Mermet State Lake

Redear Sunfish

Excellent

: A decent number of Redear Sunfish were sampled in 2021 (27/hr). The lake sustains a phenomenal Redear fishery but these fish can be difficult to sample at certain times of the year. Quality and condition of these fish were phenomenal, and 40% of the fish sampled were at least 10 inches long.

Bluegill

Very Good

Bluegill were substantially more abundant in 2022 than in the previous year at 473 per hour of electrofishing, 34% were larger than 6 inches (within desirable management goals), with 13 percent of the sampled population exceeding 7 inches. Bluegill body condition was still excellent.

Crappie spp.

Very Good

White crappie were sampled at a rate much better than previous years (47/hr) and quality and condition as evident by percentage of fish over 8 inches (PSD=60%), percentage of fish over 10 inches (RSD-10”=13%) and high body condition (relative weight=94) were much better. Black crappie prospects are similar, with fish sampled at a much higher rate (53/hr) with much better quality and condition indices.

Channel Catfish

Average

Channel Catfish are generally not a large component of the annual Mermet Lake electrofishing sample, and 2022 followed this trend (11/hr). Annual Channel Catfish stockings help support a fishery which is very popular with the angling public.

Largemouth Bass

Very Good

Largemouth Bass were collected at a rate of 85 per hour in fall 2022, nearly double last year. 70% of these fish were larger than 12 inches, which easily met the management plan goal. Bass larger than the old 14 inch minimum size limit made up 52% of the sample, while 34% exceeded the newly implemented length limit of 16 inches (April 1, 2016). Bass condition remained excellent.