Survey results available on Department of Wildlife and Parks website
PRATT -- Could the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) have convinced you to fish more in 2006? Could KDWP programs have made your experience more positive? Whether the answers were yes or no, the agency wanted to know what anglers thought about this and a wide range of other fishing-related topics. To find out, KDWP staff prepared the 2006 Kansas Licensed Angler Survey and distributed it to a randomly-selected number of 2006 Kansas fishing license purchasers in January of 2007.

Approximately 2,750 licensees responded to the survey. The results have been compiled and are now available at the KDWP website, www.kdwp.state.ks.us.

Largemouth bass was the favored species for most anglers, with crappie coming in second. However, a large percentage nonresident annual license holders and those who held nonresident five-day licenses preferred to fish for walleye.

Overall, anglers actually fished for crappie most often, with largemouth bass being the second-most pursued species. Annual or lifetime resident fishing license holders fished for channel catfish most often; annual or lifetime resident combination licensees and nonresident annual licensees fished for crappie most often; nonresident five-day licensees fished for walleye most frequently; and respondents with 24-hour fishing licenses most often fished for largemouth bass.

This is just a sampling of the data collected in the survey. Other data include angler opinions on the following:

• acceptable fish lengths;
• numbers of fish caught that constituted a successful fishing trip;
• where anglers fished most;
• attitudes toward endangered species;
• how often anglers fished;
• times of year and day that anglers fished;
• how far anglers traveled to fish;
• age when anglers began fishing;
• types of bait used;
• whether or not boats were used;
• attitudes toward KDWP;
• bullfrog harvest;
• awareness of zebra mussels; and
• overall demographics of anglers.

Each of these factors are broken down in detail, including the preferences of each type of license holder in each category.

The survey gives KDWP staff biologists a better understanding of angler demographics and will help direct management strategies to better accommodate angler preferences in the future.

The 2006 Licensed Angler Survey Report may be found online at www.kdwp.state.ks.us. From there, type "2006 Licensed Angler Survey" in the search box, then click "2006 Licensed Angler Survey Report."
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