it's illegal in *snip* his state is must be in Indiana.

As far as I know as long as I have a fishing license, stay within an size or bag limit, and the fish don't come from outside of Indiana I am legally free to place them in my pond. Is that correct? Of course I cannot sell them.

Thanks,

Cecil


Response:

Cecil – yes, you are correct.

Is the guy sure that *snip* his state prohibits it? Can he provide a link that says so on *snip* his states DNR site? Is he confusing private ponds versus waters that may contain state-owned fish.

Here is a link I found pertaining to *snip* his state:

Q: Do I need a permit to stock fish in my lake or pond?

A: Yes. In most instances you must have a Public Waters Stocking Permit from the *snip* Department of Natural Resources to stock fish in your lake. A permit is not required if there is only one property owner on the lake AND the lake does not have any connections to any other bodies of water.

Yay Indiana!

I believe Kansas still has that but no one uses it because of the public use issue. I think it was my NRCS guy that mentioned that to me. The upside to no one using it is that private commercial fisheries actually have a market for their stocking fish that way. So private enterprise has no tax subsidized competition. I think the for profit fish farms in Kansas have a tough enough go as it is.

Couldn't agree more Snrub.

Nebraska will provide LMB and BG for private waters so long as no other fish are present and certain conditions are met. The only stipulation is that state size and bag limits apply, fishing permits are also required.

Nebraska G & P private waters program.

Under the FAQ's:

"No. Anglers are required to obtain permission before fishing."

"Yes. Anglers must observe statewide bag and possession regulations, except when a body of water is entirely on private land, has been entirely privately stocked with private hatchery-reared fish and doesn’t connect by inflow or outflow with other waters outside the pond owner’s property. At their discretion, pond owners may set more restrictive regulations."

"It is important for anglers to remember that it is a privilege to fish private ponds, and they must respect the land they are on and the pond in which they are fishing."

New York residents can back me up here, or disagree, but that state goes too far IMHO. They have all kinds of restrictions on private ponds including bag and size limits even if there is no inlet or outlet, and the fish did not come from the state. There's something about draining and reclaiming your own private pond too they have control over.

I guess all the state are different. Something that drove us nuts in the aquaculture associations that wanted them to come up with similar regs across the board for health inspections and transporting fish.

I am just happy Bob_O's granddaughter is standing in front of him so we don't have to see the speedos!

Man, those trout are just ridiculous

snrub, I don't think States can legally demand a private land owner allow trespassing...it is a common myth that if a state stocks a pond, anyone can fish it. In Missouri, if the state stocks the pond, the pond is considered waters of the state, but no one can trespass to fish in it, You'll also need permission to stock any fish except fathead minnows...The only way to end the state control is if you kill the pond, then it is no longer waters of the state. Missouri did encourage landowners to "allow" fishing.

Doesn't look like KS ever required trespass either, nor does it stock fish in private use waters now....read this....

From at least 1914 until 1990 the Department provided free fish for stocking in private ponds. This program was popular with both landowners and anglers. However, in the 1980’s the Kansas Commercial Fish Growers Association lobbied the Kansas Legislature to stop the agency’s pond stocking program because they viewed it as an infringement on the free enterprise system. In response to their efforts, during the1990 the Legislative session a bill was passed that prevents the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism from stocking ponds with fish unless the fish have been purchased from a private fish grower or the pond is open to public access.

Since that time, the Department’s primary focus has been to provide technical assistance on managing fish populations in ponds and information on where pondowners can purchase fish.

Pondowners not wishing to purchase fish may want to consider enrolling their pond in the Department’s F.I.S.H. Program. This program allows the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism to lease private water from landowners for public fishing. Landowners participating in F.I.S.H. receive payments which vary according to the number of water acres enrolled and may receive fish stockings from the Department’s hatcheries.

Cecil, you have taken this way out of context of my original post.

Thanks for that clarification Rainman.

"during the1990 the Legislative session a bill was passed that prevents the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism from stocking ponds with fish unless the fish have been purchased from a private fish grower or the pond is open to public access".

Think I will pass.

Yay Indiana is due to a political lawsuit, which some butt's were kicked and had to drop a bunch of permits and other reg's.

They are working on getting them back, and would like to be as tight as it is up here.

I have a bad habit of calling people in position to find out what the real scoop is.

Should have an answer soon on my original post that was taken out of context.

No worries. Lived here long enough to know what to worry about, and when to simply smile and nod. I already know what the real scoop is.

My apologies then.

The thing where it's legal to move fish from public waters to a pond in Indiana as long as you caught them legally with a fishing license, and adhered to the bag limit and size limit has always been the case.

Or am I taking you out of context again?

Same here Tony.

Found it....I knew I still had the guberment's response to my query here somewhere.

"We do not and (for the most part) have not been in the habit of stocking private ponds. The exceptions have been 1) such as West Boggs where a pond owner in the watershed allows us to rotenone a pond and we restock at our expense; 2) for a brief time in the 1970’s, we offered the same service if a private pond owner voluntarily self-reported illegal stocking of grass carp (in the old diploid days); and 3) also in the 1970’s we tried to increase public fishing by offering to stock new or recently renovated private ponds with one introductory stocking of bass and bluegill only if the owner signed an agreement to allow public access and agree to stock nothing else except channel catfish. I don’t recall any takers.

Until it was discontinued in 1975, the USFWS provided bass and bluegill fingerlings for stocking private ponds in Indiana. Pond owners could make an application for free fish through the old Soil Conservation Service (Now NRCS) and later a delivery truck from a federal hatchery (Sennecaville or Hebron NFH in Ohio) would show up in the area and offload pond owner’s fish.

Even in those rare instances of DNR stockings of private waters noted above (#1 and #2), the stockings did not convey any trespass rights. The ponds remained privately owned and controlled and fishing was by permission of the landowner. We were willing to make the investment without gaining public fishing access because of the need to rid those waters of undesirable fish."

It's actually kinda like a free for all at the moment.

Is that what you are getting talking to State Officials?

The political lawsuit blind sided them really bad.

Jeff, is going to look into my inquiry, which was taken totally out of context by Cecil, for whatever reason

I personally would like to know whats up! Anything wrong with that?

I expect a call back soon after the director of the IN DNR mulls this over.

It's just an inquiry, but focuses on fish caught within a legal fishing license and toss in your pond, within the creel limits, then propagate after for sale as an Aquaculture facility.

Cecil left a bunch out, and that biologist ain't the person to talk to about legalities. No one knows who he is. Called

You just don't get it. It's about propagating fish for commercial resale.

NOT STOCKING A POND!

What, the planets never line up?

I'm willing to bet that the director has never had this question posed to him/her before. As such, they don't have an answer. This leads me to believe that they will say:

1)"No problem".
2)"No idea. I'll check on that and get back with you". This is the part where it's best not to wait by the phone. Years pass. Advances in mental telepathy renders cell service obsolete.
3)"You called to ask me that???"

Maybe it's the crap I've been through these past few days, maybe it's me getting older, or maybe it's finally all caught up with me, but whatever the reason it all boils over tonight.

I don't know how long this post will last, or if I will be around to post again tomorrow, but if nobody else is going to say it, then I will.

JKB we know you're intelligent. Really, we all get it. Really. But dude, there's gotta' be a filter in there someplace? I can't decide if you truly don't know you're pushing buttons, or you do know but go ahead anyway? What in Hell's name matters to you, in Michigan, what the law is to someone in Indiana?? Are you deliberately trying to stir crap? I want to believe that you don't see it, so here I am trying to get a point across, to let you know that I think you've crossed a line yet again. And now I've crossed that line just by responding. Stop it.

Moderators, I will accept whatever is coming my way. Just remember when you lace up those size 12's that you have TWO feet used for kicking..... please put them both to use.

The Moderators have been watching the thread - don't like the behavior exhibited and have locked it pending a decision !!