November, 1954 
draining, the mats of aquatic vegetation 
and the midsummer die-off were similar 
to those of preceding years except that, 
with the shallower water, the beds were 
farther down the lake toward the dam. 
By August 5, the exposed bottom of the 
upper end of the lake was grown up 
shoulder-high with smartweed and rice 
cutgrass, Leersia oryzoides (Linnaeus) 
Swartz. The upper end of the lake was 
not again reflooded until late November. 
The plant cycle of 1950 was similar to 
that of 1948. 
Fleming (1949) studied the dissolved 
oxygen content, carbon dioxide content, 
and plankton of the water within the mats 
of vegetation and compared the data he 
obtained there with similar data from open 
water. He found a daily oxygen cycle in 
the plant mats, in which the dissolved 
oxygen reading usually was highest in the 
early afternoon and lowest at about 5 
A.M. (Fleming 1949: 18-9). Entomos- 
traca and rotifers were less common in 
the vegetation than in the open water, but 
the plant mats, particularly of elodea, 
harbored considerable food for small 
fishes. 
The mats of plants in the upper end of 
Ridge Lake harbored unknown numbers 
of small fish (usually both bass and blue- 
gills) that appeared to stay within the 
plant-growth area throughout the entire 
summer season. These fish made poor 
growth; some bass fingerlings collected in 
this part of the lake in September, 1948, 
were less than 2 inches in length, although 
3.5 months of age. The midsummer die- 
off of aquatic plants probably reduced the 
number of small fish living within the 
confines of the vegetation by forcing these 
fish into open water at a time when they 
could be utilized by larger bass. ‘Thus, 
the July die-off of vegetation was prob- 
ably a wholly desirable phenomenon from 
the standpoint of fish management. 
The Creel Census 
Ridge Lake was first opened to public 
fishing in June, 1942, and, with the ex- 
ception of 1943, it has been opened each 
year since, under a system designed to 
give a complete record of all fish caught, 
the time spent in fishing, and the types of 
gear and kinds of bait used. 
BENNETT: LarRGEMOUTH Bass IN RIDGE LAKE 229 
In most years of this study, the open- 
ing date for fishing was in June, as soon 
as possible after the bass fry were actively 
schooling, and the lake was kept open 
until August 31. Exceptions were in 1942, 
when the lake, opened to fishing in June, 
was kept open until October 31; in 1944, 
when the lake was opened on August 9 
and closed on October 1; and in 1946, 
when the lake was opened on Saturday 
and Sunday of each week from April 6 
until June 1, when it was opened for 5 
days each week. 
Except as noted above, public fishing 
periods were from 6 to 10 A.M. and from 
3 to 8 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday 
of each week. The lake was closed on 
Mondays and Tuesdays. All fishing was 
done from seven boats owned by the 
Natural History Survey; for use of the 
boats no rental charge was made. ‘The 
demand for these boats was so great that 
usually it was necessary for fishermen to 
make reservations for them in advance by 
mail or phone, particularly early in the 
season. Requests for boats during the 
first few days of the season were filled by 
drawing names from among those of the 
many applicants. 
Fishermen coming from _ distances 
greater than 25 miles were allowed to re- 
serve boats for both the morning and 
afternoon periods of any day on which 
they were permitted to fish. Those driving 
distances of less than 25 miles were limited 
to either a morning or an afternoon period 
of any day for which they were given per- 
mits. No bank fishing was allowed, be- 
cause such fishing would have made im- 
possible the collecting of complete fishing 
records and because the banks bordering 
the lake are very steep and the control of 
bank erosion was and is a problem difficult 
of solution. 
All boats were stationed at the pier or 
boat dock immediately below the labora- 
tory. Before each fishing period, fishermen 
having reservations for that period were 
checked in at this pier, where each sub- 
mitted his state fishing license in return 
for a Ridge Lake fishing permit. On each 
permit were recorded the fisherman’s 
name, his address, and the time of day 
when he began fishing. At the end of the 
fishing period or sooner, if he became 
tired, the fisherman returned to the pier, 
