Several years ago, the National Wildlife Service conducted some surveys to determine trends in the use of natural resources across the country. When it came to the ultimate question of which fish was the most sought after, the expectation was that black bass species, such as largemouth and smallmouth bass, would be the favorite. A surprise to many was that black bass were not the most sought after; that honor belonged to another member of the sunfish family -- the crappie.

Trudy Duke, a competitor in the North Carolina-based Southern Crappie Association, is all smiles over the crappie fishing In North Carolina. Photo by Phillip Gentry.

North Carolina anglers are no different in their preference. Crappie continually rank high in terms of the number of hours of angler effort spent in pursuit of the species. For many years, crappie fisheries were thought to be virtually limitless and self-sustaining. However, gone are the days when crappie anglers only fished in April and waited till the next year to load up on tasty fillets. Advances in technology, tackle and angler understanding of how and where to catch crappie year 'round, combined with an increasing number of crappie fans, brought about the realization that even such a seemingly unlimited resource could at times use some management.

Fisheries management of crappie stocks is a relatively new art. Biologists attempting population surveys of crappie have a hard time competing with the catch rate successes of recreational anglers. In order to determine accurate population density numbers, North Carolina biologists rely on trap nets and other less direct collection methods. Despite the variance, biologists have been very successful in establishing new regulations that have increased the size and numbers of crappie. The vast majority of the state has an 8-inch size limit and a 20-crappie-per-angler creel limit, but it's best to check your local regulations before harvesting fish in any North Carolina waters. Let's take a look at what's on tap across the state this year:

PIEDMONT REGION
Mostly, when it comes to crappie-angling effort, the Piedmont Region gets the lion's share. Piedmont area waters are simply more conducive to crappie fisheries than are other regions. The reservoirs here are expansive and fertile; they provide plenty of shallow shoreline and forage, both of which are critical for recruiting crappie to replace those harvested.

Overseeing the state's crappie fisheries in the Piedmont Region is Brian McRae. McRae is the Piedmont Fisheries Research Coordinator for the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission Division of Inland Fisheries. He manages the research and survey program for all freshwater species in the region and assists local biologists with deciding what fish surveys and research is needed. In addition, McRae helps interpret the results of the research that's done in the region.

Responsibility for managing Buggs Island and Lake Gaston is shared between the North Carolina and state of Virginia agencies since both reservoirs border the two states. To save on duplicating services, the "gentlemen's agreement" is that Virginia handles Buggs Island, which is also referred to as Kerr Lake, and North Carolina handles Gaston.

Both lakes are excellent crappie fisheries and Kerr/Buggs could be the best lake in either state, depending on whose opinion you value. Both lakes have a great forage base, but Kerr produces more numbers of fish than Gaston. According to crappie guide Keith Wray (336/635-0207) of Arden, N.C., "Catching 150 to 175 crappie a day on Kerr is typical, the fishing really doesn't get good until you start catching over 200 a day."