Crappie Sonar Concerns

IT’S NO SECRET THAT FORward-facing sonar is all the rage with crappie crowds these days. In fact, the technology has become so popular — and is so e ective — that some critics believe its use could potentially lead to harm of some of the state’s top-tier crappie sheries.

For those who may not know, FFS is built around 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 sh nning around in real time. You can even see a bait as it moves through the water column.

One of the main bene ts of FFS is it helps anglers make precise bait presentations to sh and see how they react to these baits. It also allows for moving with the sh and keeping a lure in their face 100 percent of the time. at’s all cool stu , but Lake Fork shing guide Gary Paris thinks the technology could pose as a double-edged sword for crappie on his home lake and others.

Paris is a self-proclaimed forward-sonar junkie himself. As useful as the technology has been in helping anglers step up their games, the guide thinks many crappie shermen are using it to single out and target larger females for harvest rather than se ling for a limit of 10-12 inch sh.

Crappie are proli c pan sh, highly sought for food. Most crappie shermen 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 sh 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. “ ere are a lot more sherman a er them, too, and most of the them are using it (FFS). I know it’s happening. I’ve seen it on the water, at the cleaning tables and in pictures on social media. ese are the big females that produce a lot of eggs. I don’t know how that couldn’t be hurting the lake.”

Paris says a high percentage of the big sh are being plucked out of old standing timber that was le in the lake before it lled.

“You couldn’t sh the timber very e ectively before forward sonar,” Paris said. “Everybody shed the deep points, brush piles or bridges. ose sh in the timber were pre y much unmolested, but not now. Guys are out there with two seats in the front of the boat, long rods and they are trolling around looking for the big ones. ey aren’t just looking for a limit of crappie. ey are looking a limit of big crappie.”

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

Biologists out of the Tyler o ce are in the process of trying to learn more about the potential impacts of FFS use on crappie populations. eir main tool for assessing the situation are angler creel surveys, according to TPWD 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 by boat and interact with anglers who are actively shing. Boat ramp surveys are routine on smaller lakes, where access is more limited.

TPWD sheries 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 sh they have caught, what size and how many sh 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.

MATT WILLIAMS

Norman is an avid angler himself. He is well accustomed to how e ective FFS can be when going a er 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 pre y good snap shot of a shery and what is going on between forward-facing sonar users and non-users. We’ll be able to look at catch rate comparisons, the size of the sh 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 proli c nature, Norman pointed out that he has no 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.” e biologist said additional surveys could be needed if the angler creel surveys indicate that FFS usage is having a negative impact on the numbers of large crappie in some lakes.

“On some sheries, having trophy crappie is an important aspect of it — it’s not just about catching and harvesting any crappie,” Norman said. “In some cases there could be a need for a whole di erent angler a itude survey geared towards looking at angler satisfaction. From there we would have to determine whether or not it would be worth considering developing a trophy crappie regulation of some sort in certain situations.”

Time will tell on that one.

HE FIRST TIME TF&G

Hunting Editor Lou Marullo hunted Texas with me, he said something I’ll never forget.

“I’ve hunted all over the place, but I’ve never seen a place that has more things that could bite, sting, and kill you than Texas. When you come up north to hunt with me, all you have to worry about is falling out of your treestand. Here it could be rattlesnakes, scorpions, or who knows what.”

We had a good laugh about that but in many ways it’s true. Texas has lots of critters, both on land and water, that can cause major issues if encountered without expectation. The following paragraphs contain a gallery of Texas’s major offenders and provide common-sense steps to avoid problems in the field.

Snakes

Let’s get this one out of the way because they are what strikes the most fear into outdoors lovers.

Texas is a very snakey state and all four varieties of venomous snakes found in the country are here. That’s right-we have cottonmouths, copperheads, coral snakes, and rattlesnakes.

Coral snakes are reclusive and rarely bite, but the other three bite plenty of people when stepped on or sat on.

The number one snake for biting is the copperhead due to their high abundance, even in suburban areas. More than a few squirrel hunters in the Pineywoods have sat on one, so watch where you sit, as their camouflage is next-level.

Cottonmouths can be found over much of the state but are most abundant in the swamps of the eastern third and along the coast. While nonvenomous water snakes are more likely to crawl into your kayak, co onmouths have been known to want to get on anything that’s oating in a stream and also crawl into duck blinds.

Be especially careful in the early teal season when they are on the prowl.

Ra lesnakes are very abundant in many areas, especially the South Texas Plains, areas of the Rolling Plains, and along the coast.

Matagorda Island has lots of them and so do many of the small islands along the Intracoastal Canal. Keep this in mind when you’re wade shing these areas or se ing up to duck hunt along on the bay side of these li le islands.

Scorpions

Scorpion bites are typically not deadly but they sure can hurt and in the arid regions of the state they are everywhere.

Scorpions have no problem crawling into your sleeping bag or in your hunting boot and delivering a painful sting.

A great way to avoid bites is to carry a li le blacklight with you. Scorpions glow under black light so you can scan your tent or cabin before crawling into bed or look in your boots to nd out if there’s an unwelcome visitor.

JELLYFISH

Jelly sh are a common annoyance for surf anglers, especially some of the smaller ones that are hard to see.

Although the chance of encountering one is rare, Texas waters sometimes host one of the most dangerous of all sea creatures—the box jelly sh.

They are famously abundant in Australian waters where fatalities are reported on an annual basis.

In the Gulf, we have the four-handed box jellyfish, a species I was made aware of by former Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) biologist Jerry Mambretti back in 2014.

“Our gulf sampling crew caught four-handed box jellyfish, Chiropsalmus quadrumanus, a member of the class Cubozoa, in 3 separate trawl samples about 2 miles off McFaddin NWR beach,” Mambretti said.

“Box jellyfish are known for the extremely potent venom produced by some species, including this species, which is normally found in the west Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Pacific Ocean. Their sting is very venomous and dangerous to humans, especially children.”

If for some reason you see some of these while fishing get out of the water.

Killer Bees

The last time I used the term “killer bees” I had someone write to me and say that I was spreading “bee bias.”

So, here it is again, “killer bees.”

I am talking about the Africanized bees that can be highly aggressive when agitated and are present throughout much of Texas and are very abundant in South Texas.

Bees of course are very important creatures and no one is recommending torching hives or anything ridiculous. If anyone gets ecologically important creatures, it’s yours truly.

However, there are fatalities. Last year, a landscape worker died from a bee attack near Austin and just before this article was published a dog was attacked and killed by a swarm of hundreds of bees.

If you see a bunch of bees coming out of a hole or old stump, get away quickly. And if bees show an interest in you out in the field, do the same.

The Scientific American recommends the following if you run into the wrong kind of bees.

“Try to get to an enclosed shelter (such as a car) or run until the bees stop following you. It may be necessary to get a quarter mile or more away from where the attack began. Cover your face with whatever is handy, if you can do so without impairing your vision. Never jump into a body of water to escape bees.”

Unfortunately, many people do not know if they are allergic to some of these stingers and allergic reactions can result in death.

The Mayo Clinic recommends that if itching or swelling is bothersome, take an oral antihistamine that contains diphenhydramine (Benadryl) or chlorpheniramine.

“Avoid scratching the sting area. This will worsen itching and swelling and increase your risk of infection.”

Then of course get medical treatment.

The great outdoors is the most exciting place to be, but dangers do exist. And in Texas, of course, everything is bigger and that is the abundance and at times ferocity of our stingers.