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RECOMMENDATIONS <br />One difficulty in monitoring the striped bass spawning run is the <br />unpredictable effect of fluctuating spring water temperature on timing of <br />the run. A longer time period is needed in the field to cover not only the <br />movement upstream but also the postspawning return to the reservoir. Any <br />predation on native fishes would be more likely to occur after spawning when <br />appetite of the fish returns. Coverage of the run at Gypsum Canyon should <br />commence the first week of May and extend at least through the month of June. <br />In addition, sampling above Cataract Canyon should commence before or at the <br />latest when females enter the catch at Gypsum and continue until the run <br />returns to the lake. Sampling crews are needed both above and below Cataract <br />Canyon because if the lower crew shifted to above the canyon when females <br />entered the catch and the run did not reach above the canyon, data for the <br />year would be lost. <br />Current gillnet mesh size is 6.4 cm (2.5 in) bar measure. If information <br />on larger or smaller native fishes is desired, then additional mesh sizes <br />such as 3.8 cm (1.5 in) and 8.9 cm (3.5 in) should be fished. If other mesh <br />sizes are used, they should be fished in addition to the present size so that <br />catch of striped bass is not diminished. <br />The large amount of floating debris reduces the efficiency of the <br />ichthyoplankton nets fished for bass eggs and larvae. As noted in the results <br />section, the nets could only be fished for 2-3 minutes before filling with <br />debris. The current mesh size of 0.565 mm is needed to catch bass larvae, <br />but could be increased in size if only eggs were being sought with the plankton <br />nets. The increase in mesh size would not reduce the amount of debris signi- <br />ficantly but would lengthen the fishing time somewhat. Additional types of <br />gear such as plexiglas larvae traps should be considered for capturing larvae <br />after they complete the pelagic stage of life.