A largemouth bass from Mattawoman Creek, Charles County, Maryland is being measured for length data. Fish are sampled using a 100 foot beach seine. Two seine hauls are completed at each site with a half hour intervals between hauls. Fish from the second seine are returned directly to the water.
Every effort is made to return fish unharmed.
A bottom trawl is used to sample fish in the channel area. The trawl is pulled by boat for five minutes and then brought on board. Fish are counted by species, minimum and maximum lengths taken, and returned to the water. Fish which can not be identified in the field are preserved and taken back to the laboratory for identification. Data are recorded on standardized data sheets.