260 
of the opening morning. In no case was 
the weight or number of bass taken in 
the first morning sufficiently great to repre- 
sent a significant reduction in the total bass 
population. The catch of highest poundage 
in relation to total poundage of available 
bass in the lake was taken during the first 
InLinois NarurAL History Survey BULLETIN 
Vol. 26, Art. 2 
is shown in table 17. It is obvious that 
a sudden drop in catch rate occurred in 
each of these years regardless of when 
fishing was begun. (See data for 1944, 
when fishing was begun in August.) Years 
in which few, or no, bluegills were in the 
lake and the fishing was mostly for bass 
Table 17—Average weekly rate of catch (by weight) of fish at Ridge Lake. In 1942, 1944, 
1945, 1947, and 1949, the population of the lake was principally largemouth bass. In 1946, 
1948, and 1950, large numbers of bluegills as well as bass were available. 
Rate or Carcu IN Pounps pER MaAn-Houwr oF FiIsHinG 
September 
June | July August 
FisHING SEASON ag ee ee “4 eee ae | ae | ue | |) ow | eee 
S18) oj} oe] 8) O )o) oo | 8 | el wo Phe ees 
SIFIBISBIE IEE IS le IEEE lS IETE 
t(E(ElE2 |e) ElE lS) sel 2S 
om a | | + = a sie + - co ioe) ty - nN se) 
Bass! | 
eS ei a Mery es, — | — 0.13.0.06,0.040.02)0.06\0. 100.02 0.01 0.01 0.01 —|—|]— 
aE FER es ee Cea eae — | —}— |} — |} — | — | — | -— I] Ke 0.16,0. 11,0. 10/0. 32/0. 24/0. 11 
PR eee Rc pata — | — |0.37)0.33)0.15]0.10}0.07\0. 18)0.32/0. 12/0. 11|0.07;0.29) — | — 
es ace etic eit te re — 0.18 0.10,0.07\0.07\0.10/0.05)0.03)0.18 0.140.11 0.22/0.24| — | — 
PRSUS. Sick. seo ers he — (0.22,0.13.0. 12/0. 150. 12}0.07|0.08)0.07/0.09,0.03/0. 08 —|—|— 
Bass AND BLUEGILLS? | 
ee ND i Se oe eae 0.32\0.33'0.24|0.20.0.18)0.21/0.19)0.12/0.17|0.17|0.20)0.18.0.23) — | — 
| bo: 3 SRA a Ae ok aa — |0.41)0.25)0.26 0.160. 21|0.23)0.15/0.24,0.23'0.21)0.19)}0.16} — | — 
ECU TIC ee ay ON — | — |0.13)0.14,0.13'0.08}0.09,0.07,0.09)0.10,0.25)0.15| — | — | —_ 
i The ey average for the years in which fishing was principally for largemouth bass was 0.13 pound per man-hour 
of fishing. 
* The grand average for the years in which large numbers of bluegills as well as bass were available was 0.19 pound 
per man-hour of fishing. 
morning of the 1949 fishing season; it 
amounted to approximately 6.3 per cent of 
the available poundage. The catch of larg- 
est number in relation to the total number 
of available bass in the lake was taken in the 
first morning of 1947; it amounted to 
about +.6 per cent of the available popu- 
lation. The fact that the catch rate of 
bass dropped in all years within a few 
hours after the lake was opened to public 
fishing, and before more than a small 
proportion of the available bass popu- 
lation had been caught, suggests either that 
the more aggressive fish were hooked early 
on the first day or that the fish lucky 
enough to avoid being hooked during the 
first few hours became wary of noisy 
boats and of baits attached to lines. 
That the rate of catch (by weight) 
of bass dropped to a low level within the 
first few weeks of fishing in each of the 
years in which public fishing was allowed 
(1942, 1944, 1945, 1947, and 1949) are 
shown in the upper part of table 17; years 
of considerable fishing for both bass and 
bluegills are shown in the lower part. 
Interesting points suggested by the up- 
per division of table 17 are that in most 
years the poorest weeks of bass fishing 
occurred during middle or late July or 
middle or late August. In 1945, 1947, 
and 1949, an increase in catch rate (by 
weight) appeared in either the first or 
second week in August. In all years shown 
in the upper part of table 17 except 1942, 
a rise in catch rate was shown for either 
the last week in August or the first week — 
in September. This late-season rise prob- — 
ably was associated with a cooling of the — 
lake, resulting from lower air tempera- 
tures at night. No explanation is suggested 
for the striking fluctuations in weekly — 
catch rates that appeared in some years 
during July and August. . 
