High-Tech Crappie

A recent column highlighting how forward-facing sonar technology has changed the game in crappie and bass fishing arenas struck a cord with my old friend, Gary Paris.

For those who may not know, FFS is all the rage with fishermen these days. It works using a special transducer that mounts to the trolling motor or an independent pole. Anglers can slip quietly along as the transducer scans the water column well ahead of the boat. High resolution imagery relays to the electronics screen and allows anglers to see fish finning around in real time. You can even see your bait as it moves through the water column One of the main benefits of FFS is it helps anglers make precise bait presentations to fish and see how they react to baits. It also allows for moving with the fish and keeping a lure in their face 100 percent of the time.

Paris is a veteran Lake Fork fishing guide and a self-proclaimed forward-sonar junkie himself. As useful as the technology has been in helping anglers step up their games, some critics believe it could potentially do harm to some of the state’s top-tier crappie fisheries.

Paris says the main rub is many crappie fishermen are using the technology to single out and target larger females for harvest rather than settling for a limit of 10-12 inch fish.

Crappie are prolific panfish highly sought for food. Most crappie fishermen don’t practice catch and release. Fish that are legal to keep typically go under the knife. In Texas, the statewide limit is a liberal 25 fish per day with a 10 inch minimum length, per angler.

“You wouldn’t believe the number of big females that are being taken out of here now compared to the days before forward sonar,” Paris said.

“There are a lot more fisherman after them, too, and most of the them are using it. I know it’s happening. I’ve seen it on the water, at the cleaning tables and in pictures on social media. These are the big females that produce a lot eggs. I don’t know how that couldn’t be hurting the lake.”

Paris says a high percentage the big fish are being plucked out of old standing timber that was left in the lake before it filled.

“You couldn’t fish the timber very effectively before forward sonar,” Paris said.

“Everybody fished the deep points, brush piles or bridges. Those fish in the timber were pretty much unmolested, but not now. Guys are out there with two seats in the front of the boat, long rods and they’re trolling around looking for the big ones. They aren’t just looking for a limit of crappie. They are looking a limit of big crappie.”

Paris isn’t the only angler who feels that way. Inland fisheries biologists with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department say they have heard similar concerns from numerous anglers.

Biologists out of the Tyler office are in the process of trying to learn more about the potential impacts of FFS use on crappie populations.

Their most effective tool for assessing the situation are angler creel surveys, according toTPWD district leader Jake Norman.

Norman says the surveys are currently underway at lakes Fork, Sam Rayburn, Lake O’ the Pines, Palestine, Tawakoni, Richland Chambers, Ray Hubbard and Oak Creek.

Angler creel surveys are conducted on the water and at boat ramps. On-the water surveys are used on larger lakes. Fisheries biologists rove around by boat and interact with anglers who are actively fishing. Boat ramp surveys are routine on smaller lakes, where access is more limited.

The survey process is quick. TPWD fisheries biologists approach anglers and ask them a series of questions regarding their home zip code, the species they are targeting, whether or not they are competing in a tournament, money spent on the trip, how many fish they have caught, what size and how many fish they harvested.

Beginning this year, biologists are now asking anglers on the aforementioned lakes whether or not they are using forward-facing sonar, Norman said.

Norman is an avid angler himself. He is well accustomed to how effective FFS can be when going after crappie and is anxious to learn if use of the technology might be having an impact on their populations.

“At this point the department is more curious than concerned,” Norman said. “A year’s worth of data will give us a pretty good snap shot of a fishery and what is going on between forward-facing sonar users and non-users. We’ll be able to look a catch rate comparisons, the size of the fish and size of the harvest between them. From there we could dive into some simulations of what types of impacts that could have.”

Citing the crappie’s prolific nature, Norman pointed out that he has no real concerns as far as forward-sonar usage impacting the total abundance of crappie in any lake.

“But is there a chance that is could impact abundance of larger crappie? Truthfully, I think there is,” he said. “We should have some good insight on that once this angler creel project wraps up.”

The biologist said additional surveys could be needed if the angler creel surveys indicate that FFS usage is having a negative impact on numbers of large crappie in some lakes.

“On some fisheries, having trophy crappie is an important aspect of it — it’s not just about catching and harvesting any crappie,” Norman said.

“In some case there could be a need for a whole different angler attitude survey to look at angler satisfaction. From there we would have to determine whether or not it would worth be considering developing a trophy crappie regulation of some sort in certain situations.”

Only time will tell on that one.

Matt Williams is a freelance writer based in Nacogdoches. He can be reached by email, mattwillwrite4u@yahoo.com.