LDWF records indicate more than 2.6 million Florida-strain bass have been released into Chicot Lake since 1988.
And those bass drove catches of lunker bass in the succeeding years.
The current Chicot Lake record bass, taken by Pine Prairie’s Trampis Williamson in 1997, stands at 13.63 pounds.
But it’s just one of many big fish to come from the reservoir.
“It is common for anglers to catch a handful of 9- to 11-pounders every year,” David said. “And in the gill net samples we take for estimating rough-fish species, we see bass ranging from 4 to 11 pounds, with plenty of 5- to 7-pounders.”
One gill-net sample even included a 14-pounder.
Even though the slot restrictions have been dropped, trophy catches have continued. Last summer, for example, a 9.83-pounder was taken during a weekly dogfight tournament.
And earlier in the year it was rumored that a 10-pounder and a couple of 9s were landed.
Those big fish are, by and large, tied directly to the stocking: LDWF research indicates that the Florida genetics ranged as high as 56 percent in 2007.
That had fallen to 30 percent in 2011 and 2012, but that’s still strong enough to drive some hefty bass growth.
