Use of High Density Largemouth Bass Populations to Improve Total Fisheries of Small City and State Park Impoundments in Texas

JOHN PRENTICE AND ROBERT BETSILL, Heart of the Hills Research Station, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, HC 7, Box 62, Ingram, Texas 78025, USA

In a series of small (<10 hectare) city and state park impoundments, creation and maintenance of a high density (>150 fish per hour in electrofishing samples) largemouth bass (>150 mm TL) population was attempted to monitor response of sunfish populations and change in angler catch rates. Spring, summer and fall electrofishing and spring and fall angling samples were taken in treated and untreated impoundments. Angler catch rates of both largemouth bass and sunfishes and growth of sunfishes appears to be increasing in treated impoundments. Use of largemouth bass under the legal harvest size in small impoundments may provide a means of improving multiple fisheries with one management action and expense.