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<br />creel census that percentage declined to 39% and dropped to 22% <br />in 1996. In 1997 striped bass harvest rebounded to 59% of total <br />sport fish harvest. <br />Catchability of striped bass is tied to relative abundance <br />of both striped bass and shad. High striped bass catches <br />generally correlated with low shad abundance. Lack of forage <br />makes angling easier for hungry striped bass. Infrequently, a <br />shad peak, which generally equates with low striped bass <br />abundance, means that forage is plentiful and striped bass are <br />difficult to catch. Lake Powell angling regulations do not allow <br />the use of live bait which has proven to be effective in other <br />waters at times when forage is common. When shad were abundant, <br />cut frozen anchovies which is historically the most common <br />striped bass bait at Lake Powell, proved ineffective. <br />Angler attitudes were influenced by vulnerability of a <br />particular species to capture. When asked what species anglers <br />wanted to catch they most often responded with a species that had <br />a high catch rate. When striped bass catch rate is up, more <br />anglers said they were pursuing striped bass. Most Lake Powell <br />anglers were generalists who preferred to catch "something" as <br />opposed to specialists who only fish for a certain species <br />(Gustaveson et ale 1998). High striped bass catch rates <br />apparently drew anglers to Lake Powell, probably due to the large <br />size and large number of striped bass that were taken when <br />fishing was good. In contrast, a high smallmouth bass catch rate <br />has proven to be less effective at drawing anglers. Fishing <br />pressure in 1996 was lower than expected despite a record high <br />smallmouth catch, possibly in response to the low striped bass <br />catch rate (Figure 6). <br />striped bass are a schooling fish that tend to feed as a <br />group. Feeding activity in one fish triggers a feeding response <br />in other members of the school. Anglers caught fish in bunches <br />when an active school was encountered. After the school departed <br />few striped bass were caught until another striped bass school <br />was located. Hit-and-miss angling characterized the striped bass <br /> <br />35 <br />