Lake Winnipesauke Anglers Watch for Tagged Bass

CONCORD, N.H. - Anglers fishing Lake Winnipesaukee are being asked to watch for largemouth and smallmouth bass tagged as part of a New Hampshire Fish and Game Department Warmwater Fisheries Management Program study. Data collected from tagged bass will allow biologists to examine bass movement after release from bass tournament weigh-ins held at Ames Farm Inn on Lake Winnipesaukee.

The study was initiated as a result of bass tournament data analysis and angler concerns. From 2001-2005, nearly half of permitted bass tournaments on Lake Winnipesaukee (170 tournaments) launched from the Ames Farm Inn. As a result, during this time, 64% of all smallmouth and largemouth bass weighed in during permitted bass tournaments on Lake Winnipesaukee were weighed and released at or near the Ames Farm launch. Scientific studies have shown that bass may remain in the general vicinity of weigh-in sites for days, weeks or even months after release.

"A stockpiling of bass at weigh-in sites could then lead to increased angler harvest and catch rates from non-tournament anglers, increased competition for food and habitat, and increased opportunities for bacterial or viral transmissions such as Largemouth Bass Virus," said Gabe Gries, Warmwater Fisheries Project Leader for N.H. Fish and Game.

During 2007, N.H. Fish and Game Department personnel will attend bass tournament weigh-ins at Ames Farm Inn and tag all bass before release. They will work with tournament directors to ensure that this tagging does not severely increase weigh-in time or compromise fish health.

Individually numbered yellow tags will be attached near the base of the bass' dorsal fin (i.e. the fin along the top of the back; see photo at the online version of this release at http://www.FishNH.com). Tags will look like a 2-inch piece of spaghetti and may be covered with algae, so look carefully. DO NOT remove the tag from bass that are to be released.

OUR PARTNERS