A quantitative creel census was conducted for eight years on the Missouri portion of Bull Shoals Reservoir; on the Little North Fork Arm from 1953 through 1958, and on the White River Arm from 1955 through 1960. Sport fishing catch from the Little North Fork Arm averaged 39.2 pounds per acre (44.0 fish) over the six-year period. About 89.3 percent of the weight of fish taken was of predacious game fishes, including 49.6 percent (19.6 pounds per acre) of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), 9.2 percent (3.5 pounds per acre) of spotted bass (Micropterus punctulatus) , and 23.1 percent (9.4 pounds per acre) of black crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus). Total fishing pressure per acre ranged from 35.5 hours (7.5 trips) to 105.3 hours (22.4 trips) with an average of 61.2 hours (12.6 trips). The rate of catch increased from 0.57 fish per hour in 1953 to 0.86 fish per hour in 1958. The percentage of successful anglers varied from 78.1 to 88.0 percent. Sport fishing catch from the census area in the Missouri portion of the White River Arm averaged 73.4 pounds per acre (75.8 fish) over the six-year period. About 63.4 percent of the weight of fish taken was predacious game fishes, including 11.5 percent (8.5 pounds per acre) of largemouth bass, 20.1 percent (15.0 pounds per acre) of white bass (Roccus chrysops) and 29.7 percent (21.7 pounds per acre) of white crappie (Pomoxis annularis) and black crappie. In addition, channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) comprised 21.6 percent (15.9 pounds per acre) and flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris) comprised 10.0 percent (7.9 pounds per acre) of the total harvest. Total fishing pressure per acre ranged from 53.3 hours (10.5 trips) to 113.9 hours (18.1 trips) with an average of 87.8 hours (16.3 trips). The rate of catch varied from 0.49 fish per hour in 1955 to 1.08 fish per hour in 1958. The percentage of successful anglers varied from 65.1 to 89.8 percent. Although the White River Arm produced more fish than the Little North Fork Arm, the catch of black bass in the former was less than half as great as in the latter. This is thought to result from greater competition offered by the much higher populations of crappie and white bass in the White River Arm. While creel composition of the two arms differed greatly, there was in both a very close relationship between harvest in pounds per acre and fishing pressure in pounds per acre. This indicates that fishing had not been heavy enough to affect the fish populations adversely.
