ABA bass tournament at Smallwood State Park

Type: Nontidal
Region: Central
Location: Smallwood State Park

The ABA held a bass tournament at Smallwood State Park on 16 August. Anglers caught 486 bass and 97.3% of them were released alive. The largest weighed 5.72 pounds. There was a delay of 10 minutes in the weigh-in. One angler was worried that the bass in the bags would die because of the delay. When there is a delay, anglers can refill their bags with oxygen rich waters usually provided by large tournaments. Anglers can also drop an air stone in the water in their bag. A battery-powered aerator costs $10 at the pet store and can clip onto the bag. These aerators worked well during the PVA tournament a few weeks ago.

Bass anglers brought in three snakeheads during the tournament. One stayed alive for at least two hours after the weigh-in. Ripping out gills with pliers helps kill the snakehead and isn�t too bloody. The snakeheads ranged in size from 6.7 � 8.9 pounds. They were caught on frogs. All three had white perch that ranged from 6 � 8 inches in their gut. One also had a young-of-year white perch in its gut. One of the snakeheads was tagged with a blue tag on its back. The tag-return data help fishery biologists learn something about movement, body growth, and population sizes. The angler who caught it reported the tag number and should get a cool hat from the USFWS Maryland Fishery Resources Office.