Fourteen Years of Management and Fishing Success in Alabama's State-owned Public Fishing Lakes

Abstract

Twenty state-owned lakes containing 1,733 acres were opened to public fishing for 1 to 14 years during the period of 1950 to 1964 and provided a total of 13,695 acre-years of fishing. During this 14-year period, a total of 1,844,397 fishermen caught 7,855,325 fish weighing 2,375,788 pounds which included 413,876 largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) weighing 395,222 pounds. These lakes, therefore, provided per acre an annual average of 135 fisherman-trips and a catch of 573 fish weighing 173 pounds including 30 largemouth bass weighing 29 pounds. The highest average catch of 224 pounds per acre occurred during the first year of fishing following opening. The average catch per acre during each of the following 13 years ranged from 151 pounds during the third year to 202 pounds for the fourteenth year. Approximately 7,380,000 visitors, in addition to fishermen, used the lake areas for picnicking, hiking, camping, swimming, and boating. Revenues received from the sale of fishing permits and boat rental fees were adequate to cover costs of management, operation, and maintenance. Management consisted of fertilization, partial poisoning with rotenone, restocking of fingerling largemouth bass, and annual spraying of 2,4-D to control marginal vegetation.