Two types of fish attractors, one made from vitrified clay pipes and the other from cement blocks and brush, were investigated in Lake Tohopekaliga, Florida. Electrofishing, creel census, and experimental fishing were used to evaluate the effectiveness of attractors in concentrating fish and enhancing fishing success. Both attractors produced significantly higher fishing success than did control areas and were generally superior to the average fishing success elsewhere in the lake. Brush-block attractors yielded a slightly higher success rate than the pipe attractors. Fishing success at attractor sites was highest during the first year after installation. The lower fishing success in subsequent years appeared to have been at least partially the result of a lake level drawdown which temporarily reduced the standing crop of fish and stimulated expansion of the littoral zone into deeper areas which had been devoid of plants. Soybean meal was found to be a supplemental fish attractant which increased fishing success at attractor sites where catch rates had diminished.
展开▼
