What Missouri's Smallmouth Anglers Want

A Survey Conducted by the Missouri Smallmouth Alliance

TSA asked serious bronzeback anglers from across the state of Missouri and southern Illinois for their thoughts and attitudes about the quality of their smallmouth bass fishing experiences in the Missouri Ozarks. Those anglers surveyed generally included sport show or seminar attendees both TSA members and non-members alike. Ten different Missouri counties were represented; 66% were from either St. Louis City or County, with 13%, 7% and 4%, respectively, of respondents from Jefferson, Franklin and St. Charles counties.

The survey questions were devised to identify the frequency, methods, and places where Ozark bronzeback fans pursued their quarry. It also solicited their personal assessment of the quality of the smallmouth bass they catch, in terms of both numbers and sizes. In addition, survey respondents were asked their opinions on various "quality-based" regulation changes that could be imposed to improve smallmouth bass fisheries. Composite answers derived from angler responses reveal some very interesting trends regarding anglers’ motivations in pursuing brown bass, such as for sport (catch-and-release) or as table fare. We also wanted to know whether anglers would generally support more extensive conservation-based regulations that provide long-range benefits to fisheries. The survey questions, as well as the tabulated responses, are presented below.

To gauge the motivation of the smallmouth anglers surveyed, we asked anglers how important to the success of a smallmouth bass fishing trip was 1) catching many smallmouth bass, 2) catching large smallmouth bass or 3) catching smallmouth bass to eat. A full 88% of those surveyed responded that catching many smallmouth bass was either "important" or "very important" to the success of a smallmouth fishing trip. Similarly, 87.9% of those surveyed believed that catching a large smallmouth bass was "important" or "very important" to their fishing enjoyment. An even more significant finding was that 87.9% responded that the pursuit of smallmouth bass as a food fish was either of "no concern" or "not very important".

Not surprisingly, therefore, these same anglers predominantly practice catch-and-release on smallmouth bass in Missouri. In fact, the survey that 82.6% of respondents "always" release their smallmouth bass while another 14.7% "usually" do. Only 2.7% of respondents either "sometimes" or "never" practice catch-and-release on smallmouth bass in the Ozarks.

To supplement our board members’ angling observations, we asked anglers to estimate the percentage of smallmouth bass they catch in Missouri that fall into various length categories. The categories and composite percentages of smallmouth bass caught are as follows:

Less than 10 inches	37.4
10 to 12 inches	38.0
12 to 15	16.6
15 to 18 inches	7.0
over 18 inches	0.3
	100.0%

While not surprised by these figures, we find it significant more than 3 out of 4 (76.1%) smallmouth bass caught by these predominantly catch-and-release minded anglers were less that twelve inches in length.

It was also interesting to note that just 22.2% of anglers surveyed were "satisfied" with the average size of smallmouth bass they catch in Missouri leaving more than three-quarters (77.8%) of anglers "dissatisfied". Of these same anglers, though, a little less than half (47.2%) noted that they were "satisfied" with the overall number of smallmouth bass they catch in the Ozarks with the remaining 52.8% not "satisfied".

This indicates that our streams are currently producing a viable population of catchable bronzebacks under current management practices, but the standard 12-inch minimum, six fish creel limit is not developing what anglers consider quality fisheries.

This also enforces the long-standing lament of Ozark bronzeback anglers that Missouri’s fisheries management practices have been quite successful in providing good fishing — for dinky smallmouths. In response, anglers nearly unanimously (99.1%) believed that the "quality of Missouri’s smallmouth bass fisheries should be improved to produce more and larger smallmouth bass".

In an effort to determine the degree of support for additional quality-based fisheries regulations, we asked bronzeback anglers whether they would approve of the following management practices for Ozark smallmouth bass fisheries.

	Approve	Disapprove
Minimum length limit of 15 in	90.6%	9.4%
Minimum length limit of 18 in	66.0%	34.0%
Slot limit of 12 inches to 15 in.	85.5%	14.5%
Slot limit of 12 inches to 18 in	71.4%	28.6%
Daily creel limit of 1 to 4 smallmouth bass	97.9%	2.1%
Catch-and-release regulation (stream segment)	99.0%	1.0%
Live bait restrictions	70.5%	29.5%
Any of the above on a stream segment	95.1%	4.9%

Since these more progressive regulations changes have shown successful biological results and anglers have responded favorably, we hope the MDC will greatly expand these programs or to try other experimental regulations in order to continue the improvement of Ozark smallmouth bass fisheries.

The results are clear. The vast majority of Ozark smallmouth bass fishermen surveyed pursue bronzebacks for their sporting qualities, not for a fish fry. Anglers believe that the quality of Ozark smallmouth fisheries should be improved to produce more and larger fish. These same anglers also believe and would strongly support the expansion and creation of more far-sighted, quality-based fishing regulations to achieve this objective.

The Alliance plans to share these facts with fisheries officials at the MDC. It is hoped these survey results will further alert the folks in Jeff City as to what the sport angling public (and taxpayers) expect.

The Alliance maintains that only through the expansion and enforcement of more enlightened, quality based regulations, coupled with the preservation and restoration of fisheries habitat, will we achieve our goal of creating world class smallmouth bass fishing in Missouri. Please support the Alliance in our quest.

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