The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) is stocking a new hybrid bass species in Jordan Lake, Lake Gaston, and Lake Norman.
The variety, called an F1 hybrid bass, is a cross between Largemouth Bass and Florida Bass. The hope is that the hybrid bass will have hybrid vigor, which means they will grow faster and larger than other bass.
The nonprofit group, Bass Anglers for NC Lakes, is partnering with NCWRC on the F1 Hybrid Bass Research Project and recently supplied the project with $30,000 to purchase more F1 hybrid bass fingerlings for additional stocking. NCWRC will need to continue to stock F1 hybrids to maintain its population as their offspring are no longer F1 hybrids and do not have hybrid vigor like their parents.
F1 hybrid bass have been stocked by NCWRC in Lake Norman since 2021 and began being stocked at B. Everett Jordan Reservoir and Lake Gaston last summer. NCWRC staff will evaluate the F1 hybrid fingerlings for persistence, growth potential, and ability to increase the overall quality and contribution of the existing bass population.
Staff will be collecting genetic and population data from electrofishing surveys and tournament weigh-ins. Evaluations are expected to be conducted through 2030 and data will be compared across the three reservoirs, which have different levels of primary productivity, to determine future management strategies.
For more information visit the NCWRC website (www.ncwildlife.org).
source: North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
Related Information
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.