Black Bass Diversity: Multidisciplinary Science for Conservation

Movement and Habitat Use of Shoal Bass in a Regulated Portion of the Chattahoochee River, Alabama-Georgia, USA

Steven M. Sammons and Laurie A. Earley

doi: https://doi.org/10.47886/9781934874400.ch22

Abstract.—Movement and habitat use of Shoal Bass Micropterus cataractae were evaluated in the flow-regulated Chattahoochee River, Alabama–Georgia. Forty Shoal Bass were tracked using radio tags in a 2-km section of river between two impoundments. Movement of Shoal Bass in this population was low, and most fish never left the reach of river where shoal habitat existed. A few fish migrated approximately 10 km up a tributary stream during the spring to reach a large shoal complex, presumably to spawn. No fish were found in the downstream impoundment or associated tributary streams. Shoal Bass were most commonly found in areas with bedrock substrate and cover, especially in the spring. Use of a tributary for presumed spawning indicates that this population of Shoal Bass was less isolated than many others in the Chattahoochee River.