Striped Bass

[Fishin Hodge]

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commision has proposed the limited stocking of striped bass in Bull Shoals lake. The stocking would begin in 2013 and consist of 22,000 striped bass every other year. I am primaraly a bass fisherman and am against this stocking. Many studies seem to show that stripers do not affect the black bass, crappie, and walleye populations of lakes stocked with stripers. Stripers primary forage is undoubtably shad. I base my opinion from fishing local lakes that have striped bass. In comparison the bass fishing on these lakes is much worse than lakes without stripers. I believe they adversley affect multiple other populations and no study will convince me because of what I have seen with my own eyes.

The point of this post is to ask you to please reach out to the agfc to voice your opinion for or against. I was part of a meeting last night were the commision stated almost 80% of those polled supported or did no oppose this stocking. The room of approximately 25 people present last night, only 2 supported this stocking. Either way please make your opinion known to them. Feedback can be shared at their website www.agfc.com or by calling them at 800-364-4263. I called earlier and was advised that the call probably wouldn't do much and the biggest thing I could do to voice my opinion was to write a letter which I will be doing. The address is:

Agfc Little Rock

2 Natural Resource Drive

Little Rock AR 72205

Attn Fisheries

Please take the time to let your voice be heard or don't bother whining when it is done.

Got to go, headed to the lake.

[Feathers and Fins]

Honestly Stripers have almost 0 Impact on bass, Having caught thousands of them I have never cut one open that had a Bass in it. I have however cut open many of them with Perch and Crappie in them. Want to take a stab at what the biggest predators of Bass nest are?

I have fished the MONSTER BASS lakes of Casitas, Castaic, Pyramid, Perris of California and all have a Striper population, yet the Bass are plentiful and grow to huge size as any bass angler knows. The Delta of California also grows Giant Bass and has a very large healthy striper population.

You are dealing with a very diffrent Bass here and a very diffrent type of habitat. The stipers if anything help keep the populations of Perch and Crappie in check to a degree.

I do not have a problem with them being stocked, In fact it might be a good thing.

[FishHawk]

I was at the Gainesville meeting last year and this is what I heard and read from the Game and Fish and Conservation:

1. Both Commissions are interested in maintaining the quality of other fish like largemouth and walleye.

2. Stripers feed mainly on shad and their data shows there are lots of shad in Bull Shoals. Besides, is a largemouth able to eat a 10"+ shad? Stripers can.

3. Both departments are suppose to manage waters for a variety of anglers.

4. Stripers cannot reproduce in Bull Shoals because of the habitat so the population level will be controlled by stocking.

5. They only want to stock very few striper in Bull Shoals. Nothing like the numbers in other striper lakes. Numbers stocked in other lakes are ; Norfork Lake 28 times more, Beaver Lake 28 times more, Ouachita 4 to 16 times more, Lake Ozark 12 times more.

These are the facts. BRING ON THE STRIPERS!!!!!! I can't wait.

[Fishin Hodge]

Here are some more facts. Once stocked the game and fish can do absolutely nothing to manage the stripers in the water. One more fact. The agfc doesn't manage much of anything that well that I am aware of. They "accidently" stocked the lake with these fish almost 14 years ago. Do you remember what fishing was like 5 years after that? The worst that it has ever been on our lake.

My thought on the biggest predator of a bass bed would have to be sunfish and bream. Do you know what the biggest predator of bass fry to bass that are 8 inches long in a lake if little to no shallow cover is when it is stocked with stripers? Do bass eat 10 inch shad, most definately. Is it their primary forage, no. Bull shoals is a lake that consistently struggles to maintain a healthy bass population. Due to many factors to big ones being very little cover in low water for bass fry and great water flucuations during the spawn. I understand the primary forage of stripers is shad. I also have fished enough on beaver lake and greers ferry to have an opinion of what striped bass can do to the black bass population. The lake is an amazing bass fishery currently heck the elites are coming next spring. If they hit it right somebody is going to bust 25 pounds. We do not need another wild card in a lake with so many pre-existing conditions.

Fishhawk, Would you support the introduction of stripers into Table Rock Lake? The outcry would be deafining. I undertand we are talking about a limited stocking, as stated 22K every other year. There have been many stripers over 50 pounds caught as well. They may not eat many bass but why do I go to Beaver and Greers Ferry and so fewer and smaller bass and go to Table Rock and Bull Shoals and see more and bigger bass. Coincidense I guess????

Stripers were stocked recently in Lake Norfork. The lake is comparable to bull and the bass fishing is hot right now just like Bull. I have a guess which lake will see the faster decline. Bull is the last large lake in Arkansas without stripers. With so many other options why the hurry to stock Bull. Why not wait and compare to Nordork in 3 to 5 years.

Anyhow support the stocking or oppose I encourage all to make their voice known to the agfc. Appreciate the feedback but Ill have to be the crazy uncle who disagrees.

[Feathers and Fins]

Hodge just an FYI. The Rock HAS stripers in it.. Not stocked and not in large numbers, but they are there and they are HUGE! They are mostly around the Tailwaters of Beaver and Eaglerock, No reason to speculate why the answer is simple TROUT!

You even admit Bull struggles to keep a healthy bass population because of other factors not related to stripers. I would be more concerned about how to force AGFC to manage its lakes better including potentially heavy stockings of LMB then I would be worried about stripers affecting LMB populations.

Like I said I have fished the world class Monster Bass lakes all with Striper in them and not seen an affect on LMB in fact the arguement could be made Stripers with a well managed lake increase the size of Bass. Its ironic the Monster Bass lakes have them.

[Fishin Hodge]

TR stripers, very few is a real understatment. The opposition of stocking that lake, the jewel of the white river chain to those calling the shots, would be strong and stiff. I bet Johnny up at the pro bass would really love that idea.

I have a question fins and I really do appreciate ur feedback while I am sure that is hard to pick up on, Do these lakes have grass?

[Wayne SW/MO]

Many lakes in this area have stripers, trying to mate an accidental stocking of a few fish to a decline makes no sense when lakes all around the area do fine despite continuous stockings.

The fear I've heard expressed is the effect on the White, but that hasn't proved either.

[gotmuddy]

If I remember correctly BS recently posted a state record striper for MO. Why is your bass fishing worth more than someone else's striper fishing?

[Fishin Hodge]

If I remember correctly BS recently posted a state record striper for MO. Why is your bass fishing worth more than someone else's striper fishing?

Many more black bass fisherman than striper fisherman. Cold hard truth and we spend the money in our area. Can see that in what the tackle stores stock.

[roy_eros]

22,000 stripers every other year into a lake the size of bull shoals, of a fish that can't reproduce, is a very small number. Our lake loses much more fish to poorly run and organized tournaments,( that do not handle the fish properly) as well as some of our local guides who send limits of fish to the grease on a regular basis. The AGFC needs to look at properly maintaining the most reproductively beneficial fish (14-17inch).