# Nimi Crappie slam



## Salt man (Aug 10, 2017)

The last four nights have been a blast. Seems I’m the only one out at night. It’s a shame because many fish to go around.got these in 1 hour. 12:30am -1:30am. Big one close to my PB. All on jumbo minnows and tiny bluegill caught w cast net. Put back many paper thin 10”-12”. This rain should help the bite tonight with any water flowing pipes. I.E C-6 culvert
You asked (Set the Drag) lol


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## Bass knuckles (Sep 23, 2014)

Nice batch there! Nimi is Great Lake when ice comes off.


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## Workingman (Jan 21, 2016)

Is it legal to keep bluegill caught in a cast net? I thought game fish had to be returned if caught in a net but individual fish caught on hook and line can be used as bait


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## Salt man (Aug 10, 2017)

Workingman said:


> Is it legal to keep bluegill caught in a cast net? I thought game fish had to be returned if caught in a net but individual fish caught on hook and line can be used as bait


Bluegill are the only species besides common bait (minnows/shad) allowed


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## Workingman (Jan 21, 2016)

Nice fish regardless!!! I like to have some small gills for summer catfish but have always caught them hook and line. Cast net would be way more efficient!


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## nixmkt (Mar 4, 2008)

Salt man said:


> ... All on jumbo minnows and tiny bluegill caught w cast net. ...





Workingman said:


> Is it legal to keep bluegill caught in a cast net? I thought game fish had to be returned if caught in a net but individual fish caught on hook and line can be used as bait





Salt man said:


> Bluegill are the only species besides common bait (minnows/shad) allowed


Salt man, you are mistaken about that. Workingman is correct. There is no exception for bluegill. Bluegills are a game fish, not a forage fish. It is only legal to use them for bait in Ohio if caught with a hook & line. Here are the pertinent portions of the regs.:

_CAST NETS
Forage fish and minnows may be taken with
cast nets. All other fish are required to be re-
leased immediately unharmed. …

FORAGE FISH
Forage fish means freshwater drum (sheeps-
head), common carp, grass carp (in waters
not stocked by the Ohio Division of Wildlife
for vegetation control, as indicated by signs),
bighead carp, silver carp, black carp, quill-
back, suckers, bowfin, gar, buffalo, gizzard
shad, and goldfish. …_

Please indicate the reg that you believe allows bluegill to be taken with a cast net in Ohio.


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## nixmkt (Mar 4, 2008)

Workingman said:


> Nice fish regardless!!! I like to have some small gills for summer catfish but have always caught them hook and line. Cast net would be way more efficient!


It certainly would. But possibly way expensive too. Believe you can be fined for each fish in your possession, which could add up to significant dollars.


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## set-the-drag (Jan 13, 2013)

Salt man said:


> The last four nights have been a blast. Seems I’m the only one out at night. It’s a shame because many fish to go around.got these in 1 hour. 12:30am -1:30am. Big one close to my PB. All on jumbo minnows and tiny bluegill caught w cast net. Put back many paper thin 10”-12”. This rain should help the bite tonight with any water flowing pipes. I.E C-6 culvert
> You asked (Set the Drag) lol


Awww hell now you done it. Your spot is gonna be pillaged


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## Salt man (Aug 10, 2017)

nixmkt said:


> Salt man, you are mistaken about that. Workingman is correct. There is no exception for bluegill. Bluegills are a game fish, not a forage fish. It is only legal to use them for bait in Ohio if caught with a hook & line. Here are the pertinent portions of the regs.:
> 
> _CAST NETS
> Forage fish and minnows may be taken with
> ...


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## Salt man (Aug 10, 2017)

I suppose I’d like to do things the right way. Usually keep shad in the net around here. Learned to fish in Florida, where bluegill are fair game in the net. But this is Ohio.


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## Salt man (Aug 10, 2017)

set-the-drag said:


> Awww hell now you done it. Your spot is gonna be pillaged


Always loved when everyone catches!!!


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## nixmkt (Mar 4, 2008)

Thanks for providing those references Salt man. However, “outdoornews.com” and “strikeandcatch.com” are not official Ohio legal regulations sites and relying on any information found there and similar internet sites as legally accurate is foolish. The information that you have referenced concerning netting the game fish species listed there and using for bait in Ohio is WRONG!


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## nixmkt (Mar 4, 2008)

I neglected to include the source for the regs info that I posted and I should have. They come from the 2022-2023 Ohio Fishing Regulations booklet here:
https://ohiodnr.gov/static/documents/wildlife/laws-regs-licenses/OhioFishingRegs_English.pdf
I believe those particular items did not change from the 2021-2022 regs.


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## set-the-drag (Jan 13, 2013)

Salt man said:


> Always loved when everyone catches!!!


Its all fun and games till you put out to much information online and scumbags destroy it. Just saying don't be pissed when your spots f'ed


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## nixmkt (Mar 4, 2008)

nixmkt said:


> Thanks for providing those references Salt man. However, “outdoornews.com” and “strikeandcatch.com” are not official Ohio legal regulations sites and relying on any information found there and similar internet sites as legally accurate is foolish. The information that you have referenced concerning netting the game fish species listed there and using for bait in Ohio is WRONG!


Well Salt man, my apology is in order. After re-reading the references that you posted I need to change my comment that the information there concerning netting the game fish species listed there and using for bait in Ohio is WRONG. The information actually is TRUE. The key phrasing is “*if legally caught by*”. Since the game fish species listed CANNOT be legally caught by netting, seining, trapping or dipping in Ohio, they CANNOT be used as bait in Ohio if caught by those methods. The forage fish species listed cannot be legally caught by netting (other than cast nets), seining, trapping or dipping so they cannot be used as bait in Ohio if caught by those methods. And thus, the information is true for them also. Gizzard shad and rainbow smelt are an exception however and may be taken with a minnow seine, minnow dip net, or hand landing net.

While the information is technically correct, it can very easily be misconstrued and come away with the wrong impression that all the species listed can legally be used as bait in Ohio if caught by any of the methods listed, which is not accurate.


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## nixmkt (Mar 4, 2008)

I had only posted part of the Forage Fish regs. Here is the full paragraph from the Ohio regs:

_FORAGE FISH
Forage fish means freshwater drum (sheeps-
head), common carp, grass carp (in waters
not stocked by the Ohio Division of Wildlife
for vegetation control, as indicated by signs),
bighead carp, silver carp, black carp, quill-
back, suckers, bowfin, gar, buffalo, gizzard
shad, and goldfish. These species may be tak-
en by any method except by means of explo-
sives, poisons, firearms, electricity, chemicals,
nets (other than cast nets), seines, traps, or
by snagging within 1,000 feet downstream
of a posted dam or dam on the Muskingum
River (see SNAGGING for additional informa-
tion). Gizzard shad and rainbow smelt may
be taken with a minnow seine, minnow dip
net, or hand landing net._


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## Tony [email protected] (Dec 13, 2021)

set-the-drag said:


> Awww hell now you done it. Your spot is gonna be pillaged


People kill me with that it's impossible to fish out a spot when there's fish constantly coming in selfish


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## ScumFrog (Feb 27, 2006)

Actually it’s not totally impossible to fish out a “spot” with crappie. They can be site specific and return to spawn to the very site where they were born. I can’t remember the article but I read it somewhere where they did studies. It said not transitional and feeding sites can be fished out but spawning sites can get wiped clean and take a while for new crappie to discover it again.


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## ScumFrog (Feb 27, 2006)

This isn’t the article I read but it’s shows that they can have site fidelity. 










https://www.in-fisherman.com/editorial/crappie-science/156421


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## Salt man (Aug 10, 2017)

ScumFrog said:


> Actually it’s not totally impossible to fish out a “spot” with crappie. They can be site specific and return to spawn to the very site where they were born. I can’t remember the article but I read it somewhere where they did studies. It said not transitional and feeding sites can be fished out but spawning sites can get wiped clean and take a while for new crappie to discover it again.





ScumFrog said:


> Actually it’s not totally impossible to fish out a “spot” with crappie. They can be site specific and return to spawn to the very site where they were born. I can’t remember the article but I read it somewhere where they did studies. It said not transitional and feeding sites can be fished out but spawning sites can get wiped clean and take a while for new crappie to discover it again.


Doesn’t matter anyways. Never see anybody at night at nimi. Been there about every other night with a heavy bite. Freezer stocked and C&R at this point. Lots of 13”-14”. Anyone know Crappie record Size on Nimi?


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