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<br />174
<br />
<br />CALlFOBN1AFlSB .u.'"D GA~
<br />
<br />Lal'gemouth baas, Hu..; ~r;;oU-ii-~t.c'peae} ,'~-~~..:,
<br />
<br />Local N arnes. Largemouth bass j bass; black bass.
<br />
<br />Recognition CharacterS: ThiS see'" to be one of the feW fish in the dm
<br />which is rarely mistaken for other sp"'i.. hy fishermen. It is easily dis.
<br />tinguished from the other centrorchids here (L.po..i, and po..ori,) h,
<br />its more elongat. hody (depth ahout one-thUd in standard length) and
<br />deeply divided dorsal fin. HoweVer, a fair number of anglers seen in
<br />, 1942 be\iffi1edij to be the srsallmonth bass (Microptet'" dolo..i.,,), , fish
<br />which ;g appareiitfy-iiot p_nt in thelower Colorado. In thelargemouili
<br />hass the npper jaw nmaUy extendS paartlie1Und margin of the eye
<br />being shorter in the smaUmouth. The spinous and soft portions of i';
<br />dorsal fin or< almost separat.a, while they are well eonnected in the
<br />latter species.
<br />
<br />Diotnl""....; .Ab..donce; Habitat ,- Thepresenee of this introduoeJ
<br />form haa..used a great deal of sp"'nlation by fishermen. The species h..
<br />been planted several times in waterS uf the Coloradn, and the ,,\illn'
<br />stock nndonhtedlY haa a multiple origin. Although present for mon,
<br />y..rs, aceording to "old.timers," it didnot beeome plentiful until the
<br />water cleared.
<br />It is now abUndant througbout the lower river and its distribnta,;"
<br />wherever the water is fairly elear and quiet. It is also preaent in muddy
<br />eanals and drain ditehes, bnt not aa eo_on bere. ExceedinglY turbid
<br />waters mch aa the Alamo and New dvers, their small" ent-Otf lakes," and
<br />the can"" and drains of the Imperial V alley appear to snpport but feW
<br />bass. Especially good bass fishing pre<aHs in I",ke HO'''''' and in th.
<br />"lakes" above Imperial Dam. ." .
<br />
<br />Sie" Growth; C ondilion. Onr pedods of field work did not coinei,le ~ith
<br />the pedods of greatest fishing int.usity in 1942, and tbe reduced ""m""
<br />of anglers in ,.-a.-time atforded bnt little opportunity to exan,ine ,I"
<br />catches of many fishermen. 1t is necessary, tberefore, to seek o"t nth"
<br />records in order to gain a coneept of tbe size of bass taken in t\,is ^'..
<br />During April and May, 1940, concession,.;res at Lake Havesu tu,,,eJ "
<br />reco,ds of 264 bass to the DiviSion of Fish and Game. Tb"e h"\ '"
<br />average weight of almo" 2 pounds. According to Mr. J. A. Dann". p'.'
<br />prietor of Needl" Boat Landing, the largest bass he bad scen at W'
<br />Havasu np to February 1942, ",.eighed 9lbs. 4 oz., dressed. In 1''''-'~
<br />bass from this lake won 5th nrize in the N o.-thern DiviSion of "Field ",
<br />Stream '," national "Big Fish Contest." ThiS bass weigb'" '.5 I'"
<br />(Anon.,194<.) Tbe records of tbe first prize mnne.. of the ,n""no>
<br />and Gun Clnb" con"" beld each year from Februa'" tbrough Al'"l ,-
<br />as follow", 1940, 6 Ib,. 2 oz. ; 1941, 8 Ibs. 1 oz. ; 1942:8 Ibs. 2 oz. , 1'J'. ,
<br />Ibs. 14 oz. All of tb"e fish were eangbt at Imperial Dam or in the "~'"
<br />above the dam. These are, of eourse, the more exceptional ft,h. but ,t'
<br />app<rent that hass of very satisfactory size are taken. T,.-o und th'"
<br />pound fish f1,re commonly caught. h
<br />None of tbe bass scen in 1942 were in poor condition. Ph""'''';
<br />of many bass taken at La.e Havesu in 1940 and 1941 and at w,n' ,
<br />Lake in 1942 showed them to be in excellent condition. FbI"""'" ~
<br />no eomplaintand all seemed weU satisfied with tbe fi,hing. '[he ~,.
<br />., nol, 93 bass were availahle for examination, Of these, 83 ",,,'e"
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />THE FISHERY OF, THE LOWER cOIiiuoo---- -- . - - , '. '. .
<br />, RIVER .~--~
<br />CO,,!lder<td representative of th' ,j' ,;'
<br />. slJ>.d!.. of tIWr seal" ar.""o e, mer and ,ts lakes, and u",""
<br />A ,anety of method, (hoo .noJ" !" Tahle 5. These fish "er.'
<br />g'! ones are from angle~' t ,~ill'~els, and angling), .'MOSt,."
<br />~m May of 1942; theothe~:':' JThe majority of the fish'
<br />.~'.1J'he latte! fish had not complete! t;-nuary and Februaryof .
<br />..l most o!the'" gro,.-th had probabl h e fnll, year shown in the.
<br />" _ er samples are needed t y een attamed. - -
<br />..\1<> ")'PeciallY valnable .z p::ent a trner plctnre of growth, and .
<br />J1il'erIal Dam and from La~e H,:e larger samples from the lakes
<br />,from these loealities the gro~asu. Had the sample included
<br />. ..,..m1sm,tain<td,~"-"" :.at~ w?uld have appeared far
<br />)'..ed WIth the largemonth m:.. emdkat'''9rU:''9'i.gr<>wth
<br />.Jr"honId be noted that the bass f from other water, ,hown'", -
<br />. e fork of the taH while th ro;n the lower Colorado were
<br />the extreme tip ofthe tail fi' ose rom the other waters were
<br />, ' ..,. ' n.
<br />
<br />H-;--^'---
<br />." : ~_ TABLE 5
<br />es;ze of $3 fal'gemouth b
<br />, ' d" J us taken from th r
<br />. "!"Ing anuary, February a d M' e ower ColOl'ado RiveI'
<br />, nay, 1942
<br />
<br />Length in Incha
<br />10 Fork in Tail
<br />1.4
<br />6.6
<br />9.6
<br />13,{)
<br />14.8
<br />16.2
<br />
<br />Weight in Pound.
<br />
<br />No, of Fi,1l
<br />1
<br />34'
<br />13
<br />23
<br />8
<br />4
<br />
<br />I" fllJ,r-CJ4U
<br />1942
<br />1941
<br />1940
<br />1939
<br />1938
<br />1937
<br />
<br />0.17
<br />0.52
<br />1.1
<br />
<br />TABLE 6
<br />c~~Avel'age size of lal' "
<br />,.,.,..--' ,"c. gemouth bass fl'om oth · I"
<br />,('.-' el' ',oca .t,es
<br />j::;~ ' Tolal Len{/th in Inches
<br />
<br />Lou Mead St No..ri, Re.~o;r
<br />(Af ff ate of Wisconsin .~. v .
<br />o eft, 1943) (B (EBchm""'-
<br />ennett,1937) ~~~.
<br />10,3 and Jones, 1941)*
<br />~~ ~ 8~
<br />13.4 105 12,7
<br />}4,6 ' }4,7
<br />, n ,15.2 i;:g 15.7
<br />
<br />~l~~ in their ,Table 3. The Ie' ---
<br />. "c" e reservOIr (excluding sin~reSsfd~~ abothve a.re the a.verages of
<br />T; .., r ng e 1938-1940 period,
<br />; h1 1942 all of the bas 11 .
<br />.,were sexually matnre a:d ait f,;,hee long or over which
<br />~OnIY four fish of smaller size ::u t ese fish ,.-ere tbree years
<br />~ .. sexnal development T ' 1'0 years old, were found
<br />~. awoUen testes hut ";;ghtw:O~t these, males, 9.9 and 10.8
<br />.~..",yspeDt female 11.3 inch I ave spawned m that year.
<br />~. ,g}Oilt. es oug; one a male 8.1 inches
<br />
<br />'if'-old bass collected in Ma
<br />tnJ,:'~d m~kedlY highe! ~;~~ ;.ra~~ P?i~oles in the Gila River with
<br />,8.',' a,erage weight of 1 pound. oS110 fish had an a'ieTage
<br />:;:<> n Y one contained food at
<br />~X;i~^
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