Creel Census Bass Tournament Fishing Reports
Several years ago a biologists at West Georgia College started a project with the Georgia Bass Chapter Federation. All Georgia clubs have been required to send in data from each of their tournaments and he compiles it in a Creel Census Report.
The info has been very interesting. Based on this data, bass club fishermen don't do much damage to the bass! Every year since 1982 the numbers have been fairly consistent.
And they can be discouraging!
The numbers of tournaments reported has increased fairly steadily from just under 500 in 1982 to just over 1000 in recent years. These tournaments included just over 9000 fishermen in 1982 to over 15,000 now.
The average fish weight had been amazingly consistent, running from 1.61 to 1.80 pounds per bass. This is because 16 different fishing "holes" are included, ranging from 72,000 acre Clark's Hill to 4000 acre Jackson Lake, and includes a couple of rivers. Size limits range from 12 inches on most lakes to 14 on a couple and 16 on a couple.
The number of bass caught per hour of fishing is frustrating! It is consistently right at .20, meaning it takes about 5 hours for a club fisherman to catch a keeper bass in Georgia! And the weight per hour is always around 1/3 of a pound! So in a 9 hour tournament, the average would be 3 pounds!
How many anglers can catch a limit? It has increased over the years from just over two percent to just over 9 per cent - mainly because clubs have lowered their limits from 10 fish to 7 then to 5!
That helps!
Average largest bass per tournament has been consistent and runs right at 4.5 pounds. Apparently there are some good sized bass, and they are just as common now as they were 18 years ago! Biggest bass reported each year has been over 10 pounds every year and twice has been over 15!
The average winning weight for a tournament had decreased from almost 12 pounds in 1982 to just under 10 now. But remember, the number of bass you can keep has gone down from 10 to five inmost tournaments, so that is a good thing that it has not decreased more!
Alabama has good info reported in their BAIT surveys. These numbers are fun to read and see how you compare. Does your state keep records like this?
The info has been very interesting. Based on this data, bass club fishermen don't do much damage to the bass! Every year since 1982 the numbers have been fairly consistent.
And they can be discouraging!
The numbers of tournaments reported has increased fairly steadily from just under 500 in 1982 to just over 1000 in recent years. These tournaments included just over 9000 fishermen in 1982 to over 15,000 now.
The average fish weight had been amazingly consistent, running from 1.61 to 1.80 pounds per bass. This is because 16 different fishing "holes" are included, ranging from 72,000 acre Clark's Hill to 4000 acre Jackson Lake, and includes a couple of rivers. Size limits range from 12 inches on most lakes to 14 on a couple and 16 on a couple.
The number of bass caught per hour of fishing is frustrating! It is consistently right at .20, meaning it takes about 5 hours for a club fisherman to catch a keeper bass in Georgia! And the weight per hour is always around 1/3 of a pound! So in a 9 hour tournament, the average would be 3 pounds!
How many anglers can catch a limit? It has increased over the years from just over two percent to just over 9 per cent - mainly because clubs have lowered their limits from 10 fish to 7 then to 5!
That helps!
Average largest bass per tournament has been consistent and runs right at 4.5 pounds. Apparently there are some good sized bass, and they are just as common now as they were 18 years ago! Biggest bass reported each year has been over 10 pounds every year and twice has been over 15!
The average winning weight for a tournament had decreased from almost 12 pounds in 1982 to just under 10 now. But remember, the number of bass you can keep has gone down from 10 to five inmost tournaments, so that is a good thing that it has not decreased more!
Alabama has good info reported in their BAIT surveys. These numbers are fun to read and see how you compare. Does your state keep records like this?
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