Columns
Plastic in lakes? Not bad
When I saw the old-but-newly-acquired fix-r-upper vessel parked in his yard, I asked my bass-fishing buddy, “Hey Ben, what’s the pontoon boat for?” […]
Articles by Hal Schramm
Bass Fishing
Auburn study proves that fishing pressure affects bass populations
Even though a lot of anglers practice catch-and-release, low mortality coupled with high capture rates can reduce the abundance of big bass. […]
Bass Fishing
Where do different bass species live? Habitat is the answer
Where do you find the three major black bass species? Habitat selection largely determines places you catch all three. […]
Bass Fishing
Can we build bigger bass?
A study by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologists provides a first look at whether selective breeding can produce bigger bass. […]
Columns
Fish stories, alternate facts
What ecologists call “complex habitat” — habitats with a lot of surface area and interstices — benefits fish production. […]
Bass Fishing
Don’t do the Dew; carbonation doesn’t help revive injured fish
Wives’ tale about Mountain Dew reviving injured fish is just that. Use of carbonated beverages to stop gill bleeding has no effect. […]
Columns
Electroshocking gives a thorough, accurate look at most fisheries
A closer look at the efficiency of electrofishing and how well samples represent what is actually in the water. […]
Bass Fishing
Big bass, big spawn?
The health of a bass population in a body of water will be reflected in spawning success. And big fish are the most productive. […]
Catfish
Trotlines for catfish
Trotlining is an effective way to catch catfish — blues, channels, and flatheads. A study finds the effects on gamefish to be minimal. […]
Bass Fishing
The gamest fish that swims
In his 1881 Book of the Black Bass, Henshall described the black bass as “Inch for inch and pound for pound the gamest fish that swims.” […]
Bass Fishing
Are anglers getting better, despite bass becoming harder to catch?
Catching bass seems like a battle between the knowledge and skills of the anglers and the too-often unpredictable behavior of the bass. […]
Columns
Brushing up Mississippi’s flood-control lakes
Does adding brush to Mississippi’s flood-control reservoirs actually help fish populations? Here are the effects of structure. […]