the 1946 fishing season, the lake was closed for 2 weeks to allow the bass to "forget," but the 

 catch rate was no better after the rest period. Whether a period of 1 or 2 months free from 

 fishing is siifficient to cause bass to lose their wariness is not known, because little fishing >■ 

 has been done at Ridge Lake in late September and early October after the lake has been fished 

 heavily during June, July, and August. However, by the spring following a season of heavy 

 fishing the bass seem to have lost their wariness. 



Individual catch records of fishermen who fished Ridge Lake five or more times 

 during 1949 indicate that some fishermen are much more skillful than others in catching bass. 

 One man who fished the lake 14 times during the season had an average catch rate of 1 pound 

 of bass per 1.76 hours; another who fished the lake 11 times caught bass at the rate of 1 

 pound per 1.92 hours. Both of these seasonal rates were better than the average rate of all 

 fishermen on the opening day. Still another fisherman who fished the lake 20 times had a 

 catch rate of 1 pound of bass per 11.1 hours, a poor rate as compared to the season average. 

 This fisherman apparently was unable to develop a satisfactory technique for inducing bass to 

 strike. 



Most of the experienced bass fishermen ■who fished Ridge Lake more than once 

 were enthusiastic regarding the catches made there. Inexperienced local anglers who made 

 poor catches ■were satisfied because they had been unable to do as well else^where and they 

 appreciated the opportunity of having a place to fish -within a reasonable driving distance. It 

 is quite probable that a number of fishermen who drove 150 to 250 miles to fish and went away 

 empty handed were dissatisfied. Because of the xincertainty of bass fishing, no attempt has 

 been made to advertise the Izike other than to publish records of iinusual catches and to an- 

 nounce the opening dates in the newspapers of nearby to^wns and cities. 



I For reasons mentioned pre^viously, the authors believe that the cost of $8.66 per 



pound of bass taken in Ridge Lake in 1949 is low for bass fishing in Illinois. A pound of bass 

 from most lakes in Illinois might cost from $10 to $15. Yet many more sportsmen would pur- 

 chase fishing equipment and willingly pay other costs if satisfactory bass fishing were available. 



If bass fishing has a recreational value equal to the costs involved, the crop of bass 



produced by Ridge Lake in 1949 (540.5 poxmds) was worth $4,680.73; equivalent to $260.04 per 



acre on the basis of a full lake (18 acres) and $425.52 per acre on the basis of the lake as it 



r was in the svimmer of 1949 (H acres). 



15 



