Dispersal of Tournament Caught Bass from a Central Release Point

Largemouth bass caught by fishermen during the March, 1975 B.A.5.S. fishing tournament on Toledo Bend Reservoir were tagged and released from a central site to measure dispersal and recapture rate. Dispersal of bass durining the four months following the tournamament ranged between 0 and .5 miles. The majority of the recaptured fish (93.6 percent) were caught within 2 miles of the release site. A total of 16.7 percent of the released fish was caught by fishermen during the study period. Suggestions are given concerning utilization of tournament caught bass in fish tagging programs in large impoundments.