The North Carolina Largemouth Bass Catch Survey was initiated in 1975 to monitor angling success for largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) in the state's waters. The survey relies heavily on the participation of organized bass fishing clubs and reflects primarily tournament fishing results. Individual participants and clubs are asked to maintain catch records for each trip on a fishing log sheet. At the end of each month, the accumulated statistics are summarized by the participant and reported by body of water on preaddressed summary postcards. All materials are provided by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. The data are consolidated annually by body of water and season of year. The number of largemouth bass (TL ≥ 30 cm) caught per hour fished declined steadily in North Carolina reservoirs from 0.26 in 1977 to 0.18 in 1980. During the same period the catch rate in rivers and streams remained stable at between 0.23 and 0.25 fish per hour.
