Great Lakes Fishery Commission

Updated 2026-08-25 14:49:03

Lake Erie-2021-2025 -> 2.0 Other Managed Species -> Black Bass Catch Rates

Maintain catch rates of black bass of at least 0.50 fish per hour

Black bass (smallmouth (Micropterus dolomieu) and largemouth (M. salmoides) bass) are an important sport fish species across the Lake Erie Basin. Historically, smallmouth were the dominant species lake-wide, but in recent years largemouth bass have become more prevalent in the west basin fishery. The Lake Erie Committee has established a target catch rate of at least 0.50 fish per angler hour (fish/hr) for black bass across Lake Erie. In general, the fishery has met this target for the past 25 years. During the 2021-2025 reporting period, average catch rates were above target for all Lake Erie basins (west: 1.13, central: 0.97, east: 1.07 fish/hr; Figure 1) and Lake St. Clair (0.86 fish/hr; surveyed in 2021 and 2024, Figure 2). Annual catch rates of black bass were generally stable except for a declining trend in the central basin. No trend was evident in the west basin, east basin, or Lake St. Clair.

Figure 1. Average angler catch rates (fish/hr) of black bass in Lake Erie by basin, 1999-2025. The target catch rate is at least 0.50 fish/hr.

Figure 2. Average angler catch rates (fish/hr) of black bass in Lake St. Clair (Michigan data only), 2016-2025. The target catch rate is at least 0.50 fish/hr.