Encyclopedia Dubuque
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
BASS RANCH
BASS RANCH. In 1946 a plan for raising smallmouth bass for stocking in area streams was undertaken by Albert J. HARTIG. Bass found breeding in creeks difficult. High water tended to sweep the young away.
A large pond nearly three acres in size just west of the sanitarium on Asbury Road was stocked with 15,000 smallmouth bass fry. With weedy banks, overhanging branches, and underwater vegetation, the lake furnished lots of safety and food for the young fish. An addition of 200 pounds of fertilizer was added to the water to encourage the growth of bugs, insects and flies all natural food for the bass. To provide food for larger fish, frogs, crayfish, and small bluegills were also added.
From June to the fall, the small bass were expected to have grow to three or four inches. These fish were large enough to be seined from the pond for stocking in streams. At this size, the fish would be able to fend for themselves even in high water. The plan was actually not new. It had been tried with great success around 1926.
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Source:
"Smallmouth Bass "Ranch" Opened on Asbury Road," Telegraph-Herald, June 29, 1947, p. 20