The parasite that has caused problems in the striper population in Smith Mountain Lake is spreading to other lakes. According to Dan Wilson, fisheries biologist with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, the copepod has spread downstream to Leesville Lake, Lake Gaston, Buggs Island (Kerr Lake) and now Lake Norman. He stated that the latest confirmed find was in Lake Norman last winter.

The Tennesee Copepod is a parasite that attaches to the inside of the mouths of striped bass, largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. However it seems to have an appetite mainly for stripers. I asked Dan Wilson whether the spread was caused by anglers transferring the parasite to other lakes in their boats or if it simply was moving its way downstream. "Both" was his reply.

The recommendation of the VA BASS Federation is for anglers to be aware of this problem and take precautions to prevent the spread of this parasite. We recommend that anglers going from one of these lakes to an uninfected lake wash the exterior of their boat thoroughly and make sure you clean out your livewells. Flushing your livewells with a ¼ cup of bleach per gallon of water your livewell will hold is recommended. However, make sure you rinse your livewells and flush them out thoroughly with water immediately afterwards since bleach can have a negative effect on metal components. The least we can do is make sure we drain our livewells at the same lake we are fishing and check them for the parasite. Help us keep this parasite from spreading to other striper populations.

Tad Phipps

State Conservation Director

VA BASS