A five-year study was undertaken in 2005 by the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division (GWRD) on several reservoirs that fed into the Altamaha River. That study included Lake Sinclair and Lake Oconee. The study included a plan to eliminate stockings of hybrid bass in some of those reservoirs to determine if hybrid bass populations could be reduced in the Altamaha River.

The study period ran from 2005-2009 and during the study period only striped bass were stocked in Lake Sinclair and a mix of hybrid bass and striped bass would be stocked in Lake Oconee.

Hybrid bass were escaping from Lake Oconee into Lake Sinclair and not directly into the Oconee River, so the GWRD felt that hybrid stockings could continue in Lake Oconee. Hybrids were escaping from Sinclair directly into the Oconee River that feeds into the Altamaha River so plans were for hybrid stockings in Lake Sinclair to stop during the study period.

The GWRD was also concerned about how well the striped bass populations would do in Lake Oconee and Lake Sinclair. Striped bass in Lake Oconee have faired somewhat better, but neither lake is ideal for striped bass due to water quality concerns as it relates to high summertime water temperatures and depleted oxygen levels.

Since 2005, the WRD has attempted to stock equal numbers of hybrid and striped bass in Lake Oconee. Those planned stocking rates each year for Lake Oconee were 190,000 striped bass and 190,000 hybrid bass.

However, availability of fingerlings from the state hatcheries has varied each year since 2010 and that impacted the stocking rates for Lake Oconee. In 2010, 150,000 striped bass and 165,000 hybrid bass were stocked; 165,000 striped bass and 194,000 hybrid bass were stocked in 2011; 35,000 striped bass and 161,000 hybrid bass were stocked in 2012 and 97,000 striped bass and 290,000 hybrid bass were stocked in 2013.

The actual stockings in Lake Sinclair since 2005 included 291,755 striped and white bass in 2005; 177,897 striped bass and white bass in 2006; 236,369 striped bass in 2007; 149,000 striped bass in 2008; 59,670 striped bass in 2009; 74,500 striped bass in 2010; 119,200 striped bass in 2011 and 23,000 striped bass in 2012.

The striped bass populations in the Altamaha River had fully recovered by 2012; therefore in 2013 the GWRD once again began stocking hybrid bass in Lake Sinclair. During 2013, 174,000 hybrid bass and 149,000 striped bass were stocked in Lake Sinclair.

Some hybrid bass escaped into Lake Sinclair from upstream Lake Oconee between 2005 and 2012 but a healthy hybrid bass population had all but vanished from Lake Sinclair prior to the 2013 stockings. Anglers should once again see good numbers of hybrid bass as annual stockings are planned for future years.

GWRD has received reports of good catches of striped bass from both lakes and some of the catches have exceeded 10 pounds. Even though the GWRD expects the striped bass to approach a weight of 15 pounds in both lakes, that might be the upper weight limit since little cool water is available for striped bass during the hot summer months.

Hybrid bass have faired much better and hybrid bass exceeding 10 pounds have been caught in both lakes. The lake record hybrid bass in Lake Oconee stands at 14 pounds, 4 ounces and the record hybrid bass stands at 10 pounds, 7 ounces in Lake Sinclair. GWRD fisheries biologists on both Lakes Oconee and Sinclair would like feedback from anglers who catch striped and hybrid bass. GWRD would like to have photos and weights of striped and hybrid bass caught by anglers.

This would help the GWRD greatly in determining the success of the striped bass stockings and the renewed success of the hybrid bass stockings now taking place in Lake Sinclair. The only other tool used by GWRD to measure success of the striped and hybrid bass stockings are their fall surveys that attempt to catch striped and hybrid bass in gill nets.

Anglers catching Lake Oconee striped and hybrid bass can send their photos and other information directly to GWRD via email by sending it to Chris Nelson at chris.nelson@dnr.state.ga.us. Anglers catching Lake Sinclair striped and hybrid bass can send photos and other information directly to GWRD via e-mail by sending it to Steve Schleiger at steve.schleiger@dnr.state.ga.us.

Good fishing and see you next week.

Outdoor columnist Bobby Peoples can be contacted via e-mail at brpeoples@windstream.net.