FWC stocks Lake Osborne chain with sunshine bass
News Release
Friday, September 24, 2010
Media contact: Gabriella B. Ferraro, 772-215-9459
Biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission (FWC) recently stocked the Lake Osborne
chain of lakes in Palm Beach County with approximately 20,000
sunshine bass - a hybrid striped bass. This chain of
inter-connected waters includes Lake Osborne, the largest body of
water in the chain; Lake Ida; Lake Pine and others. The FWC reminds
anglers that there is an opportunity to tap into this underutilized
fishery resource.
The average size of the stocked fish was
approximately 5 inches. In fact, because these fish are larger,
they will make an immediate impact on fishing in the Osborne chain
this fall and winter.
Sunshine bass are hatchery-produced by FWC
biologists and stocked in selected rivers and lakes. Sunshine bass
were developed by the FWC with two goals in mind. The first was to
create and maintain a new fishery that would supplement existing
native species. The second was to control abundant gizzard shad
populations in nutrient-rich lakes.
The sunshine bass fishery in the Lake Osborne chain
has the potential to handle more fishing activity. Sampling
indicates plenty of forage fish in the system, which should fuel
good growth of the stocked sunshine bass.
For best results, FWC biologists say anglers should
fish in or around schools of baitfish in the open water, and use
live bait (shiners or shad). Anglers can also target sunshines in
deep holes, using baitfish-imitating lures.
The FWC stocks the Lake Osborne chain of lakes
every year with sunshine bass. Because it is a sport fish, specific
bag and size-limit regulations apply, and you can register a
qualifying catch as part of the FWC's "Big Catch" program. For more
on freshwater fishing opportunities in South Florida, view the
FWC's South Region fishing guide.
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