GENE R. WILDE, Texas Tech University, Department of Range & Wildlife Management, Lubbock, Texas 79409-2125, USA

Recreation specialization has been defined as a "continuum of behavior from a general to the particular reflected by equipment and skills used in the sport and activity setting preferences." The location of anglers along this continuum is reflected in a number of characteristics such as frequency of fishing, technique preferences, and importance of catch. Despite the potential utility of the specialization concept, lack of a simple index has limited its adoption by fishery managers. Using results from a statewide survey of Texas largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides anglers, I developed an index that explains 80% of the variance in anglers' position along the specialization continuum. The index weights responses to four questions about anglers' orientation toward catch and release fishing, orientation toward catching trophy fish, use of fishing magazines, and the number of rod-reel combinations used on a typical fishing trip. I used an independent sample of anglers to validate and asses the utility of the index. Anglers, grouped by their index scores, differed significantly (P<0.01) in several characteristics including their frequency of fishing, motivations and orientations toward fishing, and in their support for various management activities.