Population and Life-History Characteristics of Two Black Bass Species in the Flint River System, Georgia

Black bass Micropterus spp are important components of river fisheries in the southeastern U.S., but little is known about their population characteristics.  The Flint River is a 565-km river in west-central Georgia; Lake Blackshear impounds the river approximately 320 km below its source.  Largemouth Bass M. salmoides and Shoal Bass M. cataractae were collected from both systems from 2009-2013 to examine age and growth characteristics.  Shoal Bass were only found in the river, and grew faster that Largemouth Bass in both river and reservoir.  Longevity of Largemouth Bass was greater than Shoal Bass throughout the river, with fish collected up to age 13, compared to age 11 for Shoal Bass, but was similar between the river and reservoir.  Female Largemouth Bass grew faster than males, but Shoal Bass growth was similar between sexes.  Recruitment of Largemouth Bass was more inconsistent than Shoal Bass in the Flint River and negatively affected by high flows; whereas, Shoal Bass recruitment was not related to flow.  Growth and mortality of black bass in these rivers approximated those seen for congeners in reservoirs across the southeastern U.S., demonstrating that these populations are capable of supporting quality fisheries with potential for anglers to catch trophy-sized individuals.