Comparison of Two Otter Trawls of Different Sizes for Sampling Black Crappies

Young black crappies Pomoxis nigromaculatus are often difficult to collect, which hampers fishery managers' ability to detect weak year‐classes and study early life history. Trawls have proven effective for sampling adult crappies in Florida lakes; however, this gear has received little attention as a tool to collect juvenile fish in freshwater systems. I compared two otter trawls of different sizes in two Florida lakes and found that a large (31.8‐mm knotted stretch mesh) trawl was less effective than a smaller trawl of similar design (6.8‐mm knotless stretch mesh) for collecting juvenile black crappies. Therefore, where it is possible to use trawl samples, the smaller mesh trawl is recommended for collection of juvenile black crappies and as a tool to assess year‐class strength in systems.