Scott Rook of Little Rock, a Bassmaster Elite Series angler and an accomplished Arkansas River fishing expert, hates Asian carp, and he wants them out of Arkansas waters.
That's not possible, Rook acknowledges. The invasive exotic fish is already too entrenched in the lower White and Arkansas rivers, as well as in their lowland tributaries, but Rook wants to keep them from colonizing new waters. Therefore, he firmly supports a proposed regulation by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission to limit the movement of wild caught baitfish between watersheds.
Under the proposed regulation, it would be unlawful for anyone to use live, wild-caught baitfish (including crayfish) unless that baitfish is caught within the waterbody where it is being used or within the watershed of that waterbody. An exception would be made for any baitfish purchased at a properly licensed store selling only farm-raised baitfish.
The proposal is an effort to reduce the spread and introduction of nuisance species, such as silver carp (jumping carp), northern snakehead and zebra mussels to new bodies of water.
The AGFC will vote on the proposal at its next regular meeting July 20 in Little Rock.
Striped bass fishing guides oppose the regulation. Many striper guides rely on using live, wild caught gizzard shad in the spring and summer to catch in deep water. It makes fishing easier for novices and children who are inexperienced at using artificial lures.
Catching the bait is probably the most labor intensive part of a guide's business. A guide spends hours in a river at night below a dam catching enough gizzard shad to hopefully last several trips. Many of them have invested thousands of dollars in equipment to catch shad and keep them alive.
Because young Asian carp are often in the same water, these bait-catching operations are opportunities to inadvertently introduce Asian carp and other problem species into lakes such as Ouachita, Hamilton and Beaver.
Guides such as Ronnie Waymack of Royal say they know the differences between shad and other fish, and they are very careful to keep only shad.
That's probably true, Rook said, but the same cannot be assumed for trotliners, recreational fishermen and people who catch fish to use in ponds and privately owned reservoirs. All it takes is one flood to introduce exotic fish to a new watershed.
Northern snakeheads got loose from such a pond in southeast Arkansas in this fashion. The AGFC spent more than $1 million to eradicate them and failed. Our genesis snakehead population is now established in Mississippi, as well.
Chris Racey, chief of fisheries for the AGFC, said fishing guides overstate their financial exposure to the baitfish regulation. Guides at Lake Norfork have been prohibited from using live, wild-caught baitfish caught in other water bodies since 2009. They adapted, Racey said, and the commercial striper business continues to thrive.
One of my striper fanatic buddies said he was astonished last week to see a petition opposing the regulation on the website of an Oklahoma City taxidermist.
Not all striper anglers oppose the regulation. Paul Bowen of the Northwest Arkansas Striper Association recently said in an email that the group supports the regulation.
"We find that stripers are willing to bite artificial and farmed bait, and [we] see no need to risk bringing invasive fish and mollusks to our home lakes and rivers."
This group is primarily comprised of Beaver Lake striper anglers.
"Our members quit going to Grand for bait about three years ago and many have never fished anything but artificial, and in general release any fish that can survive," Bowen said.
The AGFC is accepting public comments on the regulation. You can register a yes-no opinion at www.agfc.com.
A couple of commission members are sensitive to anything that might affect economic activity, but they understand the risk of losing an entire recreational fishing and boating industry outweighs the concerns of one commercial fishing group.
Rook said Asian carp are already in the Lake Dardanelle tailwater, so the Dardanelle fishing and boating community is at risk.
If my eyes don't deceive me, they might already be in DeGray Lake, too. A fish that looked a lot like a silver carp jumped over my canoe in the upper Caddo River on Tuesday and came within inches of my head. I saw dozens of them, all about 14 inches to 18 inches long.
The AGFC also found them this week on the Ouachita River at Grigsby Ford near Malvern and below Remmel Dam.
Unless opposition to the regulation is overwhelming, the commission is probably committed to this regulation.
Sports on 06/22/2017