Re: is it worth cleaning only one crappie? - 03/05/1611:25 PM
8 is my minimum before I clean fish. If it is in hot summer days and not catching rapid enough, I turn what 2 or three we have in livewell a loose before they get stressed and die. I sometimes have cleaned 5 or 6 because they were too stressed for release so they went to the grease.
Re: is it worth cleaning only one crappie? - 03/06/1603:40 PM
I normally don't start to keep fish unless I know it is going to be a great day. As in if I catch one it goes back. If I catch another immediately following I may put it in the livewell. Then if I don't catch any in the next 10-20 minutes that one goes back. If I keep catching they keep going in the livewell. Until the limit is reached of course.
Re: is it worth cleaning only one crappie? - 03/07/1612:43 AM
If I catch one or two crappies I offer to them to another fisherman Or release them back to the lake. If they or dead or going to die (gut hooked) I will clean him and fry him up for lunch or dinner.
Re: is it worth cleaning only one crappie? - 03/07/1612:55 AM
5 or better for me as long as the wife doesn't know about it! lol she's old school country feed the family type, took months to explain to here about size, and number limits since all she knew was ponds and creeks on her families land.
Re: is it worth cleaning only one crappie? - 03/09/1603:07 AM
6 is usually my minimum, but if I counted how many trips of catching 1 to 3 keepers and giving them away because I just "couldn't see reasoning in cleaning just three fish, then I'd probably have a freezer full by now. Clean'em all, eventually you'll have a "mess"!!