By Wil Wegman
Does your bass club give back to the resource?
Is it routine for your club to perform at least one conservation project every year?
Fortunately almost 100 percent of bass clubs across North America and beyond can answer yes to the first question. Catch-and-release—or routinely giving bass you catch back to the lake or river, is the single greatest personal contribution you can make to protect the future of the resource. Not only are bass tournaments catch-and-release, but we practice what we preach during recreational fishing endeavors and encourage others to do so as well.
Ah, but what about the answer to the second question? When was the last time your club had a clean-up day, placed some Christmas trees in your local reservoir or worked on a shoreline erosion project that would help maintain the water quality of your favorite bass lake? Thank goodness there are hundreds of bass clubs who can proudly answer yes to that question, too. Many always seem to have one type of conservation initiative or another on the go. These clubs understand the importance of taking that extra step and soon realize the immense pride and satisfaction that is achieved when a worthwhile project begins to show results.
“You know it’s a an incredible feeling to be able to see all the hard work that you and your club members devote to a project, actually show results,” said Ron Gunter the project coordinator for the Lake Conroe Native Plant Restoration Project in Texas. The Texas B.A.S.S. Federation Nation (TBFN) member is with the Seven Coves Bass Club and has been working on a major aquatic plant restoration project on Lake Conroe for several years. They know there is a direct link between a vibrant aquatic plant community and a thriving largemouth fishery.
Lake Conroe, Aquatic Plants, Grass Carp and Seven Oaks Bass Club:
The challenge at Lake Conroe has been the non-native hydrilla plants that have spread rapidly and can take over the native vegetation habitat. Non-native grass carp have been stocked for many years there to control these weeds, but these fish are not moderate consumers of all that is green in Conroe. After 130,000 grass carp were introduced (2007-2008), the hydrilla on Lake Conroe was reduced from close to 2,000 acres to one acre. The downside is that the native plant base was also decimated from around 1,200 acres to 150. History has shown however that if left unfettered, grass carp can completely decimate all plant life resulting in another potential collapse of the bass fishery.
Trying to battle carp stocking efforts has been an ongoing struggle. Many locals and visiting boaters are more concerned that the lake is free and clear of weeds (that won’t impair boat travel or clog swimming areas) than they are about the fish community. Therefore their well-connected and strong lobbying efforts for sanctioned grass carp stocking has not gone unnoticed. The bass club however realizes that if carp are allowed to have their way, that critical vegetation will not be present to sustain an otherwise superb bass fishery. They wanted to get involved with a native plant restoration project to try and balance the detrimental effects of carp.
Other angler groups had an all-or-nothing approach to get rid of the carp first and then begin plantings. “We knew a compromise was the only way to resolve this matter. So we agreed to a limited number of triploid grass carp, which supposedly can’t reproduce, and from there we’d continue to pursue avenues to reduce or illuminate future sanctioned carp stockings,” said Gunter.
The club recognizes that the hydrilla is not native and if left on its own to can overtake the lake, becoming a serious concern. However, they also understand that once non-native species are established it is almost always impossible to totally get rid of them. Therefore, they work towards compromises—to control hydrilla growth and increase the native plant community.
“Our club pursued a National Fish Wildlife Federation (NFWF) grant offered through B.A.S.S. as part of the More Fish Partnership Fund (MFPF),” said Gunter. They used the grant money to establish their own native plant nursery, and began the colonization of native plants as insurance against another collapse in the bass fishery. This nursery was the first of its kind in Texas, and the TPWD has used that model to create one more nursery located at its Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens, Texas. Gunter said, “After a year of planting, with no results, we began to diversify our plant species to help identify those which were somewhat carp resistant. Currently, we are concentrating our efforts on water willow which shows great promise and has allowed us to successfully sustain 150 acres of native vegetation cover.” And the latter is no small task when you consider the presence of the ever-hungry, weed-eating carp.
The success of this project could not have been achieved without help from outside partners. “The TPWD has been at our sides throughout the entire project. The San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) donated the land for our plant nursery and supplied pontoon boats throughout our transplanting sessions. The Lewisville Aquatic Ecosystem Research Facility gave us the designs for the nursery raceways… and supplied plants.” The Sure Life Fish Care Laboratory donated some start-up money to help begin the work. The TBFN also donated start-up funds and Chris Horton, the Conservation Director for B.A.S.S. at the time, helped with logistics and the grant process. B.A.S.S.’ Conservation ACT Program helped recruit additional volunteers to help out with the labor involved.
Bass Club Conservation Projects – You don’t have to go it alone:
Establishing partnerships is definitely the common thread for the majority of large scale bass club conservation projects. The Ontario B.A.S.S. Federation Nation (OBFN) and its member clubs have carried out hundreds of conservation projects since their inception in 1995. “In the beginning we decided to actually mandate that each club perform at least one conservation- and youth-related project every year if they wanted to belong to the OBFN,” said the founder of Canada’s only Federation Nation, Des Barnes. Today, OBFN clubs and their members still look at this pre-requisite as the cost of belonging to “more than just another fishing club.” Barnes, an Aurora Bassmasters member, has been involved with many worthwhile projects over the years including roadside clean-ups, shoreline erosion control projects, sanctioned adult pike transfers, artificial bass nest construction and habitat enhancement efforts.
Barnes and other members of the Aurora Bassmasters however are most proud of the five-year Lake Simcoe Bass Tagging Research Project that won the Berkley Conservation Award in 2009. This project which started in 2006 has double tagged over 1,000 bass so far in cooperation with Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources. “We tag bass at club run tournaments, and we also tagged at the Eastern Divisional B.A.S.S. Federation Nation Championship in 2009.
This club led conservation project has tracked movements of bass throughout lake’s Simcoe and Couchiching and helped confirm other scientific data which suggests most smallmouth will return to their point of capture and that largemouth are generally OK to stay where they were released, as long as habitat is adequate. “What we and many others did not know before this project, however, was how effective fizzing really is as a viable treatment for bass with symptoms of decompression,” said Herb Quan, president of the Aurora club. By carefully inserting a #18 gauge hypodermic needle into the airbladder through the side of a bass you can relieve built-up air pressure which can occur when bass are taken from deep water and then retained in a livewell. “We already had plenty of anglers who told us this procedure really works and that bass are no worse for wear afterwards. But there really wasn’t any science to prove that fizzed bass do indeed live long and productive lives after the process. Our preliminary results indicate that of the 60 tagged bass that have been re-caught by anglers; half of them had been previously fizzed.”
Getting the Word Out:
Letting the public and media know about good conservation projects is very important as it demonstrates that your members are actively engaged in conserving and improving the resource for all users. Someone within your club should be responsible for sending out a news release to local and sometimes state/provincial media explaining the basic five W’s of your conservation project. Even a phone call to a key person at the local paper, radio or TV station can show surprising results.
In Ontario, and states where bass is not King, it’s also excellent public relations for bass clubs to show that they care about more than just bass. The Muskoka Bassmasters for instance have undertaken significant northern pike telemetry and tagging project and a few years ago finished a long term walleye restoration effort on their home lake. Members placed about 150 tons of river rock to create a shoal at a potentially prime spawning location with the hopes that if it was created the egg-laden walleyes and their mates would come. “Lake Muskoka’s walleye began utilizing the shoal right away and today some say the walleye fishery is approaching what it was in the 1960s. This, of course, has not only benefited our members who also like to fish for walleye, but also the general angling public who love this tasty gamefish,” said Mike Walsh president of the Muskoka bass club.
Advice for Clubs Interested in Conservation Projects
Just before Chris Horton left B.A.S.S. in September 2010 for a position with the Congressional Sportsman’s Foundation, we asked him to describe the types of projects he has seen over the years. “Through my years at B.A.S.S., I saw bass clubs around the country engaged in countless projects; from small local clean ups to quarter million dollar habitat renovations on big reservoirs. Obviously, large-scale habitat projects benefit our fisheries directly. However, don’t discount the smaller community-based efforts, like local lake or river clean-ups. They demonstrate to the general public that bass anglers, oftentimes more than most, care about our resources and want to keep them healthy.”
We also asked Horton to offer some advice to bass clubs interested in working on their own conservation project and how best to get the ball rolling. He explained:
“To get started, someone in the club has to step up and be a leader. Organize some small, local events, again like clean-ups. When you have the rest of the club members excited and engaged after a few small projects, step it up a bit. A lot of clubs have a Christmas tree collection program, where they simply collect trees after the holidays. However, as long as you have the required approvals, instead of dropping them in your own favorite fishing hole, how about taking them to local lakes, especially urban lakes and ponds, and add the trees around the public fishing piers? You improve the odds of a young kid having a successful fishing trip and getting hooked on fishing for life.
Regardless of how big a project the club decides to tackle first, Horton advised that every club get to know their local fisheries agency biologist. “Invite them to your meetings and get to know more about how they manage your fisheries. Offer your club’s assistance in whatever volunteer efforts they may need. Once you get a relationship established, and if you have good club member participation, you can begin partnering with your natural resource agency on bigger projects. It’s much easier for a club and a state or provincial agency to collectively secure a grant for habitat work than it is for either to obtain the same grant independently.”
Working with other clubs or agencies on their projects can be a great way for clubs to be involved with conservation projects. Before establishing a partnership with any state/provincial/federal fish and wildlife agency it’s important to remember to be patient and plan far ahead. Government agencies seldom have the luxury to move quickly—even with the finest of conservation projects.
Horton concluded with, “My take on club conservation projects is that they are all good. They can be small, half-day efforts, multi-year cooperative projects or anything in between. The important thing is getting the club excited about giving something back to their local waters. Doing anything is better than doing nothing at all. I have to warn you though, feeling good about giving something back to your favorite waters is contagious. All it takes is that one person in a club deciding that it’s not enough to simply go fishing!”
About Lake Conroe
Lake Conroe’s bass fishery can be one of the finest in all of Texas, perhaps the country. Of late, there has been two Share-A-Lunkers donated in 2006, and another four bass over 13 pounds donated in 2007. The lake record (15.94 pounds) was caught in January of 2009.
Aquatic Plant Restoration Tips
Courtesy of Ron Gunter
- Plant within the shallow end of the “littoral zone,” a.k.a. the area of the lake where most plant life exists.
- Consider both submergent and emergent plants in two- to three feet of water. This makes transplanting both fast and efficient.
- Guard against extended work sessions to not wear anyone out. Coordination of the transplanting days is important.
- Plan for transfer of the plants, tools to do the job, and enough volunteers to share the labor. Try to focus on two to three planting sessions a season. Since most club members have day jobs, set planting sessions on a weekend day.
- More information on the Texas aquatic plant restoration project can be found at www.sevencovesbassclub.com
Besides being an award winning outdoor writer and member of BCD magazines advisory panel, Wil also volunteers as the Conservation and Media Director for the Ontario BASS Federation Nation. He is extremely proud of the work bass clubs in Ontario do every year and of the recognition they have received. In 1997 & 2000 Mississauga Bassmasters won the BASS National Conservation Awards and in 2007 the KW Cambridge Bassmasters won BASS’ Chapter conservation award. Besides Wil’s Aurora club, the York Bassmasters have also won the Berkley Conservation Award.”