Got a Call from the Wildlife Commission !!! The NCWRC Called me about the Spotted / Alabama Bass Invasion.

                                    The Spotted Bass Invasion

*****see bottom of this article for my Youtube videos on Spotted Bass *******

 I have caught Spotted bass in  Several NC rivers for years.   Mainly the Cape  Fear river  system where the NCWRC stocked  Kentucky Spotted bass from 1977 to 1981.   They stocked 310,000~ in Advents Creek, Parkers Creek, and the Upper and lower Little Rivers.    These stockings were made due to some creel surveys made in the late 60's where they found that these streams lacked a high level sportfish.   

These fish stocked in these 4 tributaries of the Cape Fear river eventually made their way to the Cape fear and populated it.  I started fishing the Cape fear around 1990 or so and my catch of Black bass was 90 percent Largemouth and 10 percent spots.    10 years later and this had reversed!!!   90 percent spotted bass to 10 percent Spotted Bass.   They had taken over!!!

Cape Fear Kentucky Spotted Bass

The Yadkin River / Kerr Scott Reservoir was also stocked sometime later probably in the 80's ad I have caught them there as well.   Some say Kentucky's were stocked first but now Alabama Bass are in there as well.  I have caught several every time I have Smallmouth fished the Yadkin. 

Yadkin Spotted Bass

Then the Catawba System got Alabama Spotted Bass(now known as the Alabama Bass) and they have taken over there as well.

I think the next system to get then was the Roanoke river system as Belews Lake has them and the Dan and Staunton Rivers have a few.    Where they have really taken off is downstream on Lake Gaston .     Now, I don't fish Lakes much as I am a river fisherman and maybe 3 or 4 years ago I caught my first Spotted Bass in the Roanoke  near Weldon .  This was a slight shock to me but I guess it was expected sometime. 

This is the first Spotted Bass I caught in the Roanoke a few years Back  2020 or so.

Fast forward to this year(2021) and I caught a 4 lb Alabama Bass in the Tar river.  A river I fish a lot and had never caught one there before.   Then on a later trip caught several in the 3 lb range and mentioned this on the Face Book page called the THE AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY BLACK BASS CONVERSATION COMMITTEE   seen here at The American Fisheries Society Black Bass Conversation Committee    This page is run by some Biologists and Fisheries Scientist and I know one of them named Steve Sammons.  They are dedicated to trying to preserve genetic stocks of  bass as spotted bass are being relocated to waters where they are taking over and hybridizing with Shoal Bass in the Flint/Chattahoochee drainage and Smallmouth bass in others wiping them out and outcompeting and hybridizing with Largemouths.   They are also hybridizing with others.   When he saw my post about Spotted bass in a new water he contacted me as he had already contacted the NCWRC  and they wanted to find out where this new water was. Steve gave them my contact info and Kurt Rundle a Biologist with the NCWRC called me and asked where I caught them.  I informed him on the location and he confirmed that these were the first reported from that area.  The NCWRC has done shocking every year including this year in this area and these are/were the first.

The first one which is a BIG Spot probably going 4 lbs.  . 

So, what's the Big deal with Spotted bass in a New location?   As mentioned,   they are invasive and hybridize with other Black Basses and can wipe them out in some instances.  Most rivers where they are non native they have outcompeted the other Native Basses  and taken over.   Lake Chatuge is one example in NC where they have wiped out the Smallmouth bass.

Maps courtesy of USGS.GOV showing the spread on Alabama Bass.

 

They have started to have and impact on the Flint River Shoal Bass in Georgia where  I met Steve at.

Here are some Flint River Spots .  I have a  blog post on this trip where I caught my first Shoal Bass which can be seen here Shoal Bass Blog Post 

Here is an Alabama bass I caught on 082022 in Downtown Columbus Ga.   These are not native to the Chatahoochee River .

Here is my YouTube video explaining the the Spotted Bass Invasion. 

Another you tube video where I catch the 4 lb spot and an 8lb Largmouth !!

So, what can we do?   Well probably nothing where there already are but the one thing we can do is to not transport them to other lakes/rivers and let our fellow fishermen know this as that is how they are spreading. 

#invasivespottedbass

#spottedbass

#spottedbassnorthcarolina

                   #northcarolinaspottedbass 

#creekfishing

#riverfishing

#fishing

#bassfishing

#northcarolina

#jonb

#1rod1reel

#googansquad

 

Flint River: My Quest for a Shoal Bass Micropterus cataractae

1981.  What does it mean to me? Well, Its the year I graduated from High School, but when I think of 1981 I think more about how long I have wanted to catch a Shoal Bass ( Micropterus cataractae ). June 1981 to narrow it down as Outdoor Life had an article(which I still Have) tittled  "River Of The Redeyes". The Shoal Bass was not recognized as a Separate species until 2000 so up till then Shoal Bass and redeye bass(coosa bass) were lumped together as 1 species.  Anglers on a few Georgia rivers knew there was a difference as the "redeyes" in one drainage always topped out heavier than the others. These monster "redeyes" were sometimes called "Flint River Smallmouth" and are naturally found in the Flint / Chatahoochee drainage in Georgia and the Apalachicola / Chipola in Florida.  They have since been introduced to the Ocmulgee in Georgia.

1995.  April of 1995,  Southern Living Magazine did an article on the Lilies found in the Cahaba River Titled "Lily of The Stream". I also still have that article.  That is how long I have been wanting to see some Rocky Shoals Spider Lilies .

2005.  That's the year I joined GeorgiaRiverfishing.com.  Since then my eagerness for a Shoalie has increased because members of that forum are always posting pictures of Shoal Bass they have caught.

So, when would I go?...Work and family duties always kept getting in the way but this winter I said to myself this was going to be the year. I have had several offers in the past to go fish for Shoalies but couldn't work it out. Members of  GRF  had a get together planned for  the month of May so I decided this would be a great time for me to go meet up with a bunch of guys I have known for years through the Internet and get the Shoal Bass off my bucket list. Sam (Creekstalker) the Owner of Georgiariverfishing.com showed up which was nice as he has been up to North Carolina twice to fish with me. I have also met Several other members at tournaments in North Carolina but this was going to be a treat to go down there and fish with them.

2012.  May 18th 2012 to be exact. That is the day I caught my first Shoal Bass. Nothing huge but my goal fish wise was to catch just 1. I didn't care how little or big I just wanted 1. Here she is.

Another one- most I caught hit a spinnerbait

I caught a handful that size the evening of the 18th plus a few Redbreast and Bream.

The campsite was awesome and the river was amazing. Thanks to Mike for being a great host.

I went to bed that night very tired after a long hard drive from North Carolina and an evening of paddling and fishing but was a very happy camper as I had caught my Shoalie. The next day I awoke and hit the river this time going downstream and was rewarded with a nice Shoalie, a few small shoalies , a few decent Spotted bass and some more Redbreast and Bream. Here are a few pics of my am float.

 I came back to camp at lunch very hungry but happy I had caught a Shoalie above 2 lbs. I was so happy in fact (and Tired) that I told Phillip that I was going to stay in camp and enjoy the evening. He talked me in to paddling upstream farther than I had been and I am sure glad he did as that evening I ran into these on the river.

The Rocky Shoals Spider Lily

Wow! 

Seeing these Rocky Shoals Spider Lilies was almost better than catching a Shoalie. What an awesome site.

These are found from the Catawba River in South Carolina through Georgia and into Alabama. The North Carolina population's of this Lily are gone now due to the dams on the Catawba and now there are only 50 known colonies known in the 3 states. I had first heard of these from  Southern Living Magazine which did and article on the Spider Lilies found in the Cahaba River in Alabama. This was an unexpected surprise!

Here are a few random pictures of some of the fishermen, the campsite, and the River.

                                                         Trent and "Pamlico"

Phillip "Pip"

The "Boathouse"

Mike and Trent

Pip

Blackwaterbill, Doublehaul, Pip, Pamlico, Me, Shoalieman and ?

Goshawk on the River 

So what was the best part?
1st was seeing and meeting the Brother River fishermen, 2nd, was seeing those Spider Lilies, and 3rd was catching a Shoalie. Hopefully I will make it back next year. Now , I have a big desire to see the Spider Lilies on the Catawba River!  A big Thanks to Mike and everyone else. Mack

#flintriver

#shoalbass

#Micropteruscataractae

Micropterus cataractae