Seasonal Variation in Responses of Largemouth Bass (Micropterus nigricans) Caught During Live-Release Angling Tournaments

Traditional live-release tournament practices can influence habitat selection and cause displacement, stockpiling, and mortality. Tournaments are held in multiple seasons in a variety of environmental conditions, yet the seasonal influence on post-release behavior has rarely been studied. To quantify dispersal, habitat selection, and mortality of largemouth bass (Micropterus nigricans) caught in live-release tournaments in multiple seasons, movements of tournament-caught largemouth bass and non-angled controls implanted with acoustic telemetry tags were monitored from April-September for 2 months. Short-term stockpiling at the release point averaged 5-7 days and differed minimally among seasons. Mortality rates varied among seasons, in contrast, with nearly 12-fold higher mortality in late-season tournaments at higher water temperatures. If tournament pressure is intense enough, populations could be negatively impacted, thereby necessitating management actions to reduce tournament impacts over the longer term.