MINNEAPOLIS — Several Minnesota B.A.S.S. Nation clubs have assisted the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in collecting bass creel survey data since 2003.
Clubs that participated in at least one of the 260 surveys conducted in 2012 were Fat Belly, Lakes Area, Renegade Bassers, Sportsmen Bassmasters, Viking Bassmasters and Zumbro Valley Bassmasters.
The surveys provide valuable data, such as maximum size and mean weights, which are indicators of size structure and exploitation; catch per effort, which is an indicator of standing stock and abundance; and relationships to lake habitat condition, such as secchi disk, aquatic plants, shoreline condition, and other physical, biological and chemical descriptors; and angler effort and success rates, which are indicators of potential exploitation rates.
Overall, 32 participants contributed 1,633 man-hours.