If we may assume that the cost of bass fishing and rate of catch (but not the man- 

 hours of fishing or total catch) have been nearly constant at Ridge Lake throughout the 7 years 

 the lake has been opened to public fishing, the total value of the recorded bass catch was 

 $20,424.18. This sum is equivalent to $2,917.74 per year or $162,10 per acre per year (18 

 acres assvimed as the average area of the lake). In addition to bass, 1,163.6 pounds of blue- 

 gills were taken in the years 1946-1948, inclusive. 



SXJMMARY 

 1. In 1949, Ridge Lake contained a largemouth bass population having a per acre 

 average of 93 fish weighing about 73 pounds. The lake was opened to public fishing during 

 June, July, and August, and fishermen caught 540.5 pounds (49.1 pounds per acre) at the 

 average rate of 1 pound per 7.1 hours of fishing. The catch rate dropped from a high rate 

 early in the first day of public fishing to a much lower rate before the end of the day; it re- 

 mained low through August in spite of the fact that the bass were crowded and their food 

 supply reduced. 



2. A questionnaire sent to 344 Ridge Lake fishermen was completely answered by 

 126. These men spent an average of $1.22 per hour to fish Ridge Lake and caught bass at 

 approximately the same rate as did all fishermen who fished this lake. Costs included amor- 

 tized cost of tackle and other equipment, $0.47 per hour; travel, $0.65 per hour; meals, 

 $0.08 per hour; and fishing license, $0.02 per hour. Based on the cost figures per hour of 

 fishing (exclusive of boat rental), the average expense of catching a pound of bass was $8.66. 



3. If bass have a recreational value equal to the costs involved in catching them, 

 the bass crop produced by Ridge Lake in the 7 years of fishing there had an average annual 

 value of $162.10 per acre of lake. 



LITERATURE CITED 



Bellrose, Frank C, and Clair T. Rollings 



1949. Wildlife and fishery values of bottomland lakes in Illinois. 111. Nat. 



Hist. Surv. Biol. Notes 21. 24 pp. 



Durham, Leonard, and George W. Bennett 



1949. Bass baits at Ridge Lake. 111. Wildlife 4(2): 10-13. 



I 



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