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Show Bass introduced into Rockport More than 35,000 fingerling smallmouth bass have been stocked into Rockport Reservoir in hopes of controlling the rough fish numbers in the man-made lake. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources said this is the first time anything but trout has been put into Rockport. The fish were trucked to Utah from Gavins Point, S.D., and were surplus fish from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's midwestern hatchery system. DWR Fish Culture coordinator i John Leppink said the bass, a northern strain of smallmouth particularly adapted to cooler water, are being stocked experimentally in the popular fishing reservoir to augment a waning summer trout fishery. The smallmouth are predators and will feed on the flourishing Utah chub and crayfish in the reservoir. The introduction is part of an experiment to determine if bass can control rough fish numbers and thus improve troutfisheries. |