Invasive species are changing the fishing
On The Fly Freshwater
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June 2024
Article and photos by Jimmy Jacobs
We have all heard the old adage about “the best laid plans of men and mice.” Even the most thorough preparations for an event can manage to go astray. In the case of fishing trips, it applies more often that we would prefer.
In that vein, the On The Fly South crew set out to catch some smallmouth bass from the storied fishery on North Carolina’s Lake Fontana, close against the southern edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We started that venture at Eugene Shuler’s Fly Fishing the Smokies Guide Service & Fly Shop in Bryson City, where we met up with our guide Ryan Laws.
Although he has been guiding for just a few years, Ryan’s angling pedigree on the region’s water stretches back for three generations. His family had been testing those waters since his grandfather’s time.
We were soon launching his boat at the Bryson City-Fontana Lake Boat Ramp at the end of Old North Carolina Route 288 on the Tuckasegee arm of the reservoir. Heading to the main lake, it was apparent how the Great Smoky Mountains got their name. The peaks to the north of the lake were shrouded in clouds, giving the appearance their moniker implies.
The area was just coming off a period of heavy rains, resulting in a lot of debris floating on the surface. That was particularly true in the upper ends of the river arms. That made for some slower travel, since too much speed could cost a lower unit on the boat’s motor. Though Ryan noted the water was off color, by the standard of most lakes in the South, it looked clear to our eyes. No doubt that owed to the fact Fontana is the deepest man-made reservoir in the eastern U.S. at around 440 feet.
Once we started fishing, the first hook up was an eye-opener. That fish turned out to be a spotted bass, which we did not realize were in Fontana. As Ryan explained, those invasive fish, as well as introduced blue-back herring are changing Fontana’s fishery.
Though still present in numbers, the smallmouth population on the lake is declining as the spots increase. Crossbreeding of the two species, along with the more aggressive nature of the spotted bass in claiming spawning areas, both are detrimental to the smallies. Additionally, there is more open-water style fishing for all bass species, due to their concentrating on foraging for the herring. Based on all that, we were tossing Rio Flash Drive streamers in an olive-and-white color scheme.
During that first morning, all we caught were the spotted bass. As a result, we arranged to try again the next morning, but launching this time on the Nantahala arm of the lake at the Lemmons Branch Boat Ramp. Heading far up the river to where shoals dumped into the reservoir, we discovered a huge log jam covering the entire width of the river at the junction with the lake.
To Ryan’s surprise – and frustration – we again encountered only spotted bass, even in some of his favorite places for smallmouths. Not to say that we were totally disappointed with the feisty spots that were taking the fly! A retrieve of several fast strips followed by a pause proved deadly on those fish.
An even more concerning fact about the spotted bass in Fontana is the possibility they may not even be spots. According to Kin Hodges, the regional fisheries biologist for North Carolina’s District 7, Alabama bass are starting to show up in the Old North State’s waters. This species of black bass that is native to the Coosa River drainage in Alabama, Georgia and Tennesse is virtually identical to spots, so that only genetic testing can reliably tell them apart.
The Alabama bass are aggressively interbreeding with spotted bass to the point that spots may eventually be spawned out of existence in North Carolina. The Alabama bass interbreed with smallmouths too, putting the state’s bronzeback population at risk.
So, what can anglers do to help with this problem? “The only tool we have to reduce the impacts of Alabama bass will have on our existing bass fisheries is angler harvest,” Hodges explained. “We’re asking anglers to harvest anything that appears to be a spotted or Alabama bass.”
In the meantime, Ryan Laws assured us it is still possible to catch smallmouths in Fontana, while also getting plenty of action from the spotted bass. While our efforts at the former weren’t successful, mostly it just gave us a good reason to head back up that way in the near future to give it another try for smallmouths!
Meanwhile, if you are in the Bryson City area, drop by the Fly Fishing The Smokies Fly Shop for all the inside scoop on the fishing on Fontana, targeting trout on the Tuckasegee River or any of the other nearby waters. They are a fount of information, can set up guided trips for you or provide the gear and flies you need for your own ventures.
