Smallmouth Bass in Western NC Rivers and Streams
In recent years, many of the questions I’ve received about stream and river fishing have shifted from trout to smallmouth bass. That’s not to say trout aren’t still an extremely important part of the western North Carolina fishing experience, but there does seem to be a push towards fishing for smallmouth bass. This is probably due in part to the numerous rivers and streams in western NC that contain smallmouth bass, as well as their great fighting ability.
While we’ve spent years sampling the reservoirs and trout streams in western North Carolina, very little is known about our smallmouth bass populations. In part to an increased interest by anglers coupled with limited fish data, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission biologists started a three year project intended to obtain some baseline information on smallmouth bass from western North Carolina rivers and streams. We completed the final year of data collection in 2009, and plan to submit a final report by 2011.
Our primary goals were to (1) collect life history information for smallmouth bass so that we could determine management possibilities, (2) better educate NC anglers on where good smallmouth fishing opportunities exist, and (3) improve angler access to smallmouth populations. In order to obtain this information we have collected length, weight, and age information for smallmouth bass from throughout western NC, and surveyed public access opportunities to these rivers and streams.
From 2007-2009 over 3000 smallmouth bass were collected from approximately 40 different populations. All fish were measured for length and weight, and aged. We have not completed analyzing the data from 2009, but our findings from 2007-2008 suggest a few things:
1) Although the vast majority of smallmouth collected were less than 11 inches (84%), fish in excess of 14 inches were collected from most of the streams (70%), and fish greater than 17 inches were collected from 12% of the streams surveyed.
2) There appears to be a huge variation in the growth rates of smallmouth bass from the streams sampled. This wasn’t to surprising since we collected fish from a wide range of streams, varying from 600 feet to only 30 feet in width. Furthermore, the elevation of the streams sampled ranged from 600 feet to 2600 feet above sea level.
The size and elevation of a stream often plays a role in the potential growth rates of smallmouth bass. Unlike trout, smallmouth bass are a coolwater species, so high elevation streams and rivers will likely have shorter growing seasons and slower growth rates than similar sized waters at lower elevations. A good comparison might be the Yadkin River and the South Fork New River. Many anglers would assume the South Fork New River would be the better of the two for catching smallmouth bass, but actually your chances of catching an 18 inch smallmouth bass are much better on the Yadkin River. It is lower elevation, and therefore has a longer growing season for smallmouth bass. Another important aspect controlling the size of fish is the nutrient levels. We often associate clear, clean water with big fish, but this is often not the case. A stream must also have nutrients to support fish growth. Streams in the southern Appalachians are natural low in nutrients. As a result, streams with nutrient inputs from agricultural runoff, wastewater treatment plants, etc. are often better at growing big fish than similar pristine streams. Obviously it’s a balancing act, and streams receiving excessive nutrients can be counterproductive for fish growth and survival.
3) On average, it takes a smallmouth bass 5 to 6 years to reach 12 inches in size in NC streams. In some streams fish reached 12 inches in only 3 years, but in others it might take 7 or more. This information is important when modeling the impact of possible regulation changes to these fisheries. As a general rule, faster growing populations offer the best opportunity for improving fish sizes through restrictive creel and size limits. Putting restrictive regulations on slow growing populations often results in limited improvement or may even reduce growth rates/fish sizes. Stunted bluegill in a farm pond offers a good example of this. Anglers sometimes assume the best way to improve the size of fish is to release them and give them more time to grow. This can be counterproductive in cases where food availability is low. In those cases, a reduction in the number of fish might be the best way to improve overall sizes, unless of course you can improve nutrient levels. There is much data analysis needed before we can suggest any regulation changes, but the majority of streams surveyed appear to be moderate to slow growing.
4) In northwest NC we have a wide variety of smallmouth streams – from small streams where you might catch as many wild brown trout as smallmouth, to streams 2 to 3 football fields in width and more rocks and ledges than you could fish in a lifetime.
Here’s a quick synopsis (without providing to much detail in case one of these is your favorite ). The Yadkin has the potential for big smallmouth anywhere below W. Kerr Scott Reservoir that has habitat (think rocks!), but I personally prefer the stretch between the Mitchell River and the HWY 67 bridge in Donnaha. I know that’s a long stretch, about 40 miles, but I guess my point is there’s plenty of room to spread out. In addition to the Yadkin, the area around Wilkes and Surry County contain numerous fun smallmouth destinations. Practically all of the sizeable tributaries of the Yadkin hold smallmouth. The Elk, Reddies, Roaring, Mulberry, Mitchell, and Fisher all offer some great fishing opportunities. They all have numbers, but a few have some nice surprises for the angler willing to give it a trip or two. Maybe just as important, these rivers along with the New (Ashe and Alleghany County), Watauga (Watauga County) and Dan River (Stokes County) have some gorgeous areas. The numerous tall, hemlock bluffs on the Dan River are worth a float trip even if the fish aren’t biting!
5) We have encountered some exceptional landowners during this study, and have recently worked out agreements for smallmouth bass fishing and small boat access at a few new spots in northwest NC. These access sites were basically obtained from generous landowners that wished to provide anglers an opportunity to get in the river and fish. We are working with various state agencies and local governments to obtain additional access sites, and hopefully the list will continue to grow.
Feel free to give me a call for additional information or more specifics - Thanks,
Kevin
Kevin Hining
Fisheries Biologist - NC Wildlife Resources Commission
336-818-0283
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Posted by Busta Brown on February 7, 2010.
