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NGPC studying Medicine Creek crappie growth; 10-inch minimum would make fishery catch-and-release
Summary
Agency biologist Logan Dietrich presented a multi-year evaluation of white and black crappie growth at Medicine Creek and Red Willow; results show black crappie growth lags and a 10-inch minimum would effectively convert the fishery to catch-and-release, so managers will continue sampling before acting.
Logan Dietrich, a fisheries biologist in the North Platte office, outlined an ongoing evaluation of crappie populations at Medicine Creek that began after anglers reported concerns about the fishery.
Dietrich said staff ran annual spring trap-net sampling beginning in 2022 to collect lengths, weights, sex and otoliths for age structure analysis. He presented preliminary growth curves showing white crappie typically reach the 10-inch mark at about 4.5 years, while black crappie exhibit slower growth and "really kind of stall out," leaving most black crappies short of a 10-inch minimum.
"That would mean that it would be primarily a catch and release fishery, which is really not what we want," Dietrich said when asked about a potential 10-inch minimum. He said the evaluation will continue through 2025 to provide better data to guide management decisions.
Dietrich also said the agency added Red Willow to the evaluation in 2023 for comparison and found similar patterns: white crappie show relatively better growth while black crappie are less likely to reach 10 inches. Trap-net catches at Medicine Creek were variable because shoreline habitat is extensive and sampling is more difficult there, he said, but recent catch-per-net numbers were described as "just below 50 per net," which he characterized as a good fishery.
Ending: Dietrich asked anglers to consult agency sampling summaries and indicated any regulatory changes would wait on the results of the multi-year evaluation.
