Blue Ridge Lake still being stocked with smallmouth bass

lampern

Senior Member
Blue Ridge Smallmouth
(From WRD Biologist John Damer) — Blue Ridge Lake received its final dose of fingerling smallmouth for 2019. These fish were raised at the Go Fish Georgia Education Center in Perry, and they were some of the largest we’ve been able to stock in the lake to date, with some in the 8-inch range! These smallmouth were stocked by boat on the upper end of the lake where habitat is good but access with a stocking truck is difficult. Hopefully, a few will end up on the end of your line in a year or two.
 

kevin17

Senior Member
Thanks for the share.

Final? That’s disappointing.
It would be amazing if DNR would put catch and an immediate release on all smallmouth. It has been proven they can’t compete with the spots in the lake. The spots took over so fast in that lake that the smallmouth have no chance.
 
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Ruger#3

RAMBLIN ADMIN
Staff member
Ironically, if most of the Dams were removed the Smallmouth habitat would expand and probably maintain itself....

The spots and other hybridization is a threat in any waters.
Catch and release most everything except spots, the grease is waiting on them.
 

Browning Slayer

Official Voice Of The Dawgs !
Blue Ridge lake will need to be stocked with smallmouth bass every year from now on if a "fishable" population is to be maintained.

Its basically become a fishery dependent on the stocking truck.


I got news for ya. They could stock Blue Ridge every year from here to the end of time and it will NEVER be the Smallmouth fishery is use to be.

Thank you Bass Tournament guys. Ya screwed up another GA lake.
 

Browning Slayer

Official Voice Of The Dawgs !
The spots and other hybridization is a threat in any waters.
Catch and release most everything except spots, the grease is waiting on them.
The trash can is a another great place for Spotted Bass.
 

lampern

Senior Member
LBR smallmouth update 2020:

In a lake where smallmouth were once the most abundant black bass species, they now account for less than 1% of the black bass community. On a positive note, state and federal hatcheries are now producing smallmouth bass fingerlings for stocking into Blue Ridge to maintain and restore this important fishery. Over the past four years, Blue Ridge has received nearly 175,000 smallmouth. Hatcheries will continue to raise smallmouth for stocking the lake in 2020. WRD lake monitoring data has yet to show a significant increase in smallmouth numbers, but some anglers have noticed more small (10-12") smallmouth suggesting some of the stocked fingerlings are surviving and starting to recruit to the fishery. Angler catch rates are still way below historic levels. Despite low catch rates of smallmouth at Blue Ridge, growth remains good
.
 

Teh Wicked

Senior Member
If you look at the pig problem in the United states, mass killing by sportsmen is doing nothing to the populations. So much so they have stopped allowing it in many places. Instead the states are trapping them in huge herds, this is having an effect on the population.

Same goes for the spotted bass, the only way your going to actually cull that population is by catching them in massive numbers, but when it comes to fish, I think the only way to catch them and not risk hurting the ones your protecting would be with electric fishing. Lets face it, they are not going to take the old shock boat up and down the rivers collecting fish.
 

goshenmountainman

Senior Member
When trapping hogs, if you don't get every one of the hogs at the same time in the trap, the rest will never go in a trap. I know this because I have trapped a bunch of them, then you always have some that won't go in, ever. We then use dogs to get them, right now knock on wood, I have only had one hog on cam for the last three months, very sporadically. I will get him eventually, probably at night with night vision! These states that are doing this will learn in time, everything helps the cause. People need to keep every spotted bass they catch from Blue Ridge, that will help a lot.
 

Browning Slayer

Official Voice Of The Dawgs !

TroyBoy30

Senior Member
Thanks for the share.

Final? That’s disappointing.
It would be amazing if DNR would put catch and an immediate release on all smallmouth. It has been proven they can’t compete with the spots in the lake. The spots took over so fast in that lake that the smallmouth have no chance.

Link for proof?
 

antharper

“Well Rounded Outdoorsman MOD “
Staff member
If you look at the pig problem in the United states, mass killing by sportsmen is doing nothing to the populations. So much so they have stopped allowing it in many places. Instead the states are trapping them in huge herds, this is having an effect on the population.

Same goes for the spotted bass, the only way your going to actually cull that population is by catching them in massive numbers, but when it comes to fish, I think the only way to catch them and not risk hurting the ones your protecting would be with electric fishing. Lets face it, they are not going to take the old shock boat up and down the rivers collecting fish.
The DNR have been doing it for years on the ocmulgee river targeting flathead catfish and it has helped tremendously
 

Browning Slayer

Official Voice Of The Dawgs !
The DNR have been doing it for years on the ocmulgee river targeting flathead catfish and it has helped tremendously
DNR’s across the country do it daily for other fisheries.
 

Browning Slayer

Official Voice Of The Dawgs !
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