Alabama striped <b>bass</b> family tree roots likely all now sprout from rearing ponds

O.P. Harrison of Mobile caught this 12.6-pound striped bass on a live shrimp in late February while fishing for speckled trout in the Theodore Industrial Canal. (Courtesy O.P. Harrison)  

MOBILE, Alabama -- On the same day news broke that 65-year-old James Bramlett of Dora had caught a potential state- and world-record 70-pound striped bass from the Black Warrior River in northeast Alabama, pictures of a 12.6-pound striper landed near Mobile began circulating through social media.

O.P. Harrison of Mobile was fishing for speckled trout in the Theodore Industrial Canal that late-February day when the fish hit a small live shrimp he was fishing on 6-pound-test line.

While Bramlett's fish will most likely replace the 55-pounder Charles Totty pulled from the Tallapoosa River in 1959, Harrison's will be admired simply because not many people in the southwest part of the state have ever seen one in its scales.

Few people around Mobile target stripers. Like Harrison's fish, they are rare bycatch that eats a bait a fisherman is using to target another species.

While Bramlett's huge fish was the result of intensive restocking of Atlantic and Gulf striped bass in reservoirs above dams across the Alabama River since 1979, the genetic origins of Harrison's fish are a little bit murkier.

Striped bass were once common in the rivers and estuarine environment of the northern Gulf coast, according to information from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which has overseen an interstate fishery management plan guiding the species' recovery since 1986.

They were found from Texas to the Suwannee River in Florida, and inland hundreds of miles up the Alabama River and Tombigbee River systems and to St. Louis on the Mississippi River.

Historical reports indicate the fish were landed commercially from the late 1800s through the early 1960s. Except for a remnant population of Gulf-strain striped bass in the Apalachicola River system in northwest Florida and infrequent catch reports in a few other river systems, they are no longer common throughout their range.

While the Alabama conservation department Web site contains information stating that there "may" still be a native population of Gulf striped bass migrating through the Mobile Bay estuary, Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division District V chief fisheries biologist Dave Armstrong, who's based on the Mobile Bay Causeway, said not enough is known to say if native Gulf-strain stripers still swim state water.

"As far as if we have a run or not, I believe we are more likely sustaining a semi-resident population derived from previous stocking efforts," Armstrong said. "These fish do have the instinct to run and they'll cover a lot of ground."

Armstrong said that instinct likely contributes to the large congregations of striped bass - and some hybrid bass - that gather just below Claiborne Lock and Dam on the Alabama River and Coffeeville Lock and Dam across the Tombigbee River.

James Bramlett and his wife Janice stand with the 70-pound striped bass he caught from the Black Warrior River on Feb. 28. The fish broke the existing 53-year-old Alabama state record for the species by 15 pounds and is potentially a world record for landlocked striped bass. (Joe Songer/jdsonger@al.com)  

"Those fish are most likely resident fish that are taking advantage of the abundant shad numbers just below the dams," he said. "They also prefer to live in the cool, running water just below the dams, especially during the hotter months."

Ben Raines, an avid diver and knowledgeable fisherman from Fairhope, reported seeing a single 10-pound striped bass as he and it swam along the rock jetties at Perdido Pass in 2008.

Raines said there could have been other stripers around that he just did not see.

The reasons for the decline of native striped bass along the northern Gulf coast are speculative, according to the USFWS.

Along with the impacts of commercial fishing, environmental alterations, the construction of dams across traditional spawning corridors and industrial and agricultural pollution have also been implicated as probable causes of the drastic decline of striped bass.

Alabama's Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division began restocking reservoirs above dams in the northern part of the state in 1979.

In 1985, the first striped bass were stocked below the dams across the Tombigbee River at Coffeeville and at Claiborne on the Alabama River, according to WFF stocking data provided by Armstrong. Those fish were Atlantic-strain stripers, which were stocked for the first seven years.

The first Gulf striped bass fingerlings were stocked beginning in 1992 and the Atlantic-strain fish have been used in only two years since.

Including that first stocking, more than 2.1 million Atlantic and Gulf striped bass fingerlings have been released at the confluence of the Alabama and Tombigbee rivers, where they form the Mobile River.

Armstrong said the site is used because it provides the fingerlings with more than one option in deciding which way to swim upon release, the water's deep and cool and there's plenty to eat.

Over the past seven years, an average of 65,000 fingerlings have been released between May 14 and June 2, according to the WFF data.

Fisheries biologists have concluded that natural reproduction is occurring in the upper Coosa River near Rome, Ga., resulting in large numbers of naturally produced striped bass showing up at Weiss Reservoir in northeast Alabama and other Coosa River impoundments, according to the WFF.

Studies on reproductive possibilities among striped bass stocked just above the Mobile-Tensaw Delta have not been done, Armstrong said.

No one can say for sure, but 2.1 million-to-1 odds suggest that O.P. Harrison's fish was probably a 6- to 8-inch long fingerling when it was stocked as much as a decade ago and more than 30 miles from where it was eventually caught.

It's intriguing to believe, however, that at least one true Gulf striped bass still swims along generations-old migration routes in Alabama, especially if it has a mate.

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Big <b>Bass</b>: Alabama Striper May Be a Landlocked World Record

James R. Bramlett shattered a 54-year-old Alabama state record with this 70-pound striped bass he caught on February 28. The Dora resident, 65, may have also eclipsed the IGFA all-tackle world record for a landlocked striper when he hauled in this monster on the upper Bankhead Reservoir.

Heath Haley, a district fisheries biologist for Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries who viewed the fish shortly after it was caught, says the pending state record (which was weighed on a certified scale in Sumiton and now awaits only the completion of paper work) is remarkable by Alabama standards. Bramlett’s catch beat the prior record—which had stood since June 28, 1959—by 15 pounds.

“It’s definitely uncommon,” Haley says. “This fish certainly, in my opinion, was an anomaly. It’s a very fat, chunky fish. The previous record being 55 pounds, the fact that it hasn't been broken since the 1950s, it’s just incredible that not only he broke it, but he shattered it. You just don’t see them that big that often.” Haley measured the fish at 45 ½ inches long, with a girth of 37 ¾ inches.

The freshwater striper very well may be remarkable by world standards, as well. The International Game Fish Association all-tackle world record for landlocked striped bass is a 67-pound, 8-ounce fish caught May 7, 1992, by Hank Ferguson in Los Banos, Calif.

Bramlett was fishing near the Gorgas Steam Plant on the Upper Bankhead, an impoundment on the Black Warrior River in north-central Alabama not far from his home. An experienced angler, he was targeting one of his favorite spots on the river that day at the urging of his wife, Janice, who will undergo surgery soon and wanted Bramlett to get in one last fishing trip before she goes into the hospital. After seeing a big fish roll on the surface, he cast a 10-inch gizzard shad on a 6.0 Mustad hook to the spot. He landed the striper after a 20-minute fight, and his first phone call was to Janice. (Bramlett was unavailable for an interview this week due to his wife’s impending surgery, but Janice said he was excited by his catch and the attention it is generating. “He’s got a lot on his plate right now,” she said.)

If the fish does become a world record, as expected, it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy, Haley says. “He’s very humble, very generous. He does a lot of fishing, and he showed me some photos of big catfish he’s caught in the area. I’d love to spend a day on the water with him!”

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Cooler Alabama weather signals second-best <b>bass</b>-<b>fishing</b> season

Kenny Pannel flips a jig into timber at Lake Neely Henry. He primarily uses jigs and buzzbaits to catch bass as the water cools. (BASS)

The cooler weather of recent mornings has inspired Alabama hunters who are eagerly awaiting a number of hunting seasons that will begin in upcoming months.

The chilly mornings have also been exciting for Alabama bass fishermen who know the drop in temperatures signals the start of the second-best time of the year for bass fishing in the state.

"I think most people including me think that the spring of the year is the best time to fish, but the fall is definitely the second-best time," said Dan Catchings, a district fisheries biologist with Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries in Eastaboga. "From about mid-September to about mid-November, the bass are really active again."

A bass' life cycle revolves around the fact that it is a cold-blooded creature, Catchings explained. In summer months, bass seek deep-water refuges and become lethargic. In the cold months of the winter, they also live in deep water to find the warmest water. They also feed less because the colder water lessens their metabolism and makes it tough for them to chase prey. In the fall, however, bass eat like pigs at a trough. They must fatten up for the winter and they do so in shallow water where they are easier to catch.

Kenny Pannel, a pro tournament fisherman on the BFL and BASS Federation tournament trails, said the cool mornings Alabama has seen in the past few days will be enough to trigger great fishing in the upcoming weeks.

"They'll start to move shallow now and they will gorge themselves on baitfish until it gets too cold for them to move much," he said.

"They'll get up in that shallow water and that's when I like to get a buzzbait out and fish it early in the morning. I use a white or a white/chartreuse medium size with about a 1-inch blade. If it's windy, I'll use a buzzbait with a clacker that makes a little more noise so they can find it better in the choppy water."

Bass will typically gather in the shallow water along banks and seawalls. He pinpoints those areas with his buzzbait.

Alabama can still get some warm, sunny days in late September and in October, and the buzzbait bite will end as soon as the sun gets up in the sky. When that happens, Pannel says, he targets bass that will gather close to fallen trees and other timber. He uses a green pumpkin jig with 30-pound test line to yank bass out of the thick stuff.

He says the best fishing this time of the year actually occurs at night. As the temperature drops at night, the spotted bass gather in numbers on rocky points. He uses a black/blue ½-ounce spinnerbait with a No. 6 smoked Colorado blade and slow rolls it across the rocky points.

"I don't know where those fish go during the summer but when it starts cooling off like it is doing now, they get on those rocky points at night and the fishing gets really good," he said.

Doug Powell, a staff environmental specialist for Alabama Power and a fisheries biologist, says when the temperature begins cooling as it has the past few days, it signals fun time.

"Bass are no different than other critters, really," he said. "Everything in the woods gets lethargic during the hot summer months and gets active again in the fall. People think of alligators as a hot summer creature, but that isn't true. They are cold-blooded, too. They don't move much in summer but they start getting active now."

Powell says that when the water cools to the point that fishermen see shad beginning to school, that means the bass are fattening up for the winter.

"The colder mornings signal that harder times are coming," he said. "They know they have to eat while they can and what they are looking to eat is in shallow water where the fishermen can get to them better."

Pannel says he loves fall fishing for reasons other than bass getting aggressive again. Fall, he says, is the most peaceful time to fish. Most bass tournaments have ended for the year and pleasure boaters have called it quits until next spring. Many fishermen have called it quits, too, as they spend more time watching football and preparing for the hunting season.

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Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council to Meet in Mobile, Alabama

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will meet January 30 - February 2, 2012, at the Renaissance Mobile Riverview Plaza Hotel in Mobile, Alabama. Agenda highlights are summarized below. For a copy of the detailed agenda or to review briefing book materials, please visit the Council web site at www.gulfcouncil.org or call 888-833-1844.

The Mackerel Management Committee will meet Monday from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. to review scoping documents for Amendments 19 and 20. Amendment 19 considers no sale of recreationally caught fish and various permit issues, Amendment 20 considers boundary changes and transit provisions. The Shrimp Management Committee will meet at 4:00 to review data from the 2011 Texas Shrimp Closure and determine whether to continue the closure in 2012. At 4:30 the Council will hear a brief update on the Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP).

The Reef Fish Committee will meet all day Tuesday and part of Wednesday to hear a presentation on the Red Snapper IFQ Five-Year Review Survey Results. The Committee will also review and discuss:

Final Red Snapper Regulatory Amendment - Fall Closed Season Revision & 2012 Annual Catch
Options Paper for a Regulatory Amendment for Red Snapper Weekend/Weekday Openings
Gray Triggerfish Update Assessment
Final Action on Amendment 34 - Crew Size and Income Requirement
Final Action on Amendment 35 - Greater Amberjack
Option Paper for Vermilion Snapper ACL Framework Action
Scoping Document for Amendment 36 - Red Snapper IFQ Transferability
Reef Fish Amendment 33 - LAPP Program
Reef Fish Framework Action for Red Snapper Payback Provisions for Overages
Also on Tuesday, the Council and NOAA Fisheries will hold an informal Question and Answer session on general fishery management issues.

On Wednesday, the Joint Mackerel/Reef Fish/Red Drum Management Committee will meet to discuss starting an amendment to develop biomass-based stock status definitions, followed by the Data Collection Committee and the Artificial Reef Committee.

The Spiny Lobster Management Committee will meet to take final action on Amendment 11 - which considers two actions: 1) Creating new closed areas to reduce the impacts of lobster traps on protected coral species and 2) Requiring markings for spiny lobster trap lines to allow identification of trap lines entangling protected species.

The full Council will convene Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. Public comment will begin at 3:15 p.m. Testimony will be heard on the following:

Reef Fish Amendment 34 - Crew Size and Income Requirement
Reef Fish Amendment 35 - Greater Amberjack
Red Snapper Regulatory Amendment - Fall Closed Season Revision & 2012 Annual Catch Limit
Spiny Lobster Amendment 11
Exempted Fishing Permits (if any)
The Council will also hold an open public comment session immediately following public testimony, until 6:15 p.m. Comment cards must be completed before the start of public testimony. Open public comment gives members of the public an opportunity to address the Council on fishery issues that may not be on the agenda.

Beginning Thursday, the Council will deliberate and take action on committee recommendations made earlier in the week. The meeting is expected to conclude Thursday by 4:45 p.m.

Although other non-emergency issues not on the agenda may come before the Council and Committees for discussion, in accordance with the M-SFCMA, those issues may not be the subject of formal action. Actions of the Council and Committees will be restricted to issues specifically identified in the agendas and any issues arising after publication of this notice that require emergency action under Section 305(c) of the M-SFCMA, provided the public has been notified of the Council's intent to take action to address the emergency.

The established times for addressing items on the agenda may be adjusted as necessary to accommodate the timely completion of discussion relevant to the agenda items. In order to allow for such adjustments and completion of all items on the agenda, the meeting may be extended from, or completed prior to, the date established in this notice. Meetings are physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to Kathy Pereira at the Council office at least five days prior to the meeting.

About Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council
The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council is one of eight regional Fishery Management Councils established by the Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976. The Council prepares fishery management plans, which are designed to manage fishery resources within the 200-mile limit of the Gulf of Mexico.

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2012 Team Military Bass Competition to Alabama

ATHENS, Ala. - The best bass anglers in the U.S. Armed Forces will gather at Lewis Smith Lake near Jasper, Alabama, from April 29-May 4, 2012, to compete in the 22nd annual Military Team Bass Championship tournament.

"We are very excited to host the American Bass Anglers Military Team Bass Championship and to invite the country's most avid military bass anglers and their families to our community," said Linda Lewis, executive director of the Walker County Chamber of Commerce. "The direct economic impact alone of these events makes this a wise investment to our area. Furthermore, when coupled with the immeasurable media exposure that a community such as ours would otherwise not be able to obtain, the return on our investment increases tremendously. The pride and excitement that is felt throughout the community for hosting such a well-known, well-respected organization also adds to the benefits. Our citizens take every opportunity available to thank the men and women who put their lives on the line every day for us to enjoy our freedoms. We are overjoyed to welcome our military to our community."

The week-long celebration culminates in the three-day bass tournament. Deep, clear and blue, Lewis Smith Lake covers about 21,200 acres of Walker, Winston and Cullman counties about 20 miles northwest of Birmingham, Ala. More than 500 miles of shorelines studded with large rocks, fallen trees and other cover provide outstanding habitat for largemouth and Kentucky spotted bass. In places, the lake about 20 miles northwest of Birmingham drops to more than 264 feet deep. Created in 1961, the lake formed when Alabama Power Company built a dam across the Sipsey Fork of the Black Warrior River. On the western side of the lake, the 180,000-acre Bankhead National Forest keeps the area wild and pristine.

"We are excited to be going to Smith Lake for the 22nd annual meeting of our Military Team Bass anglers," said Debra Talley, ABA national marketing director. "The Jasper/Smith Lake community knows the importance of tournament fishing and welcomes participants with open arms. Our military anglers are in for a real treat from this fishing savvy town. They go above and beyond what is normally expected of a host community to insure a great time is had by everyone in attendance. We can't wait to spend this week with them."

Long associated with the U.S. Armed Forces, ABA began in 1975 as the Military Bass Anglers Association, an organization dedicated to providing bass anglers in the military an opportunity to compete in tournaments with other military members. In 2000, Morris Sheehan, a life member who retired from the U.S. Army, bought MBAA, renamed it American Bass Anglers Inc., and relocated it to Athens, Ala.

The Military Team Bass Fishing Tournament began in 1991 to promote fishing and camaraderie among all branches of the military. Any active duty Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, National Guard, Reserve or Coast Guard member may fish in this event. Families of military members at least 16 years old, Department of Defense civilians, contractors and retired military members may also fish this event. The tournament will crown an "Angler of the Year" from each of the military branches.

In 2011, Majors Hamby and Ron Figueroa, representing the U.S. Army, won the 21st annual American Bass Anglers Military Team Bass Championship tournament, held May 4-6, 2011, at Clarks Hill Lake on the Georgia-South Carolina line. They beat 120 teams, bringing in a perfect three-day tournament limit of 15 bass weighing 40.77 pounds with a 3.76-pound kicker. For the victory, Hamby and Figueroa won an opportunity to spend four days and three nights at Los Sueños Resort in Costa Rica, courtesy of Early Times Kentucky Whisky and JDC Marketing.

Lake: Lewis Smith Lake

Ramp: Alabama Power Dam Ramp Near Jasper, AL

Dates: May 2-4, 2012

Registration Opens: November 14, 2011 (boat numbers assigned based on date and time of entry)

Holiday Inn Express
202 OAK HILL ROAD
JASPER , ALABAMA 35504
Hotel Phone: 1-205-302-6400

For more information on the Military Bass Anglers, call (888) 203-6222. On line, see www.militarybassanglers.com

About American Bass Anglers
American Bass Anglers is the largest tournament organization for the weekend angler. American Bass Anglers operates the American Fishing Tour, The Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Weekend Series and the American Couples Series. Each tour is designed specifically for the weekend angler, offering low-cost and close-to-home events where anglers can qualify for a larger championship. For more information on American Bass Anglers and the Military Tournament, visit www.americanbassanglers.com or www.militarybassanglers.com.

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