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Panfish Use of and Angler Success at Evergreen Tree, Brush, and Stake‐Bed Structures
Author(s) -
Johnson David L.,
Lynch William E.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
north american journal of fisheries management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.587
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1548-8675
pISSN - 0275-5947
DOI - 10.1577/1548-8675(1992)012<0222:puoaas>2.3.co;2
Subject(s) - evergreen , fishery , sampling (signal processing) , fishing , fish <actinopterygii> , ecology , environmental science , biology , engineering , filter (signal processing) , electrical engineering
The material selected for artificial structures is usually determined by availability or by the preference of a sponsoring organization. Comparative studies of panfish use of different structure materials and types have been inconclusive, largely because of confounding effects of depth, location within a reservoir, or difference in fish populations. We evaluated the utility of several materials and types in a localized area of an Ohio reservoir. The materials consisted of vertical and prone evergreen trees, a brush pile, and stake beds with 150‐mm and 350‐mm spacing. Utility was based on fish attraction (determined by pop‐net sampling), angler success (determined by controlled angling), and cost ofeach material. Evergreen trees yielded pop‐net catches ofbluegills Lepomis macrochirus that were equal to or significantly greater than catches at the other structures. Catches of white crappies Pomoxis annularis were not significantly different between materials during pop‐net sampling. Anglers enjoyed their best success for both species when fishing at evergreen trees, which were the only structures to provide a mean catch per hour for either species that was significantly greater than the desired goal of 2 fish/h. Evergreen tree and brush‐pile structures were the least expensive to construct; of the two, we recommend evergreen trees because they provided a better return to the angler. We discourage construction of stake beds because they were expensive to build and yielded poor angler catches.