Largemouth Bass Habitat Interactions among Off-Channel and Main River Habitats in an Ohio River Navigation Pool

ABSTRACT

We assessed how largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) used off-channel and main-channel habitats across seasons in the Belleville Pool of the Ohio River. By tracking twenty-eight fish that were implanted with low-frequency radio transmitters, we found that largemouth bass extensively used off-channel and main-channel border habitats, particularly in the winter and spring (spawning) seasons. All observed spring movements and behavior consistent with spawning occurred in off-channel habitats. These results, coupled with the findings of others, suggest that large river largemouth bass commonly use main-channel habitat as supplementary habitat or as a dispersal corridor.