Shoreline and Cove Sampling to Estimate Survival of Young Largemouth Bass in Lake Oconee, Georgia

Abstract

Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) survival from age 0 to age I was estimated by using rotenone to collect samples from coves and also from 0.01-hectare shoreline areas in Lake Oconee, Georgia. Catch rates of age-0 largemouth bass from inshore sampling declined rapidly during the summer, but an apparent high within-summer mortality probably was due to reduced vulnerability and not to mortality. August estimates of abundance from shoreline sampling were consistentiy lower than estimates from cove samples for both age-0 and age-I largemouth bass. Based on the average density of these two age groups, annual survival estimates from shoreline sampling were 18 and 61% for the 1979 and 1980 year classes, respectively. Based on cove sampling, annual survival was 20 and 55% for the 1979 and 1980 year classes, respectively.