The Fishery of a Missouri Ozark Stream, Big Piney River, and the Effects of Stocking Fingerling Smallmouth Bass

Abstract

Abstract Over 92,000 marked fingerling smallmouth bass were stocked in Big Piney River, 1952-1955. An estimated 63,600 smallmouth bass were caught between 1953, when the first stocked fish entered the creel, and 1958 when no more marked fish were caught. Of that number, not more than 2,100 were stocked fish. This is a little more than 3% of all the bass caught and a little more than 2% return of stocked fish. Seventy species of fish were collected between 1951 and 1958 with electric shockers, hoopnets, and seines. Golden redhorse, rock bass, black redhorse, northern hog sucker, smallmouth bass and longear sunfish made up 80% of the total weight. The Ozark minnow, bleeding shiner, northern studfish, stoneroller, and bluntnose minnow were the most important forage species. This species composition is representative of Ozark headwater streams. Mean annual catch rates ranged from 35.2 to 134.9 kg/10 shocker hr of which 2.3 to 13.6 kg/10 shocker hr was bass. Big Piney River is subject to flash floods with cres...