In an effort to shift the genetics of Alabama's largemouth bass population to one with more desirable growth traits, the Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Fisheries Section stocked approximately 300,000 Florida-strain largemouth bass into Jordan Reservoir in Elmore County, Ala.
The stocking, which was completed in May and involved 1- to 2-inch fingerlings supplied by WFF fish hatcheries in Eastaboga and Marion, Ala., was done to help makeover the state's native Northern largemouth. Florida bass have the potential to grow larger than the Northern strain of largemouth bass. When Florida bass are stocked into Alabama lakes they tend to crossbreed with the native largemouth population. These hybrids have shown superior growth potential in reservoirs and small impoundments across the Southeast.
As has been the case with other stocking efforts, this year's stocking took place in the New Lake area due to its isolation from the main portion of the reservoir. The man-made Bouldin Canal acts as a barrier to the rest of the reservoir making it an ideal place to stock the Florida bass and induce the desired genetic change. The New Lake area also offers extensive shoreline vegetation, which is desirable habitat for largemouth bass.
Nearly 1 million pure Florida largemouth have been introduced to the New Lake section of Jordan over the last three years and the WFF Fisheries Section will assess the stocking efforts over the next several years by collecting small fin samples for genetic analysis. If the project is successful, genetic changes should be seen throughout Jordan Reservoir as fish gradually move out of the New Lake area and anglers move fish around during tournaments.
