This should be an excellent year for crappie numbers and size on Lake Thurmond, according to Dan Rankin, a fisheries biologist with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, which conducts annual trap-net surveys for the lake’s crappie.
“Our collections from the fall survey was that we had a really strong 2009 year-class of crappie, fish that are now 31/2 to four years old and 10, 11, 12, and 13 inches long. In our last collection, those fish comprised about 60 percent of the total population.”
As that 2009 year-class dwindles due to natural mortality and fishing pressure, the fishery will be dependent on another good year-class coming on, Rankin said, but because the lake is so large, fishing pressure is not heavy for crappie on Thurmond, and the fishery itself tends to stay pretty stable.
“Our catch rates were good, so I would think the forecast should be really good this spring for catching good numbers and good sized crappie,” Rankin said.
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