Norris Lake - Trap Netting 2009
The TWRA trap netted Norris in November of 2009. The 100 net sample collected only 127 black and 1 blacknose black crappie.
A below average number of young-of-the-year (YOY) (newly spawned) crappie were collected suggesting a weak 2009 spawn. This is not great news since Norris could use a few years of good reproduction to help boost the population.
Although we have been collecting a decent number of adult crappie while electrofishing and gill netting, trap netting results indicate their numbers are not what they were 10 to 15 years ago. It will take several seasons of successful spawning to get their numbers back to where we would like them to be.
Although the TWRA has been stocking crappie in Norris during the last few years, it can never achieve the results of a good natural spawn. One can only hope environmental conditions cooperate to allow improved reproduction in the future. You can view summaries of TWRA's crappie and other fish stockings via this page.
Trap Netting Demonstration Video
Visit the slide show on the NLFAC page for a complete summary of the status of the Norris fisheries.
Black crappie length frequency
Catch rates of black crappie
Catch rates of young-of-the-year crappie
