The Lake Gaston Association (LGA) has launched a new fundraising partnership with Bass Anglers for NC Lakes to help improve largemouth bass fishing in Lake Gaston. Through the partnership, the LGA is raising and matching funds to add a significant number of additional F1 hybrid largemouth bass fingerlings into the 2027 Lake Gaston stocking. The stocking is designed to strengthen the lake’s largemouth bass fishery, balance out the invasive Alabama bass, and help maintain Lake Gaston’s reputation as one of the region’s premier outdoor destinations.
F1 hybrid largemouth bass are first-generation crosses between Florida largemouth bass and northern largemouth bass. This first-generation cross brings “hybrid vigor,” with potential for rapid growth and a better ability to reach trophy size than other largemouth bass. The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission has stocked over 430,000 F1 hybrid bass fingerlings in Lake Gaston since 2023. The Commission has been committed to stocking Lake Gaston at a rate of 4 fish per acre throughout the experimental stocking project, and in some years additional external funding has allowed for higher stocking rates. NCWRC is evaluating the impact on largemouth bass populations through genetic sampling, electrofishing surveys, and tournament weigh-ins. The LGA is asking residents, anglers, businesses, and lake supporters to contribute in 2026 and increase the number of fish stocked in 2027.
The LGA welcomes donations of any size, with gifts of $100 or more especially encouraged. To increase the impact of community support, the LGA will match donations up to a total of $2,500, in which case donations plus matching funds could exceed $5,000. To donate, checks should be made payable to Lake Gaston Association with a note on the check indicating “LKG F1 Bass” so the LGA can properly match and direct contributions. Payments may be mailed to: LGA, PO Box 656, Henrico, NC 27842. For credit card payments, visit: https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/KRZN2HR3LZ4DS or click on the link above.
Recreational and tournament fishing contribute to Lake Gaston’s strong local economy. Improving the population and size potential of the largemouth bass fishery helps enhance Lake Gaston’s reputation as a fishing destination.
In recent years invasive Alabama Bass have out-competed native largemouth bass in Lake Gaston. Stocking F1 hybrid largemouth bass is not a solution for invasive Alabama bass, but it can help strengthen the more desirable largemouth bass population, and improve the odds of catching a trophy-sized bass.
North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission
For more information about the F1 hybrid largemouth bass stocking program, visit the NCWRC website: https://www.ncwildlife.gov/fishing/hatcheries-and-stocking/f1-stocking-program-overview
About Bass Anglers for NC Lakes
Bass Anglers for NC Lakes is a registered 501c(3) organization (nonprofit) organization supporting enhanced bass fisheries in North Carolina through verified F1 bass stocking and partnerships that help sustain high-quality fishing opportunities for anglers and lake communities. For more information, visit the Bass Anglers for NC Lakes website: https://www.ncf1bass.org/