Bass Fishing Quality (BAIT Report)
Bass Clubs in Alabama and neighboring states have submitted their tournament results to help us manage their resource. The Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division appreciates this help from anglers!
INTRODUCTION
The printing of the Alabama 2007 B.A.I.T. Report marks the twenty-first year of the B.A.I.T. program. The objective of the program since its inception has been to gather information on bass populations by combining the fishing efforts of bass club members and analysis of state fisheries biologists. The B.A.I.T. program summarizes fishing catch data on reservoir bass populations that are collected and provided to us by participating clubs. This information is used by state fisheries biologists in combination with data from other sources as a basis for fisheries management decisions. Bass anglers use the report to establish future bass fishing tournament sites or to locate a reservoir that provides a particular type of bass fishing.
SUMMARY
In spite of the record drought, 2007 might be the best year for bass fishing in the State of Alabama since the Division of Wildlife & Freshwater Fisheries began keeping records in 1986. Alabama’s bass fishermen caught more bass, larger bass, and weighed in more cumulative weight than during any of the previous 21 years of B.A.I.T. reporting. Even the number of hours required to catch a five-pound bass was the lowest since the Largemouth Bass Virus Disease (LMBV) swept through the state in 1998, and is rapidly approaching the pre-LMBV average of 258 hours. The following summary outlines the most important points from the 2007 B.A.I.T. Report.
Aliceville was the top lake in the overall bass fishing quality indicator rankings
Aliceville, Pickwick, Mitchell, Guntersville, Wheeler, Martin, and Smith all improved in the overall bass fishing quality indicator rankings.
Aliceville, Pickwick, Wilson, Jordan, and Mitchell were the top five lakes in the overall bass fishing quality indicator rankings.
Guntersville, Aliceville, Pickwick, Harris, and Eufaula were the top five big bass lakes in Alabama
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Statewide B.A.I.T. Statistics
2.89 – Number of bass caught per angler-day
5.24 – Pounds of bass caught per angler-day
1.81 – Average weight of bass caught
307 – Hours required to catch a 5 pound bass
10.73 – Weight of the largest bass caught
12 – Number of bass 8 pounds and larger
270 – Number of bass 5 pounds and larger
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Good luck fishing and do not forget to take a child with you and introduce him or her to your sport. Our children are our future anglers and stewards of Alabama’s resources. To obtain more information on Alabama’s fisheries resources, contact Mr. Damon Abernethy, telephone (334) 353-0270, Fax (334) 242-2061, or email Damon.Abernethy@dcnr.alabama.gov.
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