Page 42 - 2020 May/June Outdoor Oklahoma

Brewer and Miller relocated the and snorkeled in January for a clos-
bass by walking streamside or kay- er look. Smallmouth bass shoved
aking, intent on hearing the distinct themselves between rocks, in cav-
radio signals on a receiver they car- ities, and in piles of woody debris.
ried. Tracking through the winter Fish of all sizes. Some were wedged
months revealed very little move- sideways in cavities, protected from
ment, Brewer said. swifter water,” she said.
“Their favorite habitats in win- As winter turned to spring, the
ter seemed to be deep pools. They two researchers found much varia-
would hold between rocks in slow tion among the many individual fish
water and sometimes in quite shal- that carried radios. “Females were
low rocky areas — stationary. I’m first to move,” Brewer said. “Come
an angler and naturally curious, April, they were headed upstream to

SHANNON BREWER/OSU

Neosho smallmouth bass nest over a gravelly stream bottom and aggressively guard against egg predators.

40 OUTDOOR OKLAHOMA