I was wondering if you could give me a answer about how long does it take for a crappie to grow from a fingerling to say 10 inches. My cousin told me that they were going to put fingerling crappie in Ky Lake and we were wondering how long it would take for them to groe to that size. Thank You…

Judging by the Mississippi reports, a 10-inch fish would be about three years old. A 12-inch fish would be four years old and a 7-inch fish would be two years old. A fish that is one year old would be about 5 inches. This could be slightly different in Kentucky, but not by much. If they are just planting the fish this year, you will have to wait for at least three years before you could catch a 10-inch fish. Depending on what the regulations will be on the crappie, you might be waiting for a long time. However, a good thing is that crappies populated quickly and whatever water they plant the fingerlings in should fill rather quickly with all ages after the first and second year as the adult crappie start spawning. One thing to keep in mind is what other fish are in the same water. The crappie fingerlings will be prime food sources for bigger fish until they grow in size. Usually before the fish are planted in the water, the DNR does do the research to make sure that the population can survive. Therefore, they must be confident that in a few years, anglers will be able to have a new place to fish for crappies. Until they reach the legal limit though, if someone catches the crappies, they will have to use care and release the fish back into the water. Good luck in the future fishing the crappies from the waters that were newly stocked in Kentucky.