Ohio River Hybrid Bass stocking info from ODNR

I got a response from ODNR, I cleaned it up:

2006 Ohio River Hybrid Striped Bass Stocking

Here are the numbers of hybrid striped bass stocked by the Ohio Division of Wildlife in the two Ohio River pools you mentioned from 2000-2005:

2000 Meldahl Pool 56,000

2001 Meldahl Pool 229,000

2001 Markland Pool 209,000

2002 Meldahl Pool 232,000

2003 Meldahl Pool 72,000

2005 Meldahl Pool 78,000



Below is the complete information for 2006 hybrid striper stockings:

2006 Ohio River Hybrid Striped Bass Stocking, Check out the # per acre for Meldal pool, twice the average!


Pool New Cumberland
West Virginia 0
Ohio 27,104
Kentucky 0
Illinois 0
Number Stocked Total 27,104
Surface Area 4,150
No. per Acre 6.5

Pool Pike Island
West Virginia 15,920
Ohio 20,125
Kentucky 0
Illinois 0
Number Stocked Total 36,045
Surface Area 5,450
No. per Acre 6.6

Pool Hannibal
West Virginia 15,834
Ohio 29,871
Kentucky 0
Illinois 0
Number Stocked Total 45,705
Surface Area 7,650
No. per Acre 6.0

Pool Willow Island
West Virginia 15,107
Ohio 29,871
Kentucky 0
Illinois 0
Number Stocked Total 44,978
Surface Area 6,400
No. per Acre 7.0

Pool Belleville
West Virginia 0
Ohio 60,030
Kentucky 0
Illinois 0
Number Stocked Total 60,030
Surface Area 8,900
No. per Acre 6.7

Pool Racine
West Virginia 0
Ohio 40,016
Kentucky 0
Illinois 0
Number Stocked Total 40,016
Surface Area 5,300
No. per Acre 7.6

Pool R.C. Byrd
West Virginia 0
Ohio 41,370
Kentucky 0
Illinois 0
Number Stocked Total 41,370
Surface Area 12,600
No. per Acre 3.3

Pool Greenup
West Virginia 0
Ohio 95,312
Kentucky 0
Illinois 0
Number Stocked Total 95,312
Surface Area 11,200
No. per Acre 8.5

Pool Meldahl
West Virginia 0
Ohio 40,530
Kentucky 44,257
Illinois 0
Number Stocked Total 84,787
Surface Area 6,705
No. per Acre 12.6

Pool Markland
West Virginia 0
Ohio 0
Kentucky 112,170
Illinois 0
Number Stocked Total 112,170
Surface Area 14,759
No. per Acre 7.6

Pool McAlpine
West Virginia 0
Ohio 0
Kentucky 60,227
Illinois 0
Number Stocked Total 60,227
Surface Area 8,139
No. per Acre 7.4

Pool Cannelton
West Virginia 0
Ohio 0
Kentucky 88,572
Illinois 0
Number Stocked Total 88,572
Surface Area 11,810
No. per Acre 7.5

Pool Newburgh
West Virginia 0
Ohio 0
Kentucky 69,922
Illinois 0
Number Stocked Total 69,922
Surface Area 11,099
No. per Acre 6.3

Pool J.T. Myers
West Virginia 0
Ohio 0
Kentucky 33,274
Illinois 0
Number Stocked Total 33,274
Surface Area 6,932
No. per Acre 4.8

Pool Smithland
West Virginia 0
Ohio 0
Kentucky 70,893
Illinois 0
Number Stocked Total 70,893
Surface Area 14,179
No. per Acre 5.0

Total
West Virginia 46,861
Ohio 384,229
Kentucky 479,315
Illinois 0
Number Stocked Total 910,405
Surface Area 135,273
No. per Acre 6.7

I’m not 100% sure, but I thought the state of Kentucky was continuing to stock purebred stripers into the river. No state agency stocks sauger or saugeyes into the Ohio River.

Hybrid striped bass stocking numbers for East Fork Lake are as follows:

2000 1.1 million fry

2001 1.25 million fry

2002 1.16 million fry

2003 1.1 million fry and 100,000 fingerlings

2004 1.2 million fry

2005 1.1 million fry

2006 1.1 million fry and 120,000 fingerlings



You are not the first fisherman who has reported poorer hybrid striper catches at East Fork Lake over the last year or two. However, changes in population adundance and fluctuating angler success are the norm for Ohio’s major game species. Even in those fisheries that are maintained by stocking consistent numbers annually (e.g. saugeyes, muskie, walleye), we see big differences between years in survival and recruitment of young fish into the population. If by chance the fish from two or three year’s stockings in a row experience below average survival, then we anglers experience the effects 2-5 years later in reduced catch rates.



In 2006 at East Fork and a few other Ohio lakes, we began an evaluation to compare survival and costs of stocking fry vs. fingerling hybrid stripers. We plan to continue the evaluation this year. Historically, we have stocked mainly fry at East Fork and fingerlings at other lakes. Hopefully, we can make better informed decisions about how to produce the best hybrid striper populations statewide for the least cost.



At this time, the Ohio Division of Wildlife is not considering expanding the water areas where we stock purebred striped bass. We must obtain all purebred striped bass from sources outside of Ohio, and as such the supply is very limited. Therefore, our approach is to stock one or two areas with purebred stripers just so that we can a source of male striped bass in our backyard. Then, we can take an abundant supply of female white bass from Ohio and produce large numbers of hybrid stripers for statewide stocking purposes.

-----Original Message-----

From: [email][email protected][/email] [mailto:[email protected]]

Sent: Sunday, January 21, 2007 10:22 AM

To: Wildinfo

Subject: Comments from users



Jeff Plummer at [email][email protected][/email]



I live in the Cincinnati OH area.

Can you provide info on stocking and management efforts for Ohio River, Markland and Meldahl pools (specifically hybrid striped bass, striped bass, saugeye/sauger) and East Fork Lake, same species?

East Fork Lake (Wm Harsha Lake) seems to be on the downswing regarding hybrid bass.

Also, East Fork Lake, what needs to happen to turn it, or other impoundments into pure strain Striped Bass lakes?

Thanks,

Jeff Plummer





Referring page: [url]http://www.ohiodnr.com/communications/[/url]

Thanks for the report!