08-26-2004, 12:40 AM
[size 2]PIERRE, S.D. - The U.S. Forest Service, which manages the Fort Pierre National Grasslands, has been working with South Dakota’s Department of Game, Fish and Park fisheries staff to meet the largemouth bass stocking needs of eastern South Dakota lakes, while improving the quality of bass populations on the grasslands.[/size]
[size 2]“Maintaining largemouth bass populations in eastern South Dakota lakes is challenging,” said GFP Fisheries Biologist John Lott of Pierre. “Many eastern South Dakota lakes are shallow and windswept, resulting in few small bass being naturally produced each year. Supplementing naturally produced young bass with 2-3” fingerlings raised in hatcheries has not been successful, because these small fish rarely survive their first winter in the lake. Therefore, South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks fisheries personnel have begun trapping 7-12” juvenile bass from stock dams and farm ponds and stocking these fish in eastern South Dakota lakes to enhance bass populations.” Lott noted that unlike eastern South Dakota lakes, many stock dams have excellent largemouth bass production because aquatic plants are abundant, and wind and wave action does not hamper nesting efforts.[/size]
[size 2]“The Fort Pierre National Grasslands in central South Dakota have many dams that contain sustainable fisheries for both largemouth bass and panfish, such as yellow perch and bluegills,” Lott said. “These dams are a valuable fisheries resource for the anglers of South Dakota. While some of these dams have nice size distributions of largemouth bass, others have a very high number of bass in them that are slow growing. Removing some of the bass from dams with a high number of slow-growing fish allows the remaining fish to grow larger and be more desirable to anglers.”[/size]
[size 2]During July of 2004, a total of 520 7-12” largemouth bass were removed from five stock dams on the Fort Pierre National Grasslands and stocked into lakes Alvin, Tripp and Marindahl in eastern South Dakota. [/size]
[size 2]“Dams with a high number of slow-growing bass may have 200-300 bass per acre of water, so the number removed from each dam will not reduce the fishery potential of these dams”, Lott said. “This is just another example of a “win-win” situation, where cooperative efforts between natural resource management agencies results in better fisheries for the public.”[/size]
[signature]
[size 2]“Maintaining largemouth bass populations in eastern South Dakota lakes is challenging,” said GFP Fisheries Biologist John Lott of Pierre. “Many eastern South Dakota lakes are shallow and windswept, resulting in few small bass being naturally produced each year. Supplementing naturally produced young bass with 2-3” fingerlings raised in hatcheries has not been successful, because these small fish rarely survive their first winter in the lake. Therefore, South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks fisheries personnel have begun trapping 7-12” juvenile bass from stock dams and farm ponds and stocking these fish in eastern South Dakota lakes to enhance bass populations.” Lott noted that unlike eastern South Dakota lakes, many stock dams have excellent largemouth bass production because aquatic plants are abundant, and wind and wave action does not hamper nesting efforts.[/size]
[size 2]“The Fort Pierre National Grasslands in central South Dakota have many dams that contain sustainable fisheries for both largemouth bass and panfish, such as yellow perch and bluegills,” Lott said. “These dams are a valuable fisheries resource for the anglers of South Dakota. While some of these dams have nice size distributions of largemouth bass, others have a very high number of bass in them that are slow growing. Removing some of the bass from dams with a high number of slow-growing fish allows the remaining fish to grow larger and be more desirable to anglers.”[/size]
[size 2]During July of 2004, a total of 520 7-12” largemouth bass were removed from five stock dams on the Fort Pierre National Grasslands and stocked into lakes Alvin, Tripp and Marindahl in eastern South Dakota. [/size]
[size 2]“Dams with a high number of slow-growing bass may have 200-300 bass per acre of water, so the number removed from each dam will not reduce the fishery potential of these dams”, Lott said. “This is just another example of a “win-win” situation, where cooperative efforts between natural resource management agencies results in better fisheries for the public.”[/size]
[signature]