Bass Removal Set for Anderson County’s Beaver Lake

[peter]

The Fisheries Division of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources plans to remove smaller largemouth bass from Beaver Lake in Anderson County to improve the quality of bass and sunfish. The removed bass will be released into Boltz Lake in Grant County and Taylorsville Lake in Spencer, Anderson and Nelson counties.

“The largemouth bass are becoming too crowded in Beaver Lake, which is negatively impacting the size structure of the bass population,” said David Baker, Central Fisheries District biologist for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “We’ve had great bass spawns in the last couple of years, especially last year. We want to be proactive.”

Baker said a similar removal of largemouth bass from Beaver Lake in 2011 did wonders for the largemouth bass and bluegill populations. “The idea is to reduce the density of small largemouth bass to improve growth rates,” he said. “We saw the bluegill populations take off after our last bass removal. The number of 6-inch and larger bluegill in the lake quadrupled.”

Baker also said the largemouth bass benefitted to the point that Beaver Lake received an excellent rating for largemouth bass in the 2017 Fishing Forecast. This is the first time in 16 years the lake received the top rating.

“The removal project did what it was supposed to do,” Baker said. “It helped drive the sunfish management goals and improved the largemouth bass population.”

The Beaver Lake bass removal project will begin next week.Bass Removal Set for Anderson County’s Beaver Lake

[kybasshunter]

Just read in the fishing guide this lake has a minimum size limit of 15" ,,, and the lake is overcrowded ??????,,,,, this is just really stupid management.....

[dabassking]

I agree that the 15" size limit doesn't make since. I've watched the slot limit at Elmer Davis help that fishery. I would say that it could help Beaver as well, but I'm not a fisheries biologist. There was a USA Bassin tournament a couple of weeks ago on Beaver and I think only 2 boats weighed in fish. Big fish was 6+ though, so you know they're in there.

[outdoorsman_33]

Just read in the fishing guide this lake has a minimum size limit of 15" ,,, and the lake is overcrowded ??????,,,,, this is just really stupid management.....

Never thought about this until you point out the obvious. That does seem like poor management.