How far bass travel

In summer 2014, fisheries biologists tagged bass caught in a tournament to see if the bass released near the weigh-in site would make it back to the main lake on their own.

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<p>In summer 2014, fisheries biologists with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department worked with members of the New Hampshire B.A.S.S. Nation to tag bass caught in a tournament on Big Squam and Little Squam lakes. The weigh-in facility is on Little Squam, but researchers were interested to see if the bass released near the weigh-in site would make it back to Big Squam on their own. (You can read the full story <a href=
In summer 2014, fisheries biologists with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department worked with members of the New Hampshire B.A.S.S. Nation to tag bass caught in a tournament on Big Squam and Little Squam lakes. The weigh-in facility is on Little Squam, but researchers were interested to see if the bass released near the weigh-in site would make it back to Big Squam on their own. (You can read the full story here.) The FishAmerica Foundation and Simms Fishing contributed funds to get the research started. What follows are the maps that track the bass’ movements over a period of five months.
Gabe Gries, a biologist with the New Hampshire Department of Fish & Game, created these maps. The release location is marked at the bottom left on Little Squam Lake, and the permanent antenna in the channel between Big and Little Squam helps keep track of the bass. Fish & Game staff members added the tags to 10 largemouth and 23 smallmouth bass on Aug. 10, 2014, allowed them recovery time, and then released them.
Gabe Gries, a biologist with the New Hampshire Department of Fish & Game, created these maps. The release location is marked at the bottom left on Little Squam Lake, and the permanent antenna in the channel between Big and Little Squam helps keep track of the bass. Fish & Game staff members added the tags to 10 largemouth and 23 smallmouth bass on Aug. 10, 2014, allowed them recovery time, and then released them.
This smallmouth was a mover! It started to move away from the release area within two days, and within three weeks, he had made it to the antenna. A week later, he was deep into Big Squam.
This smallmouth was a mover! It started to move away from the release area within two days, and within three weeks, he had made it to the antenna. A week later, he was deep into Big Squam.
This bass moved away from the release site just a small amount within two days but was not detected again. It may have been caught and kept by an uninformed angler.
This bass moved away from the release site just a small amount within two days but was not detected again. It may have been caught and kept by an uninformed angler. “Please continue to inform other anglers about this study,” said Gries in a post on Aug. 22. “Two tagged bass have already been kept by anglers.”
This largemouth took its time moving toward Big Squam. Six weeks after release, it made it to the antenna, and then it was detected again in the big lake. As of that date, Sept. 26, this bass became the 21st of the 33 bass released to have been detected in the channel.
This largemouth took its time moving toward Big Squam. Six weeks after release, it made it to the antenna, and then it was detected again in the big lake. As of that date, Sept. 26, this bass became the 21st of the 33 bass released to have been detected in the channel.
This largemouth is similar to the smallmouth two slides ago that appeared near the release area not long after release but was not picked up by radio again.
This largemouth is similar to the smallmouth two slides ago that appeared near the release area not long after release but was not picked up by radio again.
This smallmouth made itself a home in Big Squam. It took less than two weeks to get from the release site to the channel, then it was detected on four separate occasions over the period of a month in the same little cove.
This smallmouth made itself a home in Big Squam. It took less than two weeks to get from the release site to the channel, then it was detected on four separate occasions over the period of a month in the same little cove.
This largemouth took three weeks to get to the channel, but then it darted deep into Big Squam. It was detected again just a few days later in a nearby area.
This largemouth took three weeks to get to the channel, but then it darted deep into Big Squam. It was detected again just a few days later in a nearby area.
This largemouth was one of the fastest to get to the channel, accomplishing the journey in only three days. It was detected there again the following day. Nearly a month later, it was verified to be in Big Squam by the portable device on the survey boat.
This largemouth was one of the fastest to get to the channel, accomplishing the journey in only three days. It was detected there again the following day. Nearly a month later, it was verified to be in Big Squam by the portable device on the survey boat.
<p>After taking a week to get to the antenna, this smallmouth then ventured out into Big Squam and was picked up by radio nearly a month later. The New Hampshire Department of Fish & Game is continuing to track the bass' movements, with an update on the <a href=
After taking a week to get to the antenna, this smallmouth then ventured out into Big Squam and was picked up by radio nearly a month later. The New Hampshire Department of Fish & Game is continuing to track the bass’ movements, with an update on the blog as recent as Oct. 27. The findings so far indicate that 20 of the 23 detectable bass (out of the 33 tagged ones) went on to return to Big Squam Lake. This research is ongoing to determine how close bass stay to their release site and how likely they are to return to an interconnected water body where they were caught. A grant from the FishAmerica Foundation and B.A.S.S. is helping the New Hampshire B.A.S.S. Nation and the New Hampshire Department of Fish & Game to continue the research, and Phase 2 of the project is being funded by Nationwide Insurance.