Page 20 - 2024MarApr

THE LONG AND SHORT OF BASS LIMITS AND HOW TO MEASURE FISH

Since the 1970s, the Wildlife Department has been Wildlife Department lakes get tremendous fishing
setting length limits for various species of fish that pressure. One study concluded that every acre of Lake
anglers can harvest. Any fish caught that doesn’t satisfy Watonga had more than 800 hours of fishing per year.
the length regulations must be returned to the water. For comparison, popular Lake Texoma was fished only
Solid scientific reasons support each regulation set. about 16 hours per acre per year, and Eufaula about six
The main philosophy behind such decisions is to give hours per acre per year.
Oklahoma sportsmen and sportswomen the best in A popular myth that length limits are necessary to
outdoor recreation, while ensuring a plentiful wildlife protect spawning bass doesn’t hold water. A female
resource for future citizens. bass can produce up to 10,000 eggs for each pound of
Small lakes and rivers have been studied extensively her body weight. Therefore, only a few fish could pro-
for good management methods. In streams, bass are duce enough young bass to fill all the habitat available
highly vulnerable to fishermen. Length limits in streams to that age class. That’s an abstract concept, but put
have significantly increased both the sport fishery and, more simply, a lake can support only so many young
after a few years, the total fish harvest. bass. For instance, if it can support 1,000 young bass, it
Length limits, when applied in the right situation, doesn’t matter how many eggs are hatched. The excess
are a very positive management tool. But, before we will die from disease, predation, starvation or any of a
can understand the biological need for length limits, hundred other causes. A lake must be in balance to pro-
it’s important to recognize the problem. Simply, it boils duce quality fishing.
down to either overharvest or underharvest, as com- Under ideal conditions, bass grow at a fairly rapid
pared with the water body’s ability to provide forage. rate. In its first year, a bass may reach 4 to 6 inches.
More than a half-million anglers use Oklahoma By the next year, it could be 10 inches, and after just
waters each year for fishing. Improvement in fishing three years it reach 12.5 inches. The growth rate of
tackle and the unending refinement of techniques bass in any location really depends on the availability
have made today’s fisherman a much more efficient of forage. When the numbers of forage fish of the
predator. That, combined with the vast numbers of right size are in balance with the bass, growth and
fishermen of all kinds, has led to a decline in the quali- fishing is excellent.
If by chance bass are underharvested, popula-
ty of fishing on many smaller lakes and streams. tion structures can go out of balance the other
WILDLIFEDEPARTMENT.COM way. Competition for forage fish becomes intense

among bass, and their growth rate slows dramati-
cally. This phenomenon is called “stockpiling” and
is a real danger when length limits are implemented.
Lakes must be constantly monitored by biologists
to assure that the regulations are accomplishing the
objective of quality fishing. If stockpiling of smaller
fish occurs, regulations need to be adjusted to allow
for greater harvest.
This is what ODWC did in 2022, when it changed
the length limits for largemouth and smallmouth bass
in lakes and rivers. Now, the statewide harvest limit for
those species is six fish per day, and only one of those
can be longer than 16 inches. Bass in the 12- to 15-inch
class that wind up on the stringer are good keepers
When measuring a bass, squeeze the tailfin together for
an accurate reading. and well worth the effort to clean and eat.
GETFISHSTIX.COM

A bump-nosed fishing ruler has a built-in stop for the fish’s
nose, and often can be stuck onto a boat surface for handy
use while angling.

18 OUTDOOR OKLAHOMA