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NGPC continues crappie evaluation at Medicine Creek and Red Willow; early data show slower black crappie growth
Summary
Fisheries staff reported ongoing trap net surveys at Medicine Creek and Red Willow showing white crappie generally grow faster than black crappie; managers said a 10‑inch minimum would likely make the black crappie fishery largely catch‑and‑release and that more data are needed before regulation changes.
Logan Dietrich, fisheries biologist with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s North Platte office, briefed attendees on a multi‑year crappie evaluation at Medicine Creek and, more recently, Red Willow Reservoir.
Dietrich said NGPC began spring trap‑net sampling in 2022 to assess age structure, growth and size distributions for both white and black crappie. “On average those fish aren’t making it to that 10‑inch range,” Dietrich said of black crappie, explaining that a 10‑inch minimum would effectively convert that component of the fishery to catch‑and‑release.
Findings presented: white crappie at Medicine Creek showed comparatively faster early growth and reached the 10‑inch mark sooner than black crappie. Black crappie growth was slower and “stalled out,” Dietrich said. Red Willow’s crappie showed similar patterns when added to the evaluation in 2023. Trap‑net catch rates are variable because shoreline habitat and water levels complicate sampling; Dietrich noted Medicine Creek’s 2024 trap‑net catch averaged just below 50 crappie per net, which he described as a “wonderful fishery.”
Dietrich said the evaluation will continue through the current year and that NGPC will use the additional data to decide whether management changes — including possible size limits — are warranted.
Ending: NGPC staff encouraged anglers to consult the agency’s published sampling reports and fishing forecasts online and said they will present management recommendations if monitoring indicates changes are needed.
