AGFC tags Florida largemouth bass brood stock

HOT SPRINGS - A total of 120 adult (3-pound to 6-pound) Florida largemouth bass previously used as brood fish at the Andrew Hulsey State Fish Hatchery at Hot Springs are being stocked into five south Arkansas lakes this week.

These fish are 5 to 6 years old and are no longer the best producers for bass fingerlings at the hatchery. About 750,000 Florida bass fingerlings are reared and stocked into public waters each year from the hatchery. These fish have been producing those fingerlings for the past 4 years, according to hatchery manager Don Brader. “As these bigger fish get older they are not as productive, and we replace them with smaller fish that have more eggs per pound of body weight. Also as they get larger they cost more to feed and keep, so the best thing is to change some of them out each year."

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission manages some of the state's lakes to produce trophy-sized bass. Along with meeting certain environmental and biological criteria, these lakes have special size and possession limits on largemouth bass. Because of the genetic growth potential of the Florida strain of largemouth, they are the only bass stocked into the trophy lakes.

In general, the Florida strain grows faster and lives longer than the native northern-strain largemouth bass. Annual stockings of Florida-strain bass shift the genetic composition of largemouth in the trophy lakes. These lakes are producing many bass topping the 10-pound mark, Brader said.

“This year there is a significant number of brood bass being replaced so we wanted to do something special to recognize Arkansas’ Florida bass program. We are dividing these fish evenly and stocking them in five lakes in south Arkansas that are currently stocked with Florida bass." 

“At the same time, we are placing a special fluorescent tag near the dorsal fin of three fish in each lake. These are reward tags and the lucky angler that catches one of these fish can remove the tag from the fish (even if it is caught in a lake with a protective slot), call the telephone number on the tag and take the tag to a regional office in the area where the fish was caught and turn it in for a free fishing license, courtesy of the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation. That license will be good for one year."

The following lakes will be stocked with Florida bass, and the regional office to call is also listed:

Lake Millwood - Hope Regional Office

Lower White Oak Lake - Camden Regional Office

Lake Columbia - Camden Regional Office

Lake Monticello - Camden Regional Office

Lake Chicot - Camden Regional Office