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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – It’s hoped that a regulation change at Table Rock Lake will improve the fishing fun for anglers who enjoy catching spotted bass at this popular southwest Missouri reservoir.
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is seeking public comment on a proposed regulation change designed to curb the increasing abundance of slower-growing spotted bass in Table Rock Lake. MDC is proposing a 12-inch minimum length limit for spotted bass (also called Kentucky bass) at this popular reservoir in southwest Missouri, which is a reduction from the current minimum length limit of 15 inches.
People can find out more information about this topic and offer comments on this proposed regulation from April 1-April 21 at https://mdc.mo.gov/TableRockBass. This page, and the public comment questionnaire it contains, will be accessible to the public beginning April 1 (the beginning date of the questionnaire). Public comments will be compiled and presented to MDC’s Regulations Committee later this year. If this regulation is approved, it would go into effect on March 1, 2026. Details on the process for adopting a regulation can be found at http://short.mdc.mo.gov/49o.
Data collected by MDC biologists shows many members of this slower-growing black bass species never reach a size of 15 inches. Thus, only a relatively small portion of Table Rock’s spotted bass population ever reaches the minimum length limit of 15 inches, while a growing population of sub-legal “spots” put increased pressure on the food chain that keeps Table Rock’s sportfish populations thriving.
Table Rock’s current 15-inch minimum length limit for spotted bass dates back to 1976, when this regulation was adopted for all three black bass species (largemouth, smallmouth, spotted) in the lake. At that time, spotted bass comprised approximately 10 percent of Table Rock’s black bass population.
Fast-forwarding almost a half-century to today shows different data. Recent MDC sampling shows spotted bass comprise 38 percent of Table Rock’s black bass population, but very few of these fish are 15 inches or greater in size.
“We have extensive data going back to the 1980’s that clearly shows the decline in the number of 15-inch spotted bass in Table Rock Lake,” said MDC Fisheries Biologist Shane Bush. “This data also shows a steady increase in the spotted bass population since that time, and it’s increasing every year.”
This regulation change would also simplify spotted bass regulations among other lakes in Missouri as well as the Arkansas portions of Table Rock, all of which have a 12-inch minimum length limit for spotted bass already in place. People can learn more about other fishing opportunities at Table Rock and elsewhere in Missouri at mdc.mo.gov.
