Agfc District 1 Report On Beaver Bass

[Quillback]

Some interesting reading here (link below). One thing that I found interesting is that it takes 7 years for a spotted bass in Beaver to reach 15". Once again AGFC is going to propose increased catch limits for spots. There's too many of them and they are growing to slow. 83% of the spots sampled were less than 12" in Beaver.

[Quillback]

Here's the link:

http://www.agfc.com/resources/Publications/FishQtrly/D1.pdf

[Stump bumper]

That is funny because the last two weekends on Beaver I have seen the biggest spots I have ever seen on Beaver, two today over 16in and one last week over 16 in and all fat. Not that they represent the typical Beaver Lake spot but was just thinking to myself today that the spots were getting to look like the Table Rock spots.

I can't remember catching spots over 3lbs on Beaver but that is all that has turned up for me lately, I thought they were getting better and bigger with low water and big shad populations.

[Quillback]

Those are some nice spots you're catching. Maybe AGFC sees smaller fish because they're netting in the wrong part of the lake, or maybe you're fishing where the big ones are?

[Feathers and Fins]

I tend to catch bigger fish 2 to 3 pounds but I attribute it to using live bait mostly and trolling. Beaver is a big lake and I am not sure where they do their shocking, im just curious if they shock in deeper water as that is where I tend to catch the bigger fish, anyone know?

BTW Shad in Prairie Creek finalllllllly

[jeb]

That's putting it mildly. PC cove is choked with shad balls.

I thought it was odd in the report that they shocked up more LMB per hour than spots. That's not what my catch ratio is.

[Quillback]

Maybe they test different types of habitat based on species?

I wonder who the "local bass clubs" are that they are seeking input from on as far as the proposal to allow people to keep spots less than 12"?

I think I'll send an email to the contacts listed on the report and ask them these questions.

[Stump bumper]

If there are more LMB and fewer spots and spots are not growing wouldn't it make more sense to put the limit on spots up to 15in also?

[Feathers and Fins]

Stump, thye did that in Lake Perris when i was growing up 15'' minimum size, it worked good for about 5 years then it slowly got to the point where you couldnt catch a spot over 13 they were thick but all small. They reduced the bag limit to no size restriction for a few years and the size started getting bigger again. To many bass competing for the same cover and prey was the outcome from the biologist. Lat time i talked to some friends they said they started doing a rotating size limit where they went a few years with NO size limit then a few years with the slot at 15'' and monitored the lake to maintain a healthy large size.

Granted that lake is much smaller than Beaver but it might be an option here. As to the LMB vs spot, im curious to where they come up with that I catch more smallies and spots than LMB unless im way up the river.

[J-Doc]

I thought it was odd in the report that they shocked up more LMB per hour than spots. That's not what my catch ratio is.

Yep, that's my thoughts as well. I wonder if they take multiple samples in the lake. One would hope. I heard they sampled the mouth of War Eagle a few years back and got a 10lb LM. I wonder how many areas they test and sample.

I know they need to be on the look-out for the extra large gar and spoonbills I've been seeing. I was fishing one day and saw a dorsal fin surface and then go back down. It took me by surprise and I thought "Did I just see that???" THen I came to my senses and identified the dorsal as the rear dorsal fin of a spoonbill. THen below the 12 bridge, I saw a VERY large 6ft range gar thrash around on the surface. I thought it was an injured diver at first because it was so large and thrashing around on the surface. Kinda caught me off gaurd so I motored over the spot on saw the largest fish arches I've ever seen on my sonar. Two of them. Must have been some really large gar. Only thing that could explain it.

Boy I'd like to be with the AGFC when they sample. No telling what they can shock up.