Michael E. Costello

Trophy Largemouth Bass Regulations at Victor Braunig Reservoir, Texas

The largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) fishery and population structure at Victor Braunig Reservoir, Texas, were monitored from 1985 through 1992 following changes in harvest restrictions from 254-mm minimum length and 10 fish daily bag limits to 533-minimum length and 2 fish daily bag limits. Harvest rates were significantly reduced under the more restrictive limits and averaged 0.002 fish/angler-hour. Mean weight of harvested fish increased from 0.85 kg to 3.22 kg. Total catch rates ranged from 0.145 to 0.650 fish/angler-hour; the weighted mean annual catch rate during the study was...