Northeast Mississippi Florida Largemouth Bass Stockings

The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) stocked over 100,000 Florida-strain largemouth bass fingerlings into Bay Springs Lake and Lock C on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway and Lake Lamar Bruce. The fish were reared at MDWFP’s Turcotte Fish Hatchery near Canton. Bay Springs and Lock C are popular bass fishing destinations among tournament and recreational anglers. Lake Lamar Bruce is still under renovation and closed to the public. It is scheduled to open in 2015 which will allow the bass to establish a strong population. “Florida-strain largemouth bass are typically more aggressive and grow larger than northern-strain largemouth bass” said MDWFP Fisheries Biologist Tyler Stubbs. “The goal of the Florida-strain bass stockings is to help improve fishing quality.”

The Department has stocked over 300,000 Florida bass in Bay Springs and Lock C since 2008. In addition to largemouth bass, Lake Lamar Bruce, near Saltillo, has been stocked with bluegill, redear, catfish, golden shiners, and grass carp.

Mississippi Wildlife Fisheries and Parks

The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks (MDWFP), formerly known as the Mississippi Game & Fish Commission, is an agency of the government of the U.S. state ofMississippi responsible for programs protecting Mississippi fish and wildlife resources and their habitats, as well as administering all state parks; it has its headquarters in Jackson. The agency issues hunting and fishing licenses, advises on habitat protection, and sponsors public education programs. It is also responsible for enforcement of Mississippi's fish and game laws. It is separate from the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, which is the governing body for the state's natural salt-water resources and law enforcement thereof (i.e. Gulf of Mexico, ocean-going vessels, etc.).