Ecology of the Missouri River. Progress Report, Dingell-Johnson Project F-75-R-23, Supplement I - Missouri River Creel Survey, Bellevue to Camp Creek, 2 April through 14 October 2005

Authors

Gerald Mestl, Nebraska Game and Parks CommissionFollow

Date of this Version

2005

Document Type

Article

Citation

Mestl, G. E. 2006. Ecology of the Missouri River. Progress Report, Dingell-Johnson Project F-75-R-23, Supplement I - Missouri River Creel Survey, Bellevue to Camp Creek, 2 April through 14 October 2005, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Lincoln.

Abstract

This report describes Missouri River activities and results related to a channelized Missouri River creel survey conducted from 2 April through 14 October 2005. This is the sixth of a planned annual creel survey to be conducted on alternating sections of the channelized Missouri River to measure changes in recreational fishing activity, especially those changes due to large scale habitat restoration efforts. We returned to the Bellevue to Camp Creek reach in 2005 because we had to cancel the creel on this reach in 2004 after the second creel period due to lack of personnel. Future reports will contain additional analyses of these data. Only one creel was conducted during the first creel period because of lack of personnel. Anglers spent over 29,000 hours fishing the Missouri River from Bellevue (rkm 967.7) to Camp Creek (rkm 883.5) during the survey period. Effort remained relatively steady throughout the survey. The Plattsmouth and Nebraska City segments accounted for over 63% of the effort. Anglers targeted catfish (blue, channel and flatheads) over 51% of the time that they were fishing. Inside bends were the most commonly fished macrohabitat, accounting for over 52% of the total angling effort. Anglers caught over 7,800 and harvested over 7,800 fish from 2 April through 14 October 2005 while fishing the Missouri River. Catch was spread out through the year but anglers fishing the Plattsmouth and Nebraska City reaches caught over 61% of the fish. Total catch rates ranged from 0.17 fish per hour during the third (5/28 - 6124) and fifth (7/23 - 8119) creel period to 0.34 fish per hour during the second creel period (4/30 - 5127). Flathead catfish were the most abundant species in the creel followed by freshwater drum, channel catfish and shovelnose sturgeon.