July 2007 - Volume 68, Issue 7
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NextGEN Departments
Counting Fish
Late-night arithmetic adds up to improved fishing.
One night in April, two bass anglers on Lake of the Ozarks are pitching jigs and spinnerbaits around sunken brushpiles. Using an electric trolling motor, they quietly make their way around a rocky point and approach a craft with three people in it, all of whom are hovering around a tank in the middle of the boat.
As they get closer, they can hear one person speaking while another seems to be taking notes. They hear subtle splashes as the speaker slips objects over the side of the boat. The anglers then watch as the boat starts its engine and moves to the other side of the cove.
Curious, but still fishing, the anglers are surprised to hear a gasoline generator start and see the area in front of the boat suddenly bathed in bright light. They also notice two people standing in the bow of the boat dipping nets into the water.
They keep an eye on the boat, and when the generator shuts down and the lights go out, they slide up close to the boat to find out what its occupants are doing.
“I’m a fisheries biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation,” the driver responds to their question. “We are conducting our spring electrofishing survey to collect data about the black bass population in the lake.”
About This Article
Author
GREG STONER has been the Department’s
fisheries management biologist at Lake of the
Ozarks since 1991. He also assists landowners
with pond-related issues throughout Camden,
Miller and Morgan counties. When not at work,
Greg spends as much time as possible fishing in
the Niangua Arm of Lake of the Ozarks with his
wife, Sherri, and his kids, Alex and Katie, who
luckily all like to fish.
Photographers
CLIFF WHITE is a life-long Missouri resident. After nearly 10 years as a staff photographer for the Missouri Department of Conservation, Cliff recently took on management duties as Art Director. Now he supervises on an unruly gang of super-creative folks. In his spare time Cliff likes to play old-time folk and bluegrass music, float fish and chase the occasional turkey.
Department of Conservation photographer NOPPADOL PAOTHONG discovered his love and passion for wildlife photography in college in 1995. Born in Thailand, he came to the United States in 1993 to study graphic art before switching to journalism. He has worked as a full-time photographer at the Joplin Globe and the Springfield News-Leader, and has achieved more than 60 regional and national awards.
