Gill Netting on Bull Shoals Lake for Walleye, Striped Bass, and White Bass We conducted winter time gillnetting samples for Striped Bass, Walleye, and White Bass on Bull Shoals Lake over 6 nights in January and February 2017. This was our first attempt to sample these fish in Bull Shoals Lake using gillnets. There were two goals for this sampling effort: 1) try to sample the Striped Bass stocked by Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and 2) collect a representative sample of the Walleye population. MDC has stocked Striped Bass at a low density into Bull Shoals Lake since 2013. These stockings have occurred every other year. We hoped the gillnet samples would give us a better representation of the Walleye population compared to our spring electrofishing samples at the dam. Over the 6 net nights, we sampled 137 fish. Our catch included two Striped Bass, 69 Walleye, and 67 White Bass. The two Striped Bass were approximately 20 inches long. We suspect these Striped Bass were from the 2015 MDC stocking. The Walleye ranged in size from 14 to 25 inches (average: 19 inches) and the White Bass ranged in size from 10 inches to 21.5 inches (average: 15 inches). Length frequency of Walleye and White Bass sampled while gillnetting in Bull Shoals Lake in 2017.
Spring Walleye Electrofishing Samples We conducted our annual Walleye electrofishing samples on Lake Norfork (3/16, 3/20) and Bull Shoals Lake (3/22, 3/27). A large number of mature Walleye congregate around the dams when temperatures near 55ºF to go through their spawning rituals. These areas have been routinely sampled for 12-14 years. Norfork Lake We sampled 129 Walleye in 1.33 hours of actual sampling on Norfork Lake. This resulted in a catch rate of 97.3 Walleye/hour, which was higher than the historical average of 83.5 Walleye/hr. The average size of Walleye sampled was 18.9 inches, which was close to the historical average of 19.1 inches. The largest Walleye sampled was a 22.4-inch male. Bull Shoals Lake We sampled 112 Walleye in 1.29 hours of actual sampling on Bull Shoals Lake. The catch rate was 86.7 Walleye/hour, which was slightly lower than the historical average of 92.2 Walleye/hour. The average size of Walleye sampled was 20.5 inches, which is similar to the historical average of 20.1 inches. The largest Walleye collected was a 26.5-inch female. It is interesting to note that we saw 2 Paddlefish during this year s samples. These fish likely came from Table Rock Lake during the high spring flows and floodgate releases. MDC routinely stocks these fish into Table Rock Lake to support a popular snagging fishery. General Comments Walleye catch rates were higher on Norfork Lake but lower on Bull Shoals Lake compared to our long-term data sets. Spring time sampling for Walleye is all about timing. This year was challenging to determine when to start sampling due to the weekly fluctuating air temperatures and water temperatures. So far this year, anglers and spear fishermen have been reporting good numbers of walleye in both lakes. Length frequency of Walleye sampled in Norfork Lake (NF) and Bull Shoals Lake (BS) during the 2017 spring electrofishing samples.
Spring Black Bass Electrofishing Samples Norfork Lake We sampled 48 different sites on Lake Norfork during four nights of sampling in April 2017. We sampled a total of 2,761 bass during the eight hours of actual sampling time. This is the most black bass sampled in Norfork Lake since the inception of electrofishing samples in 1987. This resulted in a catch rate of 342 black bass/hour. We sampled 2,453 Largemouth Bass, ranging in size from 4 to 22 inches (average: 12.3 inches). We sampled 231 Spotted Bass, ranging in size from 4 to 16 inches (average: 9.7 inches). Finally, we sampled 77 Smallmouth Bass ranging in size from 3 to 16 inches (average: 10.2 inches). Bull Shoals Lake We sampled 48 different sites on Bull Shoals Lake during three nights of sampling in April 2017. We sampled a total of 2,635 bass during the eight hours of sampling time. This was also the most black bass sampled since the inception of electrofishing samples in 1987. This resulted in a catch rate of 328 black bass/hour. We sampled 2,196 Largemouth Bass, ranging in size from 6 to 21 inches (average: 12.4 inches). We sampled 312 Spotted Bass, ranging in size from 4 to 18 inches (average: 9.6 inches). Finally, we sampled 127 Smallmouth Bass ranging in size from 4 to 18 inches (average: 11.8 inches). General Comments Both lakes are full of black bass due to the recent string of high water events. This is evident when you have multiple electrofishing runs per lake of 140 plus black bass collected during a 10-minute sample. Our highest catch was on Bull Shoals Lake, where we collected 191 black bass in 10 minutes. That resulted in an astounding catch rate of 1,146 black bass/hour. Although both lakes have experienced the same amount of high water, the quality of black bass is much better in Bull Shoals Lake than in Norfork. This is obvious when comparing tournament results between lakes. We are unsure why the quality of black bass is lagging behind in Norfork. However, we plan on diving deeper into this issues in the upcoming sample seasons. Speaking of tournaments, we worked a total of four Winter Bass-O-Thon tournaments on Bull Shoals Lake (BS) and Norfork (NF) over the winter. Tournaments were held once a month from October 2016 through January 2017. Two tournaments were held on each lake. Two hundred twenty-one anglers fished the BS tournaments vs 215 anglers on NF. There were 432 black bass (BB) caught in BS resulting in a catch rate of 0.24 BB/angler-hour. There were 330 BB caught in NF for a catch rate of 0.19 BB/angler-hour. The average size of BB weighed in was larger in BS vs NF. For Largemouth Bass, the average size was 17.4 inches (N = 225) on BS vs 16.4 inches (N = 211) for NF. The average size of Spotted Bass at BS was 14.7 inches (N = 74) vs 13.8 inches (N = 61) for NF. For Smallmouth Bass, the average size at BS was 16.9 inches (N = 133) vs 16.2 inches (N = 58) for NF.
Length frequency of Largemouth Bass, Spotted Bass, and Smallmouth Bass sampled in Norfork Lake (NF) and Bull Shoals Lake (BS) during the 2017 spring electrofishing samples.
April and May Flooding Most of you are well aware of the flooding that occurred in Northern Arkansas (NA) and South Missouri (SM) during the months of April/May. Around the first of April, people were voicing their concerns on social media about low water levels on Bulls Shoals Lake and Norfork Lake. By the middle of May, conversations had shifted to the impacts of the flooding on the local communities and rightfully so. Rainfall totals for the months of April/May ranged from 16 to 30 inches in NA and SM. At the beginning of April, Bull Shoals Lake was at 654.59 ft-msl and Norfork Lake was at 548.38 ft- MSL. After all the flooding, Bull Shoals Lake peaked at 693 ft-msl on May 29 th and Norfork Lake peaked at 579.8 on May 5 th. However, that doesn t really show the magnitude of the flooding event. During the large rain event on Saturday, April 29 th, Bull Shoals Lake rose 10 feet overnight and a total of 12 feet by the end of the weekend. Norfork rose 12 feet overnight and 16 feet before the weekend was over. While these high water events are great for the fish, it can make things difficult for the anglers and local communities. Lake levels for Bull Shoals Lake and Norfork Lake from April 15 th to May 15 th.
Norfork Lake Cleanup The communities in the headwaters of Norfork Lake were impacted greatly by the April/May flooding. The headwaters received over 10 inches during the April 29 th storm alone. This caused the North Fork River in Missouri to reached historical levels. It was estimated that water level rose to 41 feet at the Tecumseh Gauge on the lower section of the river. Unfortunately, the flooding resulted in many homes and business along the river being devastated. This resulted in a substantial amount of manmade debris being washed into Norfork Lake. Many people voiced their concerns about the manmade debris on Facebook pages like Norfork Lake Lovers. After scouting the lake, we decided to team up with the US Army Corp of Engineers Office in Mountain Home to tackle some of the large debris in the mid lake area. We retrofitted our habitat barge with a winch and pulley system to hoist debris into our pontoon boat. We spent five days picking up large man-made items like roofs, floors, water heaters, refrigerators and boards with wires/metal attached. Most of these items were water logged and cumbersome to handle. Some items weighed so much that all we could do was drag them to a boat ramp to be broken down and hauled off. Thankfully, the water level is dropping and Norfork Lake is getting back to normal. We want to say thank you to everyone that helped pick up debris around Norfork Lake after the flooding. Here are a few pictures showing some of the work done:
Crooked Creek Log Jam Continuing on with the impacts of the April/May flooding, we are going to shift over to Crooked Creek. The Marion County Wildlife Officers, as well as our office, received several calls about a log jam being formed after the flooding between the Pyatt and Snow Accesses. The log jam impeded downstream access and caused several canoes to flip over. District 2 staff set off to find the log jam. It was located about two to three miles south of the Pyatt Access at the mouth of Clear Creek. The jam was in an S curve so canoers could not see the jam until they were on top of it. We decided to try to cut an opening in it with chainsaws before we resorted to heavy equipment. The three of us chipped away at the jam for over three hours. While it didn t look perfect, we were able to get an opening for canoes to get through. Unfortunately, the effort resulted in two of us getting very wet and one leaving with a water damaged iphone. We won t be going into detail about how that iphone got wet, lol!! Log Jam before: Log Jam after:
Mark Oliver Access Dedication and Crooked Creek Regulation Signage Mark Oliver was very passionate about Crooked Creek. He spent many years trying to improve fishing and access to the creek. We couldn t think of a better way to honor Mark s efforts on the creek than dedicating the new Georges Creek Access after him. The Mark Oliver Access was dedicated on June 7 th, 2017 and is open for use. The site boasts a boat ramp, shaded picnic tables, and ample parking for cars and trailers. There is also a handicap accessible walkway down to a canoe loading and launching area. The access has been used heavily before and after the dedication. With increased use comes some concerns about protecting the Smallmouth Bass population in the creek. This access will allow us to be able to monitor the Smallmouth Bass population more often than in previous years. We encourage anglers to contact us to voice their concerns. Angler input is a critical part of managing a fishery. Speaking of Crooked Creek anglers, the Mid-south Fly Fishers Club approached District 2 about potentially partnering to purchase signage to educate the Crooked Creek anglers about the fishing regulations and safe fish handling techniques. The signs were designed by Arkansas Game and Fish and purchased by the club. Biologists posted the signs at the 7 accesses along the creek in June. We look forward to working with other angler groups to improve fishing in Crooked Creek and the other fisheries in District 2.
Other Tidbits Courtesy Dock Retrieval During the April/May flooding, the lake levels rose so fast that some of the courtesy docks volunteers didn t have time to retrieve the docks before they completely went under water. That was the case at the Cranfield Access and the high water ramp at Henderson. As the lake dropped, the docks became boating hazards so they needed to be moved. This meant getting the swim trunks out and taking a little swim. We swam out to the docks and attached a winch cable to them. We then pulled them out using our AGFC truck. It was definitely a sight to see. An example of the effort: High water ramp at Henderson Access: Before: Jeremy swimming to attach winch cable After: Courtesy dock is usable 2016 SEAFWA John F. Dequine Best Paper Award Jeremy and Co-Authors Dr. Ron Johnson (ASU) and Jeff Quinn (AGFC) recently received the 2016 Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA) John F. Dequine Best Paper Award for their manuscript titled Evaluation of the Commercially Exploited Paddlefish Fishery in the Lower Mississippi River of Arkansas. Fifteen states in the southern US are members of SEAFWA. Link to manuscript
Cody measuring a Striped Bass sampled on Bull Shoals Lake. Paul with a nice Largemouth Bass caught from Bull Shoals Lake. Jeremy and Fishing Partner Brandon Carter finished in 2 nd place at the 2017 Casting for Kids Bass Classic on Norfork Lake Jeremy standing on a roof that was washed into Norfork Lake during the April/May Flooding