Area 4 biologists conducted a general inventory of Merli-Sarnoski Park Lake in the spring of 2009. We found healthy populations of largemouth bass, chain pickerel, and bluegill (Table 1). Additionally, some large yellow perch (Figure 1) were available, and plenty of hatchery trout remained from the early spring stockings. The trout were still concentrated at their stocking points. Anglers targeting trout in the mornings and evenings had their best luck using flies when the fish were rising. Natural baits seemed to work better at other times of the day.

Catch per unit effort (CPUE) values for largemouth bass during the night electrofishing effort were as follows: Total Catch-26/hour; Catch > 12 inches-7/hour; Catch > 15 inches-2/hour. All three of these values were somewhat low, possibly due to competition with chain pickerel (Figure 2). Total CPUE for chain pickerel during the night electrofishing effort was 29/hour. Merli-Sarnoski Park Lake may be the only lake we’ve ever surveyed where chain pickerel outnumbered largemouth bass.

Table 1. Number and size of fish caught during the 2009 survey of Merli-Sarnoski Park Lake.

Figure 1. Fisheries biologist aide Jake Precone with a large yellow perch from Merli-Sarnoski Park Lake.

Figure 2. Fisheries biologist Aaron Frey with a large chain pickerel from Merli-Sarnoski Park Lake.

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