Analysis of Seasonal Distribution Patterns of Young Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides) by Use of Frequency-of-Capture Data

Frequency-of-capture data indicated that behavioral patterns of tagged age II largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) influenced catchability with shoreline electrofishing so that midsummer population estimates were too low. The population separated into offshore and shoreline groups during the summer, and there is evidence of persistence in habitat preference from one year to the next.Tests of catchability were based on the agreement between observed frequencies of capture and those predicted from a bivariate model that allowed mortality and migration during the study. Though frequency-of-capture data have been widely utilized in studies of terrestrial animal populations, this information has been generally ignored by fishery biologists.