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2021 North Fork Pound Lake Fisheries Management Report

North Fork of Pound Lake is a 154-acre reservoir located in Wise County. The lake, which was

and Spotted Bass are available. Bluegill, Black Crappie, White Crappie, Rock Bass, Walleye,

Muskellunge, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish, and Common Carp are also present. The

primary forage fishes are Alewives and Gizzard Shad, which were introduced into the lake in the

late 1990’s. The Department stocked Alewives in 1997, and the Gizzard Shad originated from

an anonymous source.

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Regulations

As of spring 2020, the fish populations in North Fork of Pound Lake were managed under the

following regulations:

Catfish

(Channel and Flathead combined) 18-inch minimum 5 per day

Muskellunge 30-inch minimum 2 per day

Stocking

North Fork of Pound Lake is currently managed as a developing Walleye water with the goal of

establishing and maintaining an exceptional Walleye population. As a developing Walleye

water, North Fork of Pound Lake generally receives annual stockings of fingerlings at a rate of

Population Sampling

In order to provide quality fishing opportunities, fish populations need to offer both abundance

and good size structure. Each spring, VDWR fisheries biologists sample the fish populations in

North Fork Pound Lake using boat-mounted electrofishing gear to assess abundance and size

structure. Fish abundance is measured in terms of how many fish are collected per hour of

electrofishing. Size structure is measured by looking at the proportion of adult fish in the sample

that are larger than a given size. For example, we consider the proportion of adult Largemouth

Bass larger than 15 inches, or the proportion of adult Black Crappie that are over 10 inches.

Catch rates and size structure data provide a standardized means of comparing fish samples

from year to year, as well as to samples collected at other lakes. Length structure measures

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Largemouth Bass was the most abundant black bass species (and fish species overall)

collected in the 2020 electrofishing sample. The 2020 sample produced an average catch rate

of 61 fish/h for Largemouth Bass, which was comparable to that observed in 2019 (65 fish/h;

compared to 2019 (15 fish/h). Smallmouth Bass, although generally not as abundant as other

black bass species, had a lower catch rate in the 2020 sample (3 fish/h).

Largemouth Bass observed in the 2020 sample ranged in length from 4 –23 inches with an

average length of 12 inches (Figure 2). Approximately 69% of the adult Largemouth Bass

observed in 2020 measured 12 inches or more while 29% were 15 inches or longer. One

percent of adult Largemouth Bass were ≥ 20 inches. Spotted Bass ranged in length from 5-14

inches with an average length of 9 inches while Smallmouth Bass ranged in length from 5-18

inches with an average length of 13 inches.

abundance and provide good fishing for several years. Poor spawning success creates missing

year classes that have the opposite effect. The stocking of crappie fingerlings in North Fork of

Pound Lake is intended to offset this variability. Black Crappie were collected at a rate of 9

fish/h in 2020, which although lower than 2019 (14 fish/h), was still among the highest rates

observed in recent years. Although both Black Crappie and White Crappie are present in North

Fork of Pound Lake, only Black Crappie were collected in 2020.

The crappie population in North Fork of Pound Lake has good size structure with 72% of the

population within the preferred-size range (≥ 10 in) and 32% measuring 12 inches or longer.

The abundance and sizes of crappie available in North Fork Pound Lake should provide good

across the state. Although the Walleyes in North Fork Pound Lake survived and grew well, they

did not produce the relative abundance of walleyes observed in some other impoundments, like

Flannagan Reservoir. Because VDGIF only has a limited number of Walleye to stock each

year, the decision was made to stop stocking Walleyes at North Fork Pound Lake in order to

concentrate fish in lakes where they were most likely to produce the best populations. However,

sampling from 2005 to 2007 indicated higher abundances than observed in earlier samples. As

a result North Fork Pound Lake was added back to the Walleye stocking list in 2007.

The relative abundance of Walleye observed in the 2020 sample (2 fish/h) was similar to that of

the preceding year. The lack of Walleye stocking in North Fork of Pound Lake in 2016 and

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Both Channel Catfish and Flathead Catfish are abundant in North Fork of Pound Lake and

provide excellent fishing opportunities for anglers wanting to target these species. Flathead

Catfish tend to get larger in North Fork of Pound Lake and trophy-sized fish (≥40 inches) have

exciting action for those anglers lucky enough to hook one.