NEWS RELEASE

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

December 10, 1997

CONTACT: Randy Myers (352) 392-9617; Ext. 240

SUNSHINE BASS THRIVE IN NEWNANS LAKE

Anglers who are looking for some of the best sunshine bass fishing in Florida need to check out Newnans Lake east of Gainesville.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) fisheries biologists are predicting a replay of last season's phenomenal fishing when anglers caught 44,000 sunshine bass from the lake between October 1996 and June 1997.

FWC biologist Randy Myers said the FWC stocked Newnans in 1996 with 200,000 sunshine bass fingerlings, five times the normal amount, to determine if saturation stocking was justified in terms of number of fish harvested by anglers.

This spring the FWC increased the number of sunshine bass it stocked in the lake by an additional 100,000, totalling 300,000 in an attempt to make fishing even better.

Anglers have been catching their limits regularly since October. Most of the fish caught are those that were stocked early this spring. Currently, these fish are 11 inches long and weigh close to 1 pound.

"One out of every 12 sunshine bass being caught weighs 2 to 4 pounds," Myers said. "Catching these larger sunshine bass shows that there are plenty of fish left in the lake from the 1996 stocking and is an early indication of another fantastic sunshine bass season."

Last April and May, as the water temperature warmed, a tremendous trophy sunshine bass fishery developed in the lake. Anglers caught several hundred fish weighing over 7 pounds each.

Live crawfish and commercial shiners were the most effective baits for larger fish, while grass shrimp worked best for catching smaller fish. The most common technique is using a cane pole with 12-20 pound test line and fishing five to seven feet below a slip cork.

The best and most consistent areas to fish are around the three FWC fish attractors which are marked with large buoys. The areas around the mouth of Hatchett Creek, in the north end of the lake was the hot spot during April and May for large fish. The cool water inflow from the creek historically attracts fish during warmer months.

The daily bag limit is 20 sunshine bass. Only six of the 20 fish may be 24 inches or greater in length. There is a county park with a boat ramp on Highway 20 at the south end of the lake.