A live-release boat was completed by the AG&FC for Lake Ouachita
to assist Black Bass tournaments in live-release re-distribution.
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Continued efforts by the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission at Black Bass
conservation,
the AG&FC Black Bass Program recently completed construction of a
live-release boat that can be used by Black Bass tournament directors to re-locate their
catch on Lake Ouachita. The primary
purpose of the boat is to help recover
and re-distribute tournament caught bass to different locations around the lake
after a weigh-in. Scientific studies have shown that bass may remain in the
general vicinity of weigh-in sites for days, weeks or even months after
release.
A stockpiling of bass at weigh-in sites could then lead to increased angler
harvest and catch rates from non-tournament anglers, increased competition
for food and habitat, and increased opportunities for bacterial or viral
transmissions such as Largemouth Bass Virus. The boat is a 29ft. triple
pontoon equipped with a 200hp Mercury
motor.
Mounted in the boat is a three compartment
bottom-dump tank that
holds approximately 650 gallons of
water, which means that it can safely
hold up to 650 pounds of fish. The tanks
are individually plumbed for filling and also contain individual diffusers,
which
provide oxygen from a compressed
oxygen cylinder.
Money to purchase and equip the
boat were provided by a $10K grant
from the FishAmerica Foundation.
The AG&FC
Black Bass Program matched the
grant money.
Bill Barnes, operator of Mountain Harbor Resort and Marina on Lake Ouachita, donated a covered slip at the marina to house the live-release boat. Tournament directors will be able to access the boat beginning this Spring after a review of operational guidelines. The AG&FC Black Bass Program used the live-release boat at two tournaments on Lake Ouachita this Fall to test the systems and determine how the boat handles under a full load. The boat operated flawlessly during the two-day USA Outdoors Big Bass and FLW Outdoors BFL Regional tournament events in October.
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