ARKANASAS BLACK BASS COALITION

[ARGROUNDSWATTER]

I got a copy of their newsletter from a co-worker the other day. This is a new organization that was started to get the AGFC to help with the problems on Lake Ouachita. Among the problems is weed growth, lack of shad for forage, over population of striped bass and the Largemouth Bass Virus. The organization has had a number of meetings with the AGFC to work out solutions to these problems. The problem with weed growth will be tried by using grass carp, the Pakistani fly and herbicides. The plan is for 650 acres to be sprayed, 10,000 grass carp to be stocked and the fly to be used on the most weed choked areas.
Beginning this spring a massive stocking program will begin on Lake Ouachita. 160,000 black bass and 100,000 smallmouth bass will be stocked. Threadfin shad will be stocked in the lake and the striper stocking will be cut from the plannned 100,000 to 25,000 this year. If it was left up to me stripers would never be stocked in Lake Ouachita again. Limits on stripers would be removed to rid the lake of these eating machines. When the forage fish population got low the stripers fed more than ever on the game fish. I wish the ARKANSAS BLACK BASS COALITION all the luck in helping to bring back Lake Ouachita to her glory days.

ARGROUNDSWATTER

[cpeuban]

I'm not sure I agree with several of the "Coalitions" goals. Start taking grass out of Ouachita (even if some areas are extremely thick) and the fishery will probably suffer. It's happened in a number of fisheries around the country in recent years. Anglers complained about the grass in several popular lakes (Guntersville, Kentucky Lake), both being two of the best lakes in the country. The grass was killed due to herbicides and increased water flow and water color. A lot of the grass died and the fisheries really suffered and the anglers complained even more and begged for the grass to return. Now, the grass is coming back and both lakes are as good as it gets in the country.
Plus, introducing new species to the lake to control grass can have a negative effect.
As far as stripers go, most biologists (those in favor of striper stockings and those against it) will tell that stripers almost never eat bass and really not many panfish either. Mostly shad. It makes perfect sense based on where the different species spend a majority of their time and the forages present in those areas of the lake.
In low shad years, stripers can compete with bass for forage and have a negative impact on bass growth rates for that year, but that only appears to happen a couple years out of every decade.
It may be true, but I have a hard time believing the AGFC is going to decrease striper stockings that much in Ouachita. That is a big draw for that lake - the best striper lake in the state. I know people that travel across the state several times a year just to fish for stripers there. I'll wait and see the official stocking numbers before I believe they are cutting stocking rates that much.
I'm really not for or against stripers in many places, but there are outstanding lakes and rivers that have big populations of both species. The key is just plenty of shad.

[MDE]

I live on Beaver Lake in NWA and the stripers up here eat everthing they can. I have personally witnessed 2 25+ lbs stripers eating a 10 - 11 inch crappie. I caught one last week on a carolina rigged lizard? So I don't belive that the stripers mostly feed on shad. I think they will eat anything that they can get there mouth around. I agree that I wish they would stop restocking and let people catch all of them out. The prime example is Table Rock. This lake has no stripers and there Bass fishery is a lot better than Beaver's. The problem is that there are about 25 guides who make there living of these fish.