Research, it’s a large part of why many of our fisheries here in the US are top-notch. It also provides an interesting look into the behavior and migration patterns of the fish we chase.
Marc Frazier currently has the Phoenix Boats Big Bass lead with an estimated 6-pound, 6-ounce smallmouth. It may be the bass pictured here, one sporting a Michigan DNR tag.
Per BASS Conservation Director Gene Gilliand:
“Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) has had a tagging program on Lake Saint Clair for years. They set huge trap nets in Anchor Bay each spring, collecting all species. Smallmouth Bass get uniquely numbered stainless steel jaw tags.
Anglers catching these bass should report it on the MDNR Website.
This data helps biologists determine survival, growth, and movement of bass. MDNR sends the angler a report that explains when the fish was tagged and how big it was at the time of tagging.”
An interesting additional note, the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame is funding a joint research project this week between BA.S.S. and the MDNR. Here are the details of the project.
Lake St. Clair Smallmouth Bass Telemetry Study:
- The Michigan DNR Fisheries Division is collaborating with the Bassmaster Elite Tournament on Lake St. Clair to tag 15 Smallmouth Bass for an ongoing tracking study
- Tags for these 15 fish were purchased with funds provided by a Bass Fishing Hall of Fame Conservation Grant
- These tags are surgically implanted in the fish and emit a unique to the fish signal which can be detected by a network of listening stations located in Lake St. Clair and throughout the Great Lakes as part of the Great Lakes Acoustic Telemetry Observation System (www.glatos.glos.us)
- These tags will allow DNR researchers to track the movements of fish through Lake St. Clair to answer questions about how fish behave after release from a competitive fishing event à for example do fish return to where they were originally caught or stay near the release site?
- Tagged fish will also receive an external jaw tag which anglers can report most easily online. Please type “Michigan DNR tagged fish” into your favorite search engine to access our reporting page.
- These 15 fish will join 46 fish tagged in 2021 and hopefully 100’s more in the future to better understand, manage and conserve Lake St. Clair’s world class Smallmouth Bass fishery
