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the scouting report on lake norman
Introduction of Alabama ( spotted ) bass has changed North Carolina fishery
By Steven Bardin and Gary Klein
CHARLOTTE – REDCREST IV ( March 8-12 ) is being held at a fishery with a rich fishing history that also faces very serious challenges in the coming years .
Lake Norman – nicknamed the “ Inland Sea of North Carolina ” due to its size – is the largest reservoir within the state . Fed by waters of the Catawba River system , the lake covers 32,510 surface acres with an average depth of 33.5 feet , giving it a total fullcapacity volume of just over 1 million acre feet of water . It also has a maximum depth of 110 feet and encompasses 603.1 shoreline miles .
The reservoir lies within the North Carolina counties of Catawba , Iredell , Lincoln and Mecklenburg . Upstream waterbodies include Lake Lookout Shoals , Hickory , Rhodhiss and James Lakes while downstream you will find Mountain Island Lake , Lake Wylie , Fishing Creek Reservoir , Great Falls Reservoir , Cedar Creek Reservoir and Lake Wateree .
lake norman water management
Constructed in 1963 , Cowans Ford Dam on Norman ’ s south end has a hydroelectric generation station , and the reservoir serves as the cooling system for the Marshall Steam Station and the McGuire Nuclear Station . Through these power generation sources , Duke Energy supplies electricity to the Piedmont region of the Carolinas . The reservoir is also the water supply for the surrounding counties , including the city of Charlotte .
The water level is targeted within 2 feet of capacity from June through October . That target decreases throughout winter to within 6 feet of capacity in February . The lake level is managed with the entire Catawba River system in mind , which can result in water levels above or below target capacity .
PHOTO BY JASON ROBERTS managing lake norman ’ s fish
Since its impoundment in the early 1960s , Lake Norman has struggled with a lack of fertility and is considered oligotrophic – relatively low in plant nutrients – by fisheries science standards . The low nutrient levels consistently result in limited algal productivity and therefore slower growth rates for fish species .
The reservoir is home to multiple predatory fish , including both black and white crappie , striped and white bass , channel , blue , and flathead catfish , largemouth bass and – since 2001 – Alabama bass ( locals refer to them as spotted bass ). Forage consists of primarily threadfin shad , bluegill sunfish and redbreast sunfish . Other forage species observed in surveys include alewife , gizzard shad , at least five minnow species , yellow perch and four species of sunfish and their hybrids .
North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission ( NCWRC ) and Duke Energy collaborate to survey black bass populations annually . Electrofishing has occurred since 1993 , with the reservoir being divided into four target areas : the
Lake Norman ’ s 32,000-plus acres provide an interesting study in water , vegetation and fish management . upper lake , midlake , upper forebay and lower forebay . Length and weight measurements are collected annually for largemouth and now Alabama bass . Otoliths are periodically collected for aging , and genetic samples have been collected since 2015 to determine Alabama bass genetics and recent success of Florida-strain ( F1 ) largemouth bass stocking .
The introduction of Alabama bass occurred sometime just before 2000 from an unknown source . Several previous attempts by anglers to introduce spotted bass were declined by NCWRC . At the time of introduction , the Alabama bass species was still considered to be a subspecies of spotted bass . In 2008 , genetics provided fisheries scientist enough evidence to elevate Alabama bass to species level . The fish within Lake Norman were not officially confirmed by NCWRC to be Alabama bass until 2015 .
Since the introduction of Alabama bass , several population trends have emerged , including the decrease in density of largemouth bass . Historically , largemouth bass throughout the reservoir averaged around 15 fish per 1,000
14 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2023