Spawning Habitat Selection Of Sympatric Smallmouth Bass Micropterus Dolomieu And Rock Bass Ambloplites Rupestris In North Temperate Lakes

Smallmouth bass were studied in Bull Shoals Lake to determine the nesting requirements and reproductive capabilities of the species in a reservoir. Underwater observations were conducted weekly in five study areas during the spawning seasons of 1969-76. Length of spawning season was affected by the rate of water temperature rise during the nesting period. Active nests were found at ambient temperatures of 13.3-22.5 degrees Centigrade. Nest were generally on gently sloping rock and gravel bottoms, beside permanent objects such as rocks or sunken logs, and at densities of less than one per 100 m of shoreline.