HOT SPRINGS – Black bass fishing on Lake Ouachita will be a little less complex for the casual angler on Jan. 1. Length limits will be the same, 13 inches, for both largemouth bass and spotted bass.

The new rule is one of several approved by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and designated to take effect on New Year’s Day 2007.

Lake Ouachita, among Arkansas’ most popular and productive bass fisheries, already has a 13-inch minimum length limit on largemouth bass. This means an angler catching a shorter fish must return it immediately to the water, not put it in a live well and measure it later.

At present, there is no minimum length limit on spotted bass, which are often called Kentucky bass by fishermen. The new regulation is designed to both make identification of the two species less of a problem and to restrict the taking of small spotted bass in the lake. Smallmouth bass fishing on Lake Ouachita is catch and release only.

Experienced bass fishermen can tell a spotted bass from a largemouth with a quick glance. Lake Ouachita is the scene of many competitions each year, and in the summer of 2007 will be the arena for the FLW Championship, which will have a potential $1 million pay check for the winner.