MONETA, Va. (WFXR) — A year after juvenile striped bass stocking was cut at Smith Mountain Lake (SML), an increase is slated this year.
Last year, stockings were reduced to roughly 230,000 fish. This year, that number will rise to 300,000.
“We’re increasing the stocking over last year, but it’s still below our 20 year average, somewhere in between” said Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) Fisheries Biologist Dan Wilson.
Wilson manages the fishery at SML. He says in recent years striped bass growth has declined along with a drop in gizzard shad numbers. Poor growth in stripers could make them susceptible to disease. A similar scenario unfolded two decades ago, and it led to a near collapse of the striped bass fishery. Reducing striped bass stocking could allow gizzard shad numbers to rebound.
Wilson says he has not seen an increase in gizzard shad numbers in the past year, but still made the decision to increase striper stockings.
“I’m trying to prevent a major hole in the fishery from developing three, four, five years down the road by kind of tapering and reducing stocking until the growth gets back to where it should be,” Wilson said.
While the stocking situation may appear ominous, Wilson says the striped bass fishery at Smith Mountain Lake remains strong.
The fishery is an economic driver in the region. Thousands of people visit Smith Mountain Lake every year to fish for striped bass. Hundreds of guides and businesses count on the income generated by people visiting the region to fish for striped bass.
