A carefxil estimate of the cost of bass fishing in Illinois was obtained at Ridge Leike, 

 Fox Ridge State Park, Coles County, Illinois, in 1949. In that year, the lake contained a large 

 known population of bass and essentially no other fish and was fished by the public under a 

 permit system designed to allow the recording of complete information on the catch- -indivi- 

 dual lengths, weights of fish, hours of fishing, and baits. Fishermen knew that only bass 

 miight be caught there; so all angling was for that species. 



Three fisherman and their catch on the 1949 opening day at Ridge Lake. 



