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The Striped Bass
Striped
Bass were officially introduced to Lake Sydney Lanier in 1974. After
the discovery that this saltwater species of fish could live in fresh
water for a full life cycle, it was added to the population of large
area/cold water lakes as a means of controlling a common problem.
One
of the biggest problems when man changes the natural order of things,
there is always an immediate reaction in nature to that change. So when
they created Lake Sydney Lanier for the needs of other concerns there
arouse the problem of the uncontrolled growth of the native bait fish
in the new lake. Gizzard Shad and Threadfin Shad particularly
reproduced beyond what natural predators could cull down. Largemouth
Bass are “territo
rial fish” and only cover a limited range in that territory. The
Kentucky Spotted Bass, similar to large mouth, is territorial as well
and was introduced to Lake Lanier as a means of controlling the shad
population. But that didn't work either because of their limited
territorial range. Something else needed to be done. At the time, the
only other solution available was to introduce Lake Trout to the system
in an effort to cull the numbers of bait fish per acre down. For many a
year Lake Lanier became very popular for its Lake Trout. But still
there was a problem in keeping the numbers of Threadfin Shad down
because they were primarily a warm water species of fish. Trout were
strictly cold water creatures and had very little impact on the bait
population because of that difference. So the problem continued to
exist for many years and was of great concern to the Department of
Natural Recourses.
On February 17, 1942 the Santee Cooper Dam was completed. A
discovery was mad
e about Striped Bass… Originally thought of as a saltwater species of
fish, Striped Bass would come from the ocean and migrate up fresh water
rivers to spawn and then return to the ocean once the spawning rituals
were complete. This ritual spawning always occurred in the early spring
of each year for centuries. It just so happened that the Santee Cooper
Dam was finished and landlocked during this same time of year and the
Striped Bass became trapped into the newly formed lake! They were
unable to return to the ocean. The authorities were apparently unaware
of the migration of this species of fish because it caught everyone by
complete surprise! The newly formed lake not only had the expected
population of Largemouth Bass, Catfish, and other common species, but
it also had an over abundant number of healthy Striped Bass! This was
totally unexpected. So they carried out years of study on the impact
the Striped Bass might have on this new lake and found little to no
negative impact to the normal population of natural fish at all! In
fact, the normal problem of having too many bait fish in this one man
made lake simply did not exist, because this new predator was a
“Nomadic Species.” It roamed the lake seeking out concentrations of
bait fish and would feed on them in areas the other predators were not
affecting at all. They could not reproduce in the lake because of the
need for moving water. And they had an average life span of 10-12
years, which meant there numbers could20be controlled. After twenty
years of careful research as to how many fish of this species were
needed per acre in order to create some form of balance, and after
controlled studies were carried out, it was an accepted practice to
introduce these Striped Bass to area lakes that qualified for such an
application. Lake Sydney Lanier met those qualifications. And Striped
Bass were introduced as a balancing agent to the ever growing
population of bait fish in the lake. They actually filled a void in the
new Eco System! It also became a good attractor for local fishing
sport, and increased local commerce in many different ways as well.
So
here we are today with these wonderful fish! Averaging in size from 7-
15 lbs, with many of these fish ranging from 20 to 50 lbs! Almost like
a fishermans dream come true! We get to catch these fish and experience
a saltwater fight in a fresh water lake! What could be better than
that? The challenge comes in learning how this predator behaves and
reacts to this environment. So I have made it my business to find out
as much about this fish as I can, and then try to simplify it so you
can understand what is going on in his underwater world. He is driven
by food supply and nothing else.
So now call me to go fishing and see just how much you can learn while you are in my boat. I never keep any secrets from my clients...
Thank You,
Captain Quin
770-593-5955
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