Around the boathouse: AGFC Fishing News

Stockings, studies and samplings taking place around the state

Arkansas Wildlife Editor

• AGFC biologists sampled the channel catfish population in Beaver Lake over the past few weeks and are in the middle of a stock contribution study. The AGFC annually stocks 60,000 channel catfish (average size of 9 inches) in Beaver Lake to supplement the natural spawn and provide better fishing opportunities. To evaluate stock contribution, AGFC staff from the Charlie Craig Hatchery and district biologists have marked (adipose fin clip) the stocked channel catfish for the past three years. A total of 180,000 channel cats have been marked. Staff can determine how these fish contribute to the fishery by sampling the lake with baited hoop nets and plan to conduct an angler survey starting in March 2021 on Beaver Lake to get more information on these stocked fish. Look for periodic updates.

• Last month AGFC staff, along with help from the Wildlife Management Division, sampled the flathead catfish population at Marion McCollum Lake Greenlee. Advanced fingerling flathead catfish have been stocked the last five

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Photos courtesy of AGFC FISHING NEWS (cont.)

years in an attempt to control the overcrowded green sunfish population. The largest fish collected were about 45 inches long and weighed about 50 pounds.

It appears the first batch of stocked fish from five years ago may already be reaching 30 inches, but the staff will know more when they age the pectoral fin spines that were collected (similar to a study of flatheads in Lake Erling that we featured last week on the Arkansas Wildlife Weekly Newsletter and available on the website; click the box below). Staff also collected several nice blue catfish, with the largest fish about 20 pounds and 34 inches long. Marion McCollum Greenlee Lake is south of U.S. Highway 70 near Brinkley.