Bass Fishing Forum - Westernbass.com

HOT SPRINGS – Roughly four out of 10 bass in Arkansas will die this year, but there’s no need to panic, that mortality rate is pretty common, and some mortality through harvest is actually encouraged to ensure a healthy fishery.

This is only one of many interesting finds you’ll get perusing the latest version of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Reservoir Black Bass Management Plan, released earlier this year.

The AGFC has had strategic plans for the management of largemouth bass for decades. In fact, the Largemouth Bass Management Plan predates the formal Black Bass Program itself. Colton Dennis, black bass program coordinator for the AGFC, says the popularity of bass fishing and its economic benefit to Arkansas drove the formation of the plan in 1990 as well as the creation of the program in 2000.

“The commission understood that black bass, like trout, have such a large and specialized following in Arkansas, that they later devoted biologists specifically to these two families of fish, much like biologists specialize in deer, ducks and other wildlife across the state,” Dennis said. “In 2000 two positions were specialized to work specifically with black bass and coordinate with all the regional biologists to help meet the needs of the fisheries in their districts.”

Read the rest: http://www.magnoliareporter.com/sports/ ... 855b2.html

The headlines at first appears shocking and then you realize that Arkansas actually manages the bass fisheries and like most states restocked. Recreational fishing is regulated with a minimum size and maximum number that can be kept by take limits as a renewable resource.
The difference in California is we don't manage our bass populations or restock them, the bass are on thier own.
Tom

Hey California fish and wildlife, what a concept to discover.

I couldn't imagine what California bass fishing would be like if it was manages as well as other states. Such a waste.

Evidently nothing has to be done out here. With the exception of a couple lakes that have far too many small spotted bass the fishing in Northern CA is excellent. I'm guessing the best bass lake in Arkansas is no better then New Melones or Don Pedro.

The 1st LMB stocked in California came from Minnisota in the the late 1890's. Every LMB from that period to 1959 were transferred from lake to lake as new lakes were dammed, all Northern starin LMB. In 1959 Oriville Ball, San Diego city manager, brought Florida strain LMB to stock into thier city lakes with the belief it would improved catch rates, the proved to be harder to catch, the program was considered failure. However the FLMB grew to giant size and thecFLMB were stocked with FLMB from San Deigo all over the state, not by the DFG (DFW now) but local fishery biologist. Today nearly every state that has a mild climate stocks FLMB, but not our DFW.
1939 Spotted bass were stocked into Millerton lake, the spit were Kentucy or Northern strain and became unwanted aggressive small bass. 1969 Southern Spotted bass were stocked into lake Perris by local biologist, not the DFG, and the Alabama Spot grew to record size, following FLMB success, Southern Spots were stocked by local biologist across the state with Spots from Perris.
Califorina doesn't have a Black bass hatchery, the bass are transplanted from other lakes one time.
Texas has the hallmark Share A Lunker program and hatchery raises FLMB to plant annually across the state. That is management!
Tom

DFG/DFW wildlife policies are set by elected/appointed politicians, not by the fisheries biologists.
All of the DFG/DFW biologists I've met have been fishermen, too. Their hands are tied by the politicians.