Fort Patrick Henry Electrofishing 2008
Sampling date: May 1, 2008
Species collected in survey (5 runs, 1.3 hrs total effort):
Largemouth Bass = 66
Smallmouth Bass = 47
The largemouth bass population in Ft. Patrick Henry appears to be very healthy and stable. There were good numbers of largemouth collected in the 2008 electrofishing sample above 15-inches and even a few largemouth collected over 20-inches. Also, there were plenty of largemouth bass collected under 8-inches which will keep the population stable the next few years. The largemouth catch rates for 2008 were slightly above average for the reservoir and the relative weights were good.
The smallmouth bass population stabilized in 2008. For the first time since 2004, we did not see an increase in the number of smallmouth over 15-inches. However, the size structure still indicates a high quality fishery and with the large number of smallmouth between 10 and 15-inches, the quality of that fishery should remain stable the next few years. We also saw plenty of smallmouth under 8-inches which should also help maintain the quality of that fishery. The 2008 smallmouth catch rates were well above average and the relative weights were slightly below normal.
The lower than average rainfall during the 2007 drought, seemed to have had no effect on the largemouth and smallmouth populations in Ft. Patrick Henry.
