One significant change in Stonewall Jackson was documented during a recent statewide research effort conducted by the DNR. Stonewall now displays a much higher percentage of spotted bass than it once did. In fact, just five or six years ago, spotted bass weren’t that common. Now, in some areas, up to 30 percent of the lake’s bass population consists of spotted bass. Such competition among bass species has and will likely continue to negatively affect largemouth bass populations on Stonewall Jackson.

WHY IS STONEWALL NO. 1?
A catch-and-release regulation on black bass (largemouth, smallmouth and spotted) has been in place on Stonewall Jackson Lake since it was filled in 1989. Usually, when a new lake is impounded that reservoir tends to produce incredible growth rates in fish during a five- to seven-year period.

Stonewall Jackson was no exception, as fish, especially bass, grew extremely fast. With the impending catch-and-release regulation, the DNR has maintained impressive numbers of large bass in the lake, thus recycling big bass after big bass for anglers to catch over and over again. The regulation has played a vital part in the success of trophy bass fishing on Stonewall Jackson Lake.

An overwhelming majority of anglers still favor the catch-and-release regulation for black bass on Stonewall Jackson. But is the lake’s trophy bass population declining because of the regulation as some critics claim?

First of all, there does seem to be a shift in the lake’s trophy bass population. Fewer trophy bass remain in the lake than were there 10 years ago, although there are still plenty of bass over 5 pounds swimming in the lake.

However, the problem doesn’t lie within bass population “stunting” as many folks predicted it would. There appears to be no stockpiling of small bass in the lake. A portion of the large trophy bass have died off from old age, and growth is much slower in remaining bass now that the reservoir has aged (productivity has decreased). This natural progression was inevitable, and reservoirs across the country encounter the exact same scenario, usually much quicker than Stonewall Jackson has.

The slower growth factor has been compounded by the illegal introduction of white bass and yellow perch, both of which consume tons of forage from the lake that should belong to the lake’s premier species: largemouth bass.

Over the years, Stonewall has received plenty of fishing pressure, so incidental hooking mortality, as well as delayed mortality, probably prevented the stockpiling of small bass within the lake’s system. The result is that removing the catch-and-release regulation would do little to increase the number of trophy bass.

In fact, the impending selective harvest would likely remove even more trophy bass from the lake. Even switching from a catch-and-release regulation to a slot limit wouldn’t solve the slow growth and potential forage shortage.

Besides the catch-and-release regulation, the primary reason Stonewall Jackson remains West Virginia’s top bass lake is habitat. Tons of standing timber still exists in Stonewall Jackson, providing quality habitat for bass from one end of the lake to the other.

A fair amount of the lake’s shoreline is lined with riprap, yielding additional high production areas for bass and baitfish to inhabit. No other state reservoir can come close to containing as much riprap as Stonewall Jackson. These fine habitat types, as well as others covered inside the article, should continue to keep bass fishing on Stonewall Jackson at a premium.