Last year we sat down with renowned smallmouth bass researcher Dr. David Philipp to discuss what he described as a once-in-a-lifetime discovery on Opinicon Lake in southeastern Ontario.

When COVID-19 restrictions limited angler access to the lake during the smallmouth spawning season, something remarkable happened. For the first time in decades, the fish were able to spawn undisturbed — and the result shocked the science community: record-setting year classes of bass.

In response, Dr. Philipp and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources launched an experimental bass sanctuary management project to protect spawning fish and allow their fry to seed the rest of the lake.

Now, one year later, the first results are in … and they’re just as groundbreaking.

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