(2.7) LARGEMOUTH BASS - Florida Largemouth Bass per Hour of Fishing - Circa 1989
Florida Largemouth Bass per Hour of Fishing - Circa 1989
As Detailed by the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission
An Information, Opinion, & Sources Report
Compiled by Ocklawahaman Paul Nosca
Created: 16 December 2014
Last Revised: 08 October 2020
PLEASE NOTE
This information was excerpted from an excellent article about (fishing) creel surveys that was written by Scott Hardin (Data Analyst, Division of Fisheries, Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission) and which appeared in the March-April 1990 issue of Florida Wildlife magazine.
ALSO NOTE THAT IN 1990
The Florida state-wide DAILY BAG LIMIT for BLACK BASS (including largemouth bass) was 10 (TEN) PER DAY with NO MINIMUM SIZE LIMIT! 12-inch and longer total length largemouth bass were generally considered to be "keeping-size" bass.
REFERENCE
Hardin, Scott. 1990. "The 'compleat' survey" article. Florida Wildlife magazine (March-April 1990, pages 36-40). Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, Tallahassee, FL. Available as a hardcopy.
NOTE -- IF NEEDED: Right-click-on individual photos then "Open image in new tab" to ENLARGE them!
"The 'Compleat' Survey"
"What Is Good Fishing?"
"Survey results compare how 'good' fishing is in various Florida waters. For example, in an average Florida lake, it takes about four hours to catch a keeping-size [12 inches total length or longer] largemouth bass (0.25 fish per hour). In a good bass lake, anglers haul in a keeper every three hours (0.33 fish per hour). It may take as many as six hours in some of our sterile, clear-water lakes or in highly polluted situations.
"Many Florida lakes sport impressive catch rates: Okeechobee, Kissimmee, Harris and Orange, among others, have produced over 0.33 [keeper] bass per hour consistently over the past dozen years. In some cases, anglers caught a [keeper] bass every two hours or less (0.50)."
"Catch and Release"
"In recent years, many bass anglers have taken to releasing their catch in a spirit of conservation and in pursuit of larger bass. With so many fishermen recycling fish, the old standard of 0.25 [keeper] bass per hour may no longer be adequate to gauge the quality of a bass fishery. Creel surveys now account for all bass caught rather than focusing on only those fish which are kept."
"The St. Johns River has been very productive for catch-and-release fishing. Lake George and Lake Dexter (including the river stretch to Crows Bluff) had success rates for all bass caught [kept and/or released] ranging from 0.3 to 0.8 through most of the 1980s. Lake Kissimmee produced a bass [kept and/or released] for each two hours of work during spring, summer and fall of 1988."
"1989 Scorecard"
"How did Florida’s lakes stack up for 1989? For largemouth bass fishing, the best success could be had on the St. Johns River in Lake Dexter and upriver to Crows Bluff (0.64 per hour, kept or released)."
