November, 1954 
The tabulation of fishes removed by 
angling, table 3, includes all of the fish 
taken on hook and line, regardless of 
whether they were large enough to inter- 
est anglers. In table 6, the information 
on yield has been expanded to show the 
relative numbers and weights of fishes of 
desirable and undesirable sizes. During 
the period between the opening of Ridge 
Lake and June 30, 1951, the minimum 
legal length for largemouth bass in Illi- 
nois was 10 inches. In 1946 and subse- 
quent years, fishermen at Ridge Lake 
were requested to bring in all fish they 
caught, regardless of size. In table 6, 
bass are separated into those of 10 inches 
or more in length and those of less than 
10 inches. 
Minimum lengths for desirable sizes of 
fishes of other species caught at Ridge 
Lake have been set arbitrarily at 6 inches 
for bluegills, green sunfish, and war- 
mouths, and 7 inches for bullheads. Table 
6 shows that among the largemouth bass 
and bullheads taken by anglers the num- 
bers of fishes of desirable sizes far out- 
numbered those of undesirable sizes. 
Among the bluegills and green sunfish, 
however, the smaller fishes taken by 
anglers outnumbered the fishes of desir- 
able sizes. 
‘The poundages of fish per acre of water 
are shown in table 7 for the draining 
censuses and for the fish returned to the 
lake after censusing, and in table 8 for 
the annual catches by fishermen. Of par- 
ticular interest in table 7 is the gradual 
reduction in poundage of bass supported 
by the lake from March, 1943, to March, 
1947, and the rapid recovery that took 
place between March, 1947, and March, 
1949. This reduction and recovery in 
poundage of bass appears to bear no rela- 
tionship to the annual catch of bass made 
by anglers, table 8 (although combined 
bass yields of 1945 and 1946 were higher 
than the combined yields of 1943 and 
1944); the bass yield in 1948 (25.6 
pounds per acre) was considerably higher 
than that in any prior year and yet, after 
this high yield of 1948, the draining 
census of 1949, table 7, showed a bass 
population that exceeded that found in 
any other census. 
The actual gain in poundage of large- 
mouth bass during each of the four 2- 
BENNETT: LARGEMOUTH Bass IN RipGE LAKE 
243 
year periods may be determined by sub- 
tracting the poundage of the original 
stock or the poundage of the bass replaced 
in the lake after any given draining census 
from the poundage taken on the next 
census following, table 7, and to this 
figure adding the poundage of fish taken 
by anglers during the fishing seasons be- 
tween these two censuses, table 8. 
Figured on this basis, the bass gain in 
the 1941-1943 period was 58.5 pounds 
per acre; in the 1943-1945 period, 34.2 
pounds per acre; in the 1945-1947 period, 
37.2 pounds per acre; in the 1947-1949 
period, 59.8 pounds per acre; and in the 
1949-1951 period, 53.5 pounds per acre. 
Thus, although the bass _ population 
reached a low point in the 1947 census, 
the actual gain of the 1945-1947 period 
was greater than that of the 1943-1945 
period. 
The bass gains of the 1941-1943 period, 
the 1947-1949 period, and the 1949-1951 
period exceeded those of the other two 
periods, and it seems probable that with 
these gains the bass population approached 
the maximum poundage that the lake 
would support (approximately 50 pounds 
per acre). 
Figured on the same basis as that used 
for bass, tables 7 and 8, the gain in blue- 
gills was 204.7 pounds per acre in the 
1945-1947 period, 123.2 pounds in the 
1947-1949 period, and 112.1 pounds in 
the 1949-1951 period. It is difficult to 
estimate the maximum poundage of blue- 
gills the lake will support, but, figured on 
the basis of the 1947 census, it might 
exceed 200 pounds per acre. 
As may be seen in table 7, the total 
poundages of fish supported by Ridge 
Lake at the times of the various censuses 
varied widely. Because largemouth bass 
of the 1941 year-class made little or no 
growth in 1942, it is assumed that at the 
time of the census in 1943 the largemouth 
population was approaching the carrying 
capacity of the lake for this species. 
Theoretically, when other species are 
present along with largemouth bass, the 
total poundage of fish that can be sup- 
ported by the lake may be greatly in- 
creased ; except in 1947, when the bluegill 
population may have been nearing the 
potential maximum for bluegi!ls alone, the 
populations of fishes other than bass prob- 
