Your Fastest Derby Limit

[Chief Grey Bear]

Wow, work a couple of days and miss a lot.....

If the anglers do a good job and the fish come to us in good shape we have a very high survival rate (98.4% last year for all fish weighed). We are in contact with fisheries biologist, like Gene Gilliland in OK, on a regular basis to make improvements to our systems and decrease mortality.

EP

I would be interested in seeing the data and how it was arrived at. Was it that 98.4% of them swam away at the end of the day? Or they were held and it is positively known that 98.4% survived longer than a week?

The competitive spirit that built this country is what drives us to compete against one another in business, research and even fishing tournaments. The almighty dollar isn't bad, greed and dishonesty are bad.

Nahh, it was greed for the dollar that built this country. Cattle Baron's, Land Baron's, Railroad Baron's, you name it, it was done for the love of money. And it still is today.

[ryan]

If it wasnt for fishing tournaments and the over all popularity they have brought to the sport of bass fishing do you think that anglers would be as conscious about managment. Not only have tournaments enticed people to take up the sport of bass fishing but they have also educated those people about fish managment and conservation. I fish tournament and am an avid angler for all species. Nothing tastes better to me than some fried walleye/crappie, but I just couldn't bring myself to kill big bass. If thats what your in to than thats fine, it is your legal right. With that being said just remember that for each bass you kill you are actually killing thousands that it may produce. Im not saying that fish have never died after I weighed them in a tourney, but I take every precaution in keeping those fish alive. I caught a largemouth this spring at TR that weighed 8.8lbs, my biggest ever, I am thankful to all those that may have released her during her long life. She went striaght back in the water and I hope someone thanks me someday when they catch her again.

[Paola Cat]

Lets all swear a secret oath that we'll only eat these from now on.

and maybe pair them up with some of these:

Yummy ....

Cheers. PC

[Phil Lilley]

You would post pics like that at dinner time!!

[arsenal1477]

Id really like to know where and how you caught those crappie. I havent gotten into a good bag of those on TR in quite sometime. What would you say is the best crappie lake in MO?

[Paola Cat]

Id really like to know where and how you caught those crappie. I havent gotten into a good bag of those on TR in quite sometime. What would you say is the best crappie lake in MO?

IMO ... Stockton. Those are Kansas flat-lander crappie. PC

[duckydoty]

If it wasnt for fishing tournaments and the over all popularity they have brought to the sport of bass fishing do you think that anglers would be as conscious about managment. Not only have tournaments enticed people to take up the sport of bass fishing but they have also educated those people about fish managment and conservation. I fish tournament and am an avid angler for all species. Nothing tastes better to me than some fried walleye/crappie, but I just couldn't bring myself to kill big bass. If thats what your in to than thats fine, it is your legal right. With that being said just remember that for each bass you kill you are actually killing thousands that it may produce. Im not saying that fish have never died after I weighed them in a tourney, but I take every precaution in keeping those fish alive. I caught a largemouth this spring at TR that weighed 8.8lbs, my biggest ever, I am thankful to all those that may have released her during her long life. She went striaght back in the water and I hope someone thanks me someday when they catch her again.

This is some information that I've been finding on the internet. A lot of it applies to tournaments. Some is about growth rates and longevity of bass.

Taken from In-Fisherman website out of an article called "Growth and Abundance".

Largemouth bass, like other species, may well live much longer than we previously thought, as shown by recent tagging studies and new aging techniques. One largemouth bass from New York was 23 years old when recaptured, while a New Hampshire smallmouth of 26 years was documented in 1999. Analysis of bass otoliths (ear stones) shows the age of older fish more accurately than the traditional scale method, particularly in warmer climates and for bass more than 8 years old. That method has shown some 10-pound bass from Florida to be 10 years old. Yet a captive largemouth in a Texas aquarium grew from 14 to 19 pounds in 2 years

Taken from Country Fish Farms website off the page labeled "Largemouth Bass".

Young bass grow rapidly when food is plentiful. Usually a 2"- 4" bass will reach 6"- 8" the first year, 10"- 12" the second year and will be 12"- 14" or more after three years.

Largemouth bass usually live 6 - 10 years but some will live as long as 15 years.

In Missouri, largemouth bass usually reach spawning size in their second year at 9"- 12".

Taken from Field and Stream website.

The top 96 waters from coast to coast.

Article by Bob Marshall. Uploaded on December 14, 2006

Table Rock Lake. "It has a largemouth bass population with excellent size structure every year. The management biologist credits good water quality and fast bass growth rates."-Mike Colvin, Division of Fisheries, Missouri Department of Conservation.

Taken from Southern Regional Aquaculture Center

SRAC Publication No. 722

Species Profile

Largemouth Bass

As with most fish, the growth rate

of largemouth bass is highly variable

and depends on food supply

and environmental conditions.

Largemouth can grow to more

than 2 pounds their first year

under ideal conditions, but in

nature about 0.5 pound is normal.

Taken from MDC website

Facts Page on Smallmouth Bass

Smallmouth bass have a maximum life expectancy of about 18 years; however, only a few ever live even half that long.

Biology page

Growth in reservoirs is typically better, with smallmouth bass reaching 15 inches or greater in five years.

Missouri Black Bass Fishing page

A 5-pound smallmouth will earn an angler bragging rights. A 5-pound spotted or Kentucky bass is even more rare. However, 5-pound largemouth bass are relatively common.

Introduction to Missouri fishes

Life span of the spotted bass is only 6 years.

Life span of the largemouth bass is 10-15 years.

Life span of the smallmouth bass is 10-12 years.

All three of these fish become adults at around 10 inches

LMBV fact page

The effects of LMBV appear to be short term, with bass populations recovering after even a large kill in two to three years.

The Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries

Biologists have calculated growth rates.

Largemouth Bass 6.9 inches 1 yr. 10.6 inches 2 yrs 13.3 inches 3 yrs 15.4 inches 4 yrs 17.2 inches 5 yrs

Wikipedia states

The Largemouth bass lives 16 years on average.

Taken from lakemanagement.org website

Managing largemouth bass article

Average growth rates for largemouth bass have been calculated and are as follows

· Age I -8 inches

· Age II -12 inches

· Age III -15 inches;

· Age IV -17 inches

· Age V-18 inches

Taken from Bassfishingangcatching.com/largemough-bass

Here in Tennessee, where I and my bass bum™ buddies primarily fish, a largemouth (northern strain) can reach 10" in two growing seasons, 17" in three and 18" in four.

Taken from Data provided courtesy of Aquaculture/Fisheries Center, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff - (Dr. Peter Perschbacher)

Largemouth can grow to more than 2 pounds their first year under ideal conditions, but in nature about 0.5 pound is normal.

Again found on the internet pertaining to catch and release…

mortality rate is 22%

reported by Myers & Poarch (2000)

Myers and Poarch (2000), found that the occurrence of bleeding in hooked fish was

related to both mortality and hooking location. Of 19 bleeding fish, 47% died,

whereas only 20% of non-bleeding fish died.

and 38% mortality rate reported by

Rutledge & Pritchard (1977).

Although bass caught in recent tournaments can have

high survival rates (Edwards, Neumann, Jacobs &

O’Donnell 2004a), other recent tournaments still exhibit

mortality rates that exceed 50% (Neal & Lopez-

Clayton 2001; Gilliland 2002; Wilde, Larson, Redell &

Wilde 2002).

Retention of bass in livewells coupled with angling related

stress during competitive angling events could

lead to an increased prevalence of largemouth bass

virus (LMBV) and ultimately increased mortality rates.

Schramm &

Davis (2006) observed extremely high rates of mortality

in adult largemouth bass 5 days after simulating

common tournament conditions. Although mortality

was slightly lower (75%) in livewells obtaining treatment

(i.e. water cooled 3 _C from ambient, 0.3%

uniodised salt) compared with control livewells (85%)

Catch and Release Fishing Effectiveness and Mortality

Summary of Results of Catch and Release Mortality Studies

LM Bass test ponds ponds 5.80%

Seems like the studies are all over the place. Tournament mortality rates are anywhere from 2% to 85% with catch and release methods depending on water conditions, treatment of the fish, where the fish was hooked, how long played, how long held out of the water and how released. None of the studies say a 0% mortality rate.

100 anglers in a tourney bringing in 6 fish with a 2% mortality rate = 12 dead fish

100 anglers in a tourney bringing in 6 fish with an 85% mortality rate = 510 dead fish

Pretty scary????

We can carry this over to the people that spend 1000's of hours fishing Table Rock Lake each year and catch 1000's of fish.

Lets say it is only 2000 fish that they catch and release each year on Table Rock Lake. With the last study I posted...

Catch and Release Fishing Effectiveness and Mortality

Summary of Results of Catch and Release Mortality Studies

LM Bass test ponds ponds 5.80%

2000(bass) X .058(mortality rate)= 260 dead bass per year. Been doing this for 20 yrs????? 5200 specimens will have fallen from the grasps of others all from the fishing of one person.

6 dead bass by one angler per year looks way better than those numbers.

Catch and release is a good thing..... The range of 15 to 98% survival rate is way better than a 0% survival rate. When a couple of fellows that fish 1000's of hours catching 1000's of bass get upset over the loss of 6 fish a year by someone else????? Makes me wonder.

Seems growth rates are all over the board too. Anywhere from 1/2 pound per year to 2 1/2 pounds per year. MDC stated that Table Rock Lake had a high growth rate. What does that really mean?

Longevity seems to be all over the place too. Who do we believe. These scientist and biologist cant even agree.

[Chief Grey Bear]

Great work Ducky. You seem to have put a lot of time and effort into this. I am glad you did.

In you very last statement:

"Seems growth rates are all over the board too. Anywhere from 1/2 pound per year to 2 1/2 pounds per year. MDC stated that Table Rock Lake had a high growth rate. What does that really mean?

Longevity seems to be all over the place too. Who do we believe. These scientist and biologist cant even agree."

Longevity and growth rates can differ greatly and are dictated by the waterway in which the individual fish lives in. Forage, habitate, and fishing pressure are just some of the key elements that determine both. There will be great differences in impounded waters vs. flowing water. There will even be differences from lake to lake or pond to pond and also from river to river. All though most are relitively close in nature, there are noticable differences. It really can just depend on where the reported data came from.

[duckydoty]

Great work Ducky. You seem to have put a lot of time and effort into this. I am glad you did.

In you very last statement:

"Seems growth rates are all over the board too. Anywhere from 1/2 pound per year to 2 1/2 pounds per year. MDC stated that Table Rock Lake had a high growth rate. What does that really mean?

Longevity seems to be all over the place too. Who do we believe. These scientist and biologist cant even agree."

Longevity and growth rates can differ greatly and are dictated by the waterway in which the individual fish lives in. Forage, habitate, and fishing pressure are just some of the key elements that determine both. There will be great differences in impounded waters vs. flowing water. There will even be differences from lake to lake or pond to pond and also from river to river. All though most are relitively close in nature, there are noticable differences. It really can just depend on where the reported data came from.

I had nothing better to do for 3 days (All fishing gear is packed and heading to Alaska later today) so I decided to educate myself.

[magicwormman]

arsenal1477

Chestnut Lamprey

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22-May 08 Posted 11 May 2010 - 06:57 PM

thanks all. was just reading a post the other day and someone caught an 8.6, then they started talking about a few nines. i have never had anything break me off down there and the biggest i have caught was a little over 5. been fishing down there 25 years and cant manage to get a lunker of 7lb+...besides dynamite i have tried everything.

Maybe, you just answered your own question. I'm positive if everyone would release big bass, you would have caught a 7 lber by now.

I'm not a great fisherman, but have caught several LM, 7 to 9 lbs prior to the fish kill. Since 1999, I have only caught one 8.8 lber (released after pic). My big fish this year is under 5 lbs with over 300 hours of fishing. As stated before, Table Rock is a good fishing lake, not a great lake, like it was prior to the fish kill. I hope, with intelligent conservation, the lake will someday rebound to the jewel it once was.