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12-In. Bass Limit
Helping Shenandoah
The catch of smallmouth bass 12 inches and over from 1 the Shenandoah River jumped about 28% in 1966, the second year the special 12 inch size limit was in effect, and results of the 1867 season not yet fully ana lyzed indicate that i this trend is continuing, reports Fish Research Biologist ! Eugene Surber. A fish kill on the main river between Riverton and Byrd Bridge made ' comparisons for that section | Invalid, but the rest of the main river and the South Fork showed generaF to marked improvement. An Increase in the I sunfish catch was also noted. Anglers caught more than 3 times as many smallmouths of all sizes in 1966 as they did in 1964 before the 12 inch limit was imposed. The total take-home catch of smallmouths was reduced some 80% when the 12 inch limit went into effect in 1965 and the previously creeled 6 to 9 inch smallmouths had to be thrown back. “The Shenandoah was rapidly becoming a catfish. redhorse sucker and carp stream before the limit was imposed," said Surber. The small average size ofthebass in the river with the "keep anything” regulation prevented their serving as efficient predators, and a Bowed less desirable species to increase.
A recent decline in the catch of channel catfish from the South Fork is regarded as a good sign because the cats are thought to be competitive with bass to some extent. Fishing pressure has declined steadily since the study began in 1964.
85.3%