2000 Angle Lake Survey: The Warmwater Fish Community of a Heavily-fished, Low-productivity Urban Lake

Warmwater fish species dominated our catch from Angle Lake in late spring 2000. Growth of largemouth bass, pumpkinseed, rock bass, and yellow perch was consistent with or above western Washington State averages. However, CPUE for brown bullhead, largemouth bass, pumpkinseed and yellow perch were below average, suggesting low abundance of these species. Obvious gaps in the length frequency distribution of largemouth bass may be due to weather-related year-class failure, competition with the abundant yellow and rock bass, or overharvest of larger individuals. Conversely, rock bass in our sample were abundant and demonstrated high CPUE, strong growth, and relative weights consistent with state averages. Management options for Angle Lake include implementation of a slot limit for largemouth bass to improve size structure of that population, consider stocking channel catfish to increase angler opportunity and control abundant rock bass, or manage the lake for panfish.