Bus Route Creel Survey of the Duck River, Tennessee

C. Blake Condo and Phillip Bettoli
Tennessee Cooperative Fishery Research Unit Tennessee Tech. University 105 Pennabaker Hall Cookeville, TN 38505, Tele. (931) 372-3701 and (931) 372-3094, Fax (931) 372-6257; Email cbc8175@tntech.edu

No information existed on the recreational fishery on the Duck River in south-central Tennessee, which has the largest stretch of unregulated river in the state. A bus route creel survey was conducted on a 240-km reach of the Duck River during April-October 1998. In order to define angler species preferences and measure effort, catch, harvest, and economic impact. Anglers caught 28 species and harvested 26 species. Black bass (Micropterus dolomieu, M. punctulatus, and M. salmoides) were the preferred species for 17% of the respondents and represented 19% of the total catch. However, black bass only represented 7% of the total harvest. Catfish (Ameiurus natalis, Ictalurus punctatus, and Pylodictis olivaris) were the target species for 17% of the respondents and represented 19% of the total catch and 29% of the total harvest. During preliminary surveys, a locally intense redhorse (Moxostoma anisurum, M. carinatum, and M. macrolepidotum) fishery during the pre-spawn and spawn period was observed. The reach of the Duck River surveyed was not a very popular fishing destination; pressure over the seven months was only 25,105 h. Monthly effort peaked in May with 7819 h of effort. Expenditures included variable and travel costs and totaled only $83,230.