LOGAN, W.Va. — The West Virginia Natural Resources Commission gave the green light during its July meeting to lift the long held catch and release restriction on black bass at Stonewall Jackson Lake. Since 1986, when the lake was first flooded, all bass caught had to be immediately released.
The new regulation, which takes effect January 1, 2014, allows anglers to keep up to six bass a day from the lake. However, only one bass over 18 inches can be harvested in the daily creel limit.
“It’s been a great bass fishery and we don’t want people to get the impression something is wrong with it,” said DNR District Fisheries Biologist Jim Walker. “But we have found there aren’t as many big fish as there were and figured the regulation isn’t doing what it was intended to do anymore.”
State biologists determined the bass are overpopulated in the lake and the numbers were starting to impact the overall average size.
“It’s called a relative weight factor. A fish of a certain length should weight a certain amount,” said Walker. “But at Stonewall that weight is diminishing and it has been for a few years. They are becoming stunted.”
Walker acknowledged there are still big fish in the lake and the DNR moved cautiously to protect the fishery.
“We know there are still big fish in there. It’s not a gloom and doom picture,” he said. “That’s why we proposed the 18 inch length limit.”
The Commission unanimously approved the change without debate. The Wildlife Resources Section sought extensive public input including public meetings at the March sectional meetings, public meetings at the state park, and a windshield survey at the boat ramp.
“The majority of the feedback from the public favored the change,” said Wildlife Chief Curtis Taylor.
Commissioners approved a second regulation change at Stonewall Jackson which impacts musky fishing. Under the new rules a musky must be 52 inches before it can be kept.
“It’s our largest reservoir which holds muskies,” Walker said. “There have been records of fish over 50 inches. We thought if there’s one spot in the state which could produce a fish 52 inches, it’s Stonewall Jackson.”
The musky regulation takes effect January 1, 2014 as well.