There are some really good bass fishing holes on D’Arbonne. Some of them just got better. But it may take a while.
And there are some new ones out there, too, if some of the 300,000 largemouth bass fingerlings decide to stay close to where they were released into the lake this spring.
The last truck load of about 80,000 largemouth fingerlings from Booker Fowler Fish Hatchery at Forest Hill south of Alexandria made their way to the lake Tuesday and were released. The release is under the supervision of Area 2 fisheries biologist Ryan Daniel. Biologists Chase McPherson and Ed Sylvester oversaw the actual release Tuesday.
“That puts us right at 300,000 largemouth fingerlings that have been delivered to and released at Lake D’Arbonne this May,” said Kristi Butler, biologist manager at the LDWF hatchery. “Our job is to raise them and get them to the lake then the lake biologist, which is Ryan, picks out good spots to put them.”
The bass were released in several different locations around the lake where good cover gives them a place to hide until they get larger. Not all of the two-three inch long bass fingerlings will survive, of course, but they will give a boost to an already healthy bass population on the 16,000 acre lake. Under ideal conditions, the bass that do make it could be weighing a pound or slightly more by this time next year.
Other lakes in our area getting fingerlings this month include Claiborne, Poverty Point, Caddo Lake and Lake Bistineau, Some were also released in the Cheniere Lake Rearing ponds to be released later into that lake.
I was delivering The Banner at Lester’s On the Lake yesterday and saw them out there. Was told that approximately 30% of the fingerlings will make it to catchable size. That’s still a large amount of bass for anglers to tussle. A couple years maybe you will land one of these as an 8 pounder. Jessie
Posted by bernicebanner | May 27, 2015, 12:3611:50 am