CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The next time anglers reel in a big one on Lake Norman, they may be surprised at what's on the end of their line, as North Carolina wildlife officials announced a new hybrid bass species is coming to some of the state's biggest lakes.
The hybrid bass species, known as the F1 Hybrid bass, is a cross between largemouth bass and Florida bass. Wildlife officials hope the new species will have hybrid vigor, which means they will grow faster and larger than other bass, which are native to North Carolina waters.
The F1 Hybrid bass will be stocked in Lake Norman, Jordan Lake and Lake Gaston, according to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. The program is aimed to improve largemouth bass populations by increasing the number of trophy bass in North Carolina lakes.
“F1 hybrid bass are a new tool to fisheries managers," Corey Oakley, the assistant chief of the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission's Inland Fisheries, said. "We hope these hybrids will increase opportunities for anglers to catch trophy bass where we stock them.”
North Carolina wildlife officials partnered with Bass Anglers for NC Lakes, a nonprofit with the goal of improving the quality of largemouth bass in North Carolina, for the initiative. The nonprofit gave the state $30,000 to purchase F1 Hybrid bass fingerlings for stocking. The Wildlife Resources Commission will continue to stock F1 hybrids to maintain the population because their offspring are no longer F1 Hybrids, according to a news release. This means the offspring won't have hybrid vigor like their parents.
“We are so excited to partner with N.C. Wildlife on this project,” Chuck Murray, the president of Bass Anglers for NC Lakes, said in a press release. “This project is unique in that anglers can contribute and make a huge difference in stocking our lakes. We believe this project will be a success and enhance our lakes for generations to come. We believe this will give every angler (young and old) a better chance at a trophy bass on any given day.”
F1 Hybrid bass have been stocked in Lake Norman since 2020. More than 170,000 bass fingerlings have been stocked in Lake Norman since 2021.
State wildlife officials began stocking them in Lake Gaston last summer. NCWRC staff will collect genetic and population data from fishing surveys and tournament weigh-ins through 2030 to determine future strategies.