The survival of bass (Micropterus spp.) caught and released during the Rebel Invitational B.A.S.S. Tournament on Ross R. Barnett Reservoir, Mississippi, April 4-6, 1973 was studied. Two different techniques for handling the bass prior to release were evaluated. A total of 1,863 bass were caught by 159 fishermen during the tournament. Of these, 197 (10.57%) were judged to be dead at the weigh-in. The remaining 1,666 bass were randomly divided into two groups for treatment or non-treatment. A total of 830 bass were injected IP with oxytetracycline and marked prior to release into a 0.8 hectare blocked-off area. The 836 non-treated bass were handled in the same manner except they were not injected or marked prior to release into the study area. A significantly higher number of treated bass (96.99%) survived the 19 day study period than did the non-treated bass (91.63%). It was observed that four interrelated factors play a role in determining survival rate of tournament released bass.
