HARRISBURG, Pa. (Feb. 8) – The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) announced today that it will hold a public meeting on Tuesday, February 23, at Bald Eagle State Park in Centre County to discuss future angling regulations for crappie at Foster Joseph Sayers Lake.
The meeting will be held from 6:30 – 8 p.m. at the park’s Environmental Learning Center, located at 149 Main Park Road, Howard, PA 16841. The meeting is free and the public is invited to attend.
The meeting will give the public the opportunity to discuss proposed regulations first outlined at the PFBC’s quarterly business meeting on Jan. 20.
“The lake is a popular crappie fishery with high angler use and harvest and it’s not reaching its full potential under the current regulations,” said Jason Detar, Chief of the PFBC Division of Fisheries Management. “Only about 8 percent of the crappies in our fishery surveys meet the legal size of 9 inches or longer. The majority of adult crappies collected during our fishery surveys are in the 7-inch to 8-inch range, and anglers want to harvest some of these fish.”
Currently, the daily limit for crappies is 20. Under the proposed changes, anglers would be allowed a daily creel limit of 10, which could include five crappies under 9 inches and five crappies 9 inches or larger.
“The changes would allow anglers to still harvest some of the larger fish which are 9 inches or longer, as well as some of the smaller fish which are not currently available to harvest,” added Detar. “The goal is to increase the overall numbers of 9-inch and longer crappies by reducing some of the harvest of these fish, and by thinning the numbers of 7-inch and 8-inch fish through angler harvest.”
Detar added that the PFBC has conducted angler interviews at the lake this winter to ask ice anglers their opinions on the proposed regulation change. If there is public support for the proposed change, a recommendation would be made to the board of commissioners at the March 31 quarterly business meeting in Harrisburg.
Media Contacts
Eric Levis, Press Secretary
717-705-7806
elevis@pa.gov