Bass Fishing Quality (BAIT Reports) 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 2008 B.A.I.T. Report marks the twenty-third year of the B.A.I.T. report 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 report to state fisheries biologists for analysis. The B.A.I.T. Report 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
The quality of bass fishing in the public waters of Alabama has continued to improve during the past several years, and particularly during the last two years. On average, Alabama’s club bass anglers caught more bass, larger bass, and weighed in heavier limits than during any of the previous years of B.A.I.T. reporting. The average number of tournament hours required to catch a five-pound bass continued to improve reaching the shortest time since before the Largemouth Bass Virus (LMBV) disease swept through Alabama in 1998, taking only 5% longer than the 1986-1997 average.
Anglers are raving about the quality of the fishing at Pickwick since the expansion of hydrilla; Guntersville continues to be one of Alabama's top bass fisheries; and Wheeler is experiencing a huge turn-around, though still not what is was during its heyday in the early 1990s. The following summary outlines the most important points from the 2008 B.A.I.T Report.
Harris was the top lake in the overall bass fishing quality indicator rankings
Harris, Wheeler, Lay, Logan Martin, Tuscaloosa, Millers Ferry, and Harding all improved in the overall bass fishing quality indicator rankings.
Harris, Wheeler, Lay, Logan Martin, and Tuscaloosa were the top five lakes in the overall bass fishing quality indicator rankings.
Guntersville, Aliceville, Eufaula, Harris, and Wheeler were the top five big bass lakes in Alabama (Guntersville, Eufaula and Harris have length limits).
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Statewide B.A.I.T. Statistics
3.03 – Number of bass caught per angler-day
5.79 – Pounds of bass caught per angler-day
1.89 – Average weight of bass caught
271 – Average hours to catch a 5-pound bass
9.61 – Weight of the largest bass caught
4 – Number of bass 8 pounds and larger caught in club tournaments
288 – 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 or to submit your club's reports, contact Mr. Damon Abernethy, telephone (334) 353-3882, Fax (334) 242-2061, or email Damon.Abernethy@dcnr.alabama.gov. |
