Leslie M. Ager

The minimum legal size of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) was increased from 305 to 406 mm in 1983 on West Point Reservoir to indirectly increase young-of-the-year recruitment by gizzard shad (Dorsoma cepedianum). Fish collections from 1982 through 1987 indicated that largemouth bass increased in abundance in response to the regulation change and their population structure shifted toward larger sizes. Concurrently, gizzard shad size distribution shifted downward. It appeared that the increased size limit for largemouth bass resulted in increased forage through increased gizzard...

Estimates of mortality and survival obtained from angler tag returns over a 10month period following tagging were used to define the population changes that occurred in the largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) population of Lake Tobesofkee. Total mortality (A) of 30-cm and larger fish over the period was estimated at 0.911 and the exploitation rate (u) of these sizes was 0.564. The conditional rate of natural mortality was 0.602. These estimates were used to predict the relative abundance of various sizes of largemouth based on 1977 harvest and abundance data. Also the effects of...

From July, 1974, through July, 1975 the movements of 29 walleye were monitored in Center Hill Reservoir, Tennessee, using ultrasonic telemetric techniques. Seasonally, monitored walleye were most active during the winter and least active during the summer and activity was not correlated with angler success. Diel activity varied from a nocturnal pattern during the summer, to crepuscular during the fall and winter, and no pattern was evident during the spring. Temperature preference was a range of 12°18° C and the only bathymetric pattern established was that of a preference for the bottom,...