Nothin Small About My Smallie

Here are some abstracts from scientific research papers in the book Black
Bass: Ecology, Conservation, and Management,. American Fisheries Society
Symposium 31. Edited by David P. Philipp and Mark S. Ridgway. ISBN:
1-888569-38-7. Published January 2003

The Use of Sanctuaries for Protecting Nesting Black Bass from Angling (Pages
371-378)

Cory D. Suski, Frank J. S. Phelan, Mark F. Kubacki, and David P. Philipp

Catch-and-release angling for bass during the brood-guarding stage can
induce premature nest abandonment by the male parent, resulting in loss of
the brood to predation. Significant levels of angling-induced brood loss can
cause a population-level decrease in reproductive success. If that decrease
in reproductive success translates into a decrease in recruitment, the
population density and/or size structure of the bass population may be
affected negatively. To avoid these potential problems, managers in some
parts of North America have implemented regulations designed to protect
nesting male bass while they are spawning and guarding their young. The
purpose of this study was to determine if Voluntary Bass Conservation Zones
(areas within a lake that are closed voluntarily to all angling until the
bass spawning season is over) could be used to protect these highly
vulnerable bass from angling. Our results demonstrate first that with
sufficient levels of advertisement and community enforcement, a Voluntary
Bass Conservation Zone can both reduce levels of angling for nesting bass
and increase the reproductive success of the bass population within the
zone. They demonstrate second, however, that a Voluntary Bass Conservation
Zone that is not properly enforced can actually decrease bass reproductive
success by attracting unscrupulous anglers to bass spawning areas, thereby
increasing levels of angling for nesting bass.



How Well Does a Closed Season Protect Spawning Bass in Ontario (Pages
379-386)

Mark F. Kubacki, Frank J. S. Phelan, Julie E. Claussen, and David P. Philipp

Current management strategies for largemouth and smallmouth bass sometimes
incorporate seasonal closures in spring/early summer to protect bass during
their reproductive periods. Our 12-year (1990-2001) field study investigated
how well southern Ontario's closed bass fishing season matched the
reproductive periods of nesting male largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides
and smallmouth bass M. dolomieu in two lakes and two rivers in the region.
Study areas within each system consisted of two-kilometer stretches of
shoreline in which bass reproductive activity was monitored visually by
divers. The data collected for each nesting male included species, egg
deposition date, level of mating success, duration of parental care, and
whether that male was successful or unsuccessful at producing surviving
offspring to the free-swimming independent fry stage. Our results
demonstrate that the extent of protection afforded nesting male bass through
the use of the closed season varied significantly among water bodies and
among years, reflecting the variation in spring warming rates. Smallmouth
bass guarded their broods at the nest site significantly longer than
largemouth bass and were, therefore, vulnerable to anglers longer. In
addition, visual surveys of angling activity revealed that angler
noncompliance with this regulation was common and even pervasive at some
sites. The annual and geographic variation in the extent of protection
afforded by the uniform seasonal closure indicates that a refinement of that
regulation may be beneficial. Furthermore, the substantial levels of
preseason angling observed in several of the study sites indicate that some
other method of protection (e.g., sanctuaries or total closed seasons) may
be more effective in many instances.


"go-bassn" wrote in message
...
Went prefishin today as Thundercat's coming down Sunday for some
bed-fishing
lessons. I was scanning a shoreline when I saw a huge bed in about 8 feet
of water. It was clearly a smallmouth bed as the LM beds in this lake
look
entirely different & are generally shallower. There was an ominous dark
shape on the bed, but at first I thought it too big to be a bass. A carp
maybe?

I flipped my 3" Zoom Tube on the bed & was thrilled to see the fish rush
it
immediately. No carp baby! I felt a solid thump on my line & set the
hook,
nothing. I reeled in & fixed the tube, dipped in in Smelly Jelly &
pitched
it back to the center of the bed. This time I just held my rod still with
a
semi-tight line & it slowly moved off to the right. I set hard & the big
gal launched about a foot out of the water. She was huge, easily the
biggest smallie I've ever hooked.

After a breif battle I landed her. Sadly I had no scales but she may have
gone 7 pounds, 6 at least. Made my day, ok my week. What a gorgeous
fish.
Hopefully she'll still be there when Harry comes down Sunday.

Warren 8-)
--
http://www.warrenwolk.com/
http://www.tri-statebassmasters.com