Page 24 - Outdoor Oklahoma Magazine Mar-Apr2023

SMOKEY SOLIS/ODWC

Tiger Bass fingerlings are released into Grand Lake.
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POND OWNERS LONGING FOR LUNKERS

MIGHT TRY SOME TIGERS IN THE TANK

Largemouth bass genetics has become an interesting sub- was a way to get Florida largemouth bass growth potential in
ject among anglers and pond owners alike. By now, most cooler climates.
anglers have heard of the Florida largemouth bass, thanks to Now, there may be.
their trophy potential. Florida largemouth bass exhibit a growth Many states have been stocking Florida largemouth bass where
potential far beyond that of Oklahoma’s native northern strain they don’t naturally exist since the early 1970s. The goal of these
largemouth bass. However, there is a reason they are called stockings is not to increase the number of bass in the popula-
Florida strain: They don’t do well in cold water. If only there tion, but to increase trophy potential by introducing Florida strain
genetics into the system. When a Florida largemouth bass spawns
AMERICAN SPORT FISH HATCHERY with a northern largemouth bass, a cross is produced. The result-
ing fish is most commonly called an F1 (first generation FLMB X
NLMB), and carries traits from each of the parent species.
The desired F1 bass has the trophy potential of a Florida large-
mouth bass and the thermal tolerance of a northern largemouth
bass. Although climate still has a major effect on growth rates, the
potential for larger maximum sizes is increased.
It became apparent pretty quickly that these Florida largemouth
bass stockings were successful, as states like Oklahoma boasted
many new state-record largemouth bass throughout the 1990s and
2000s. However, it only worked as far north as juvenile, or finger-
ling, Florida largemouth bass could survive. This created the need
A hatchery worker holds a Tiger Bass , a trademarked fish raised for its
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genetic ability to grow faster in northern areas. for a commercially available F1 largemouth bass. Multiple com-

22 OUTDOOR OKLAHOMA