Giving Back...Just a Little

For the whole month of December, I have switched gears and gone from carp to crappies, and there is quite a size difference! It hasn't really gotten cold here back east and if it stays warm we will likely have little or no ice fishing this winter, which is OK with me. With that, we continue to catch crappies, both blacks and whites, by casting 1/32 ounce jigheads with Gulp Alive 1 " minnows in and around dying vegetation. The weeds are very close to rocky, riprap shorelines, which may draw fish as well. Late in the day, like after 3 PM, the bite picks up and the bulk of the fish are usually caught at that time. Here are a few pics from last weeks trips, including some released giants...

This big white crappie went 14 1/4 inches and was released...

This 14 inch black crappie was also put back.

As was this chubber white and...

This outstanding 15 3/4 inch white crappie I caught on December 12. Yes, people thought I was crazy to put back the biggest and the best fish I had caught during those cold, rainy outings. One angler was complaining about the size of the current crappie catch in the lake, saying " last year, we caught a lot of 13 to 15 inch fish. Wonder where they all went?"

Duuuhhhh!?!? I bet I can guess, with a fair degree of accuracy, where they all went. When I asked him if they released any big fish, he said.."of course not, we kept all the big ones." Now, it's all coming together for me. I could never understand why top-end crappies and bluegills never got the same respect of bass and trout. Put simply, if you want big fish, of any species, then you MUST practice catch and release angling to ensure future stocks and any chance of future trophy potential. Period. Sure, keep a trophy when you have that great fortune and a nice mess of mid-sized fish for the pan. But constant, continued removal of the top segment of any specie of fish in a given body of water will result in fishing them down and out of the system. Recovery may take years,or not at all, depending on the water.

If you look at the book of Deuteronomy in the Old Testament, you will see that the Israelites took very seriously the command and concept of giving back to God with not just something or anything, but their very best. The lamb had to be without blemish, and the bull had to be without defect. How many times have we tossed back a smallish crappie or bluegill with a heave? Surely, the fish didn't know it was too small to satisfy us. In the same way, if I am going to give something back to the resource, back to the water, back to God, then it should be the best I personally have to offer. With that in mind, these 'first fruits', if you will, went back into the lake for future stocks and someone else to enjoy. I had caught enough small fish for a fine meal for my wife and I...why kill something special, like a trophy crappie?

So often, I have taken too much, and given too little, in return. Deut. 16:15 says..."For the Lord your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete." I had always wanted a trophy white crappie, so my joy was complete! Had I not caught a thing, my joy would still be complete. I had the grace and guidance of a loving Savior.I just figured it was time to start giving back a little, just a little.

                                                    HARVEST WISELY...  

A Man's Gotta' Eat...Right?

One of my favorite things in the whole world is the sight and sound, and smell, of a fry pan full of fresh caught panfish fillets, all sizzlin' and poppin', ready to eat! Throw in some mashed potatoes, shoe-peg corn, dinner rolls and a frosty iced tea and, well, I just think that's a meal fit for a king!

Nope, doesn't take much to make 'ol Gronaw happy...couple decent crappie fillets and add the trimmins'. But...there is a proper order of things...

First, you gotta' go fishin'...

Then, you gotta' catch some fish...then...

You gotta' clean 'em, and then cook those babies....!

And after that, it's pretty much all down hill from there on...eat, burp, scratch. maybe stretch. Eat, burp, and maybe do some other bodily function before taking a nap. The whole house smells like fresh fried fish...which is a good thing! The proper order, if you will. When I fished on Wednesday, it was raining heavy, but air temps were 50 degrees. Nobody wanted to fight the elements, so I had a local hotspot all to myself. I managed 41 crappies on a 1/32 oz jig tipped with a 1 inch Gulp Alive emerald shiner. They had to have it, and I should have caught over 60...lost some in the dying weed beds. Eight fish was more than enough for me and my wife, Linda. The rest went back. As much as I love fresh fillets, I love seeing a slab crappie swim away, released for another day.

You see, we tend to release larger crappie and bluegills and keep a few mid-sized fish for the occassional meal. That way, the gene pool stays good, and bigger fish remain in the system for a longer period. Of all species of fish, larger panfish are the most vulnerable to being 'fished down' from overharvest by anglers. Yet the tendency is for fishermen to keep only the biggest of these, and they always wonder why the 'big boys' are so scarce. Releasing big panfish just make the fishing better, and most of the guys I see carrying out buckets of fish could stand to miss a few meals, anyway.
In Phil. 4: 10 thru 13, Paul states that he has found the 'secret to being content in any and every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, in want or in abundance.' 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.'
Wouldn't it be cool if this nation could turn away from it's self-centered goals and focus more on 'the secret' of contentment. Oh, to be satisfied with what we have, rather than to constantly chase after what we think will bring us happiness. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for loving me and blessing me! Real food for thought!