Striped Bass Stocked into Lake Ouachita

The AGFC stocks fingerling sized striped bass (1 - 3 inches) into Lake Ouachita.  The AGFC occasionally has access to yearling size striped bass, and some yearling stripers have been stocked into the lake in recent years. Since June 2005, AGFC has stocked 33,489 yearling sized striped bass into Lake Ouachita. The total fingerling striped bass annual production available for public water stocking in Arkansas from the four AGFC hatcheries seldom exceeds 350,000 young fish.

● Other Fish stocked into Lake Ouachita  ● Lake Ouachita Jim Collins Net Pen Area  ● Lake Ouachita Guided Striper Trips  ● Trophy Stripers

Using the Lake Ouachita nursery pond to raise Striped Bass fry to fingerling size fish, then releasing them directly into Lake Ouachita which was highly successful in establishing measurable populations of Stripers in Lake Ouachita according to Brett Hobbs - Asst. District Fisheries Biologist, Arkansas Game & Fish Commission has been stopped.

According to some members of the Lake Ouachita Fisheries Advisory Committee the reason the use of the nursery pond was stopped was due to a local Black Bass club using political pressure and influence on the Arkansas Game and Fish commission to serve their selfish, self-centered reasoning all the while turning a blind eye on facts of sound, scientific striped bass research and striped bass studies which is endangering wasting years of money and success the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission had achieved in the Stocking of Striped Bass in Lake Ouachita.

Below are the number of striped bass stocked into Lake Ouachita by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission since 1995.

• 1995 -  10,000 fingerlings

• 1996 -  307,749 fingerlings; Nursery pond stocking

• 1997 -  54,000 fingerlings

• 1998 -  29,972 fingerlings

• 1999 -  283,000 fingerlings; Nursery pond stocking

• 2000 -  9,576 fingerlings

• 2001 -  100,970 fingerlings

• 2002 -             0

• 2003 -  191,700 fingerlings; Nursery pond stocking

• 2004 -  25,500 fingerlings

• 2005 -  19,320 fingerlings  +  5,680 yearlings =  25,000 total fish

• 2006 -   54,687 fingerlings  +  5,313 yearlings =  60,000 total fish

• 2007 -   80,000 fingerlings; Lake Ouachita Management Plan finalized

• 2008 -   72,462 fingerlings  +  8,246 yearlings =  81,292 total fish

• 2009 -   85,750 fingerlings + 14,250 yearlings =  100,000 total fish

• 2010 -   planned 80,000 fingerlings

Biologists reviewing these criteria from states with striper fisheries across the Southeast agree that the AGFC are stocking conservatively for a trophy striped bass fishery based on current Lake Ouachita striper growth rates, fish condition, and forage fish abundance.

Lake Ouachita stripers have excellent growth rates (up to 26 inches by age-4) and condition (relative weights up to 97%), indicating that forage is not currently a limiting factor for these fish.

AGFC biologists net striper broodstock on Lake Ouachita beginning in April .  This provide the AGFC with another good look at the striper population and age and growth characteristics for several year classes of larger stripers.

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