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NGPC to test protected 15–18 inch largemouth slot and recruit university partners for evaluation
Summary
Southeast District staff announced an experimental largemouth bass regulation — a protected 15–18 inch slot with a five-fish daily bag — applied to several reservoirs, and described a university partnership and creel tagging to evaluate outcomes.
The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Southeast District announced an experimental largemouth bass regulation and outlined an evaluation program with the University of Nebraska School of Natural Resources.
"What we ended up going with is kind of an experimental regulation here, in our district is a protected slot of 15 to 18 inches and a 5 fish daily bag," District Supervisor Aaron Blank said. Blank clarified the rule: anglers may keep fish under 15 inches (no minimum length), may have only one fish over 18 inches in their daily bag, and the 15–18 inch range is protected.
The regulation applies to newly renovated or new reservoirs identified by staff, specifically Prairie Queen, Prairie View, Duck Creek and Wagon Train, Blank said. He said the rationale is to shift harvest toward sub-15-inch bass to reduce competition in the abundant 10–15-inch size class and to improve growth rates for anglers seeking larger fish.
To evaluate the rule, NGPC will partner with the University of Nebraska's School of Natural Resources co-op unit. Blank said two master's students will assist: one focused on population dynamics (age structure, growth, tagging and population estimates) and a second conducting creel surveys to record angler catches and harvest.
"We're tagging some bass out of those 4 reservoir 3 reservoirs," Blank said, and added that creel interviews will help determine if anglers are harvesting smaller bass as intended. He urged anglers to cooperate when approached by surveyors.
Blank said the regulation will be an "experimental" management action and that sampling and angler reports will determine whether it achieves the intended change in size structure.
