Yearling threadfin shad were recently stocked in several central Arkansas lakes, including two that studies showed were very much in need of the forage.
Lake Beaverfork (75,400 shad stocked) and Brewer Lake (118,080) were stocked by the staff from the AGFC’s Charlie Craig State Fish Hatchery in Centerton in northwest Arkansas.
During population sampling conducted over the previous two years, it was noted that game species that were sampled (largemouth bass, crappie and channel catfish) in these two lakes had below-optimal relative weights (or “plumpness”). This is an indicator that not enough forage was available for optimal growth and condition of the game fish.
This stocking effort was made in the hopes that the threadfin shad will overwinter and have several spawns next summer that will contribute to the overall forage base in the two lakes. The photo at top right shows AGFC staff using a stocking truck full of threadfin shad at Lake Beaverfork.
As much as we try to get a consistent Fishing Report from anglers around Blue Mountain Lake, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lake just south of Mount Magazine, those reports don’t come often enough. Maybe some people are holding out on us, considering the results of a recent sampling by the AGFC that indicated there are nice, healthy largemouth bass in the lake.
A recently completed fall electrofishing sample on Blue Mountain Lake in Yell and Logan counties showed catch rates and size structure indicative of a well-balanced population of largemouths, according to AGFC biologists. Relative weight values (an indicator of the “plumpness” of the fish) were excellent, with many fish exceeding the optimum level of 100. This means the fish were very fat and well-fed.
If you’re looking for a few bass to bend your rod this fall, check out Blue Mountain Lake. The lake is surrounded by mountains, you’re not far from the spectacular Arkansas State Parks’ Mount Magazine Lodge (if you can land a vacancy in October), and the beautiful scenery will add to your fishing experience.
