Study shows bass numbers good at Swepco

Fisheries biologists with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission conducted electrofishing sampling this month at Swepco Lake near Gentry. The research indicates the largemouth bass population and forage are good at the 500-acre reservoir, said Jon Stein, district 1 fisheries supervisor with Game and Fish.

A crew conducted one hour of electrofishing. They netted, measured and released every fish they could collect.

"The forage population looks really good," Stein said. "Staff netted over 1,000 bluegill and redear sunfish. Gizzard and threadfin shad numbers were lower, but those could have been in deeper water not reached by the electrofishing gear. "

The largemouth bass population looks good, too, Stein said. Some 252 largemouths were collected in one hour. The biggest largemouth sampled weighed 6 pounds. Thirty-two percent of the bass caught measured over 15 inches long.

Water is drawn from the lake and used to produce electricity at the Flint Creek Power Plant, operated by Southwestern Electric Power Co. The plant is on the eastern shore of the lake.

The parking area and boat ramp are on Cripps Road, one mile west of Gentry.

Sports on 05/26/2020

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