A meeting at Georgia Power’s Plant Branch was held on June 4 to discuss the continued stocking of striped bass in Lake Oconee and other middle Georgia reservoirs. This is the first of a two part article that will discuss this subject and the meeting in detail.

In 2005, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division (WRD) made a decision to discontinue stocking hybrid bass in all reservoirs that eventually fed into the Altamaha River. Hybrid bass were escaping into the river through reservoir dams.  

The WRD decision was made in an attempt to restore the population of striped bass in the Altamaha River that was reduced significantly by the presence of hybrid bass. Those hybrid bass were escaping through reservoir dams on both the Oconee River and on the Ocmulgee River and a very large population of those hybrids were now competing with native striped bass in the Altamaha River.

WRD decided to either eliminate completely or at least reduce the number of hybrid bass that were being stocked in reservoirs whose waters fed into the Altamaha River. The reduced stockings of hybrid bass began in 2005 and WRD biologist at the meeting indicated that the plan was working as hybrid bass were now greatly reduced in the Altamaha River and striped bass numbers are increasing as a result of those reduced stockings of hybrid bass.

The downside to the action taken by WRD was that the once great hybrid fishery at Lake Oconee had virtually disappeared. Lake Oconee was the only reservoir that continued to receive hybrid bass but the stocking numbers were reduced significantly from previous years as the stocking of striped bass began.

Meeting attendees included several fisheries biologist from the WRD and a group of anglers who fish the upstream reservoirs. The majority of the anglers in attendance were concerned about the loss of the once excellent hybrid fishery at Lake Oconee. WRD wanted input and suggestions from anglers in hopes that maybe a solution could be found to satisfy anglers’ desire for a better hybrid fishery in Lake Oconee and WRD’s goal to reduce hybrids in the Altamaha River.

WRD planned to stock striped bass and hybrid bass at 10 per acre each in Lake Oconee beginning in 2005. That equates to 190K striped bass and 190K hybrid bass that were going to be stocked each year. However, the actual stocking rates would depend on hatchery production of fingerlings.

Stocking rates for Lake Oconee of 10 striped bass per acre were met or exceeded in 2005, 2007, 2008, and 2011. Actual stocking rates for striped bass in other years were 8 per acre in 2006, 6 per acre in 2009, 8 per acre in 2010 and only 2 per acre in 2012. Stocking rates for Lake Oconee of 10 hybrid bass were met or exceeded in 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2011. Actual stocking rates for hybrid bass in other years were 3 per acre in 2007, 9 per acre in 2010 and 9 per acre in 2012.

Even though close to 190K hybrids were still being stocked in Lake Oconee the once great hybrid fishery had slowly declined in recent years and had thus been significantly reduced according to the anglers in attendance. Much greater numbers of hybrid bass were stocked in Lake Oconee prior to 2005 and that likely accounted for the excellent hybrid fishing.

Lake Sinclair never had a great hybrid fishery but it was decent prior to 2005. WRD plans were to completely eliminate hybrid stockings from Lake Sinclair beginning in 2005. In 2004, 101K hybrids were stocked in Lake Sinclair and another 141K hybrids were stocked in 2005. Since 2005 only one year saw any hybrids stocked in Lake Sinclair and that was in 2006.

Prior to 2005, Lake Sinclair had seen hybrid bass stocked at rates of 15 to 25 per acre since 1995. Hybrid bass can still be caught in Lake Sinclair from the limited stockings in 2005 and 2006 and hybrid bass still escape through the Wallace Dam into Lake Sinclair but they are not in significant numbers to provide a good hybrid fishery.

Also present at the meeting were a group of anglers who specifically target largemouth bass. They came to the meeting to vent their frustration at what they perceived to be the negative impact that striped bass have on the largemouth bass population. The meeting was not for that purpose but hopefully a separate meeting can be held in the future to discuss that subject and address the quality of the overall largemouth bass populations in both Lake Oconee and Lake Sinclair.

Next week in part two, we will look in more detail at this subject and include some thoughts and comments from both WRD fishery biologist and anglers about the hybrid/striped bass fishery on Lakes Oconee and Sinclair. Good fishing and see you next week.