October 2023 - 9

NEWS
Renner Reservoir in the Cody Region will serve as a source for largemouth bass for other waters throughout Wyoming. (Photo by Joe Skorupski/WGFD)
Big Horn Basin reservoir serves
as source for largemouth bass
CODY - A decade ago Renner Reservoir,
a popular largemouth bass fishery at the foot
of the Bighorn Mountains, was decimated by
a prolonged winter that left only a handful
of fish alive after the ice thawed. Now, the
70-acre reservoir near Hyattville has come full
circle, including a multi-year rehabilitation
project. Largemouth bass are again providing
anglers with fast-action fishing, so much that
the Wyoming Game and Fish Department
will use the population as a source of bass for
stocking other waters in the state.
Joe Skorupski, Game and Fish fisheries
biologist in the Cody Region, said this is a
win-win scenario.
" Bass populations, like the one in Renner,
can have high reproductive rates that often
lead to stunting, " he said. " Removing a small
portion of the population will free up food
resources for the remaining largemouth bass in
the reservoir which will lead to faster growth
rates and bigger fish. "
The benefits extend beyond Renner
Reservoir. The bass removed from the reservoir
will be stocked into other fisheries throughout
the region and state. Fish transplanted from
wild populations tend to have high survival
rates and are larger, resulting in catchable fish
that are sexually mature so they immediately
contribute to future recruitment.
Using a local population for bass also
can help minimize the spread of aquatic
invasive species.
" Because of concerns related to AIS, we
are facing increasing challenges in getting
warm-water species like bass from out-of-state
hatcheries, and using a local source involves
less risk of inadvertently bringing AIS to our
state, " Skorupski said.
Renner Reservoir is a good candidate for
a source population because it is located in
the headwaters of Buffalo Creek, a tributary
of the Nowood River, where the risk of AIS
or disease from upstream sources is minimal.
Fish from Renner Reservoir have been
through a rigorous screening for pathogens,
viruses and bacteria that can lead to harmful
disease outbreaks. In the spring and fall of
2022 and again in the spring of 2023, fish
were captured and submitted to the Wildlife
Health Lab in Laramie for diagnostic testing.
Through this testing, bass in Renner have
been certified disease-free and can be safely
transplanted. Annual testing for pathogens
will continue in the future.
This year, bass from Renner, ranging from
6-10 inches long, were transplanted to Mayland
Pond near Burlington, Pond 5 on Yellowtail
Wildlife Habitat Management Area
near Lovell and Texaco and J Bar U reservoirs
south of Kaycee.
" We are constantly faced with growing
challenges such as AIS and pathogens, " Skorupski
said. " Renner is a good example of
how adaptability and flexibility in fisheries
management can help overcome these challenges
while maintaining productive fisheries
for anglers. "
- WGFD staff
Wyoming Wildlife | 9

October 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of October 2023