CORE Aquatic Education and Fishing Skills 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which water quality parameter most directly indicates recent nutrient pollution (such as agricultural runoff) in a stream?
- Water temperature
- Nitrate and phosphate concentration (Correct answer)
- Water clarity (turbidity alone)
- pH level
Correct answer: Nitrate and phosphate concentration
Elevated nitrate and phosphate concentrations are direct indicators of nutrient loading from fertilizers or animal waste, often triggering algal blooms.
Question 2: What is 'match the hatch' in fly fishing?
- Tying a knot that matches the line weight to the fly size
- Selecting a fly that imitates the aquatic insects currently emerging on the water (Correct answer)
- Casting upstream to match the current speed
- Using a fly color that matches the water clarity
Correct answer: Selecting a fly that imitates the aquatic insects currently emerging on the water
Matching the hatch means choosing a fly pattern that closely imitates the size, shape, and color of insects hatching at that moment, increasing strike probability.
Question 3: Under most U.S. state regulations, a 'slot limit' for bass means an angler must:
- Keep only fish within a specified length range and release fish above or below it (Correct answer)
- Release all fish regardless of size
- Keep fish above the slot and release those below it only
- Use only artificial lures when a slot limit is in effect
Correct answer: Keep only fish within a specified length range and release fish above or below it
A slot limit protects a specific size class of fish (often large spawning adults) by requiring anglers to release fish within that length range.
Question 4: Which invasive species introduced via ballast water has severely disrupted Great Lakes fisheries by filtering phytoplankton that supports the food web?
- Asian carp
- Zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) (Correct answer)
- Northern snakehead
- Rusty crayfish
Correct answer: Zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha)
Zebra mussels filter vast quantities of phytoplankton, collapsing the base of the food web and causing dramatic declines in native fish populations.
Question 5: When a spinning reel produces consistent line twist, what is the most likely cause?
- Using line that is too heavy for the rod
- Spooling the line against the natural coil direction or reeling against a running fish (Correct answer)
- Setting the drag too loosely
- Using a lure that is too light for the reel size
Correct answer: Spooling the line against the natural coil direction or reeling against a running fish
Line twist accumulates when monofilament is spooled in the wrong rotational direction or when an angler cranks the reel handle while a fish pulls line against the drag.
Question 6: A macroinvertebrate survey finds high densities of stonefly (Plecoptera) larvae in a stream. What does this indicate about water quality?
- Severely polluted water with very low oxygen
- Moderately polluted water typical of urban streams
- Clean, well-oxygenated water of high quality (Correct answer)
- Brackish conditions unsuitable for most freshwater species
Correct answer: Clean, well-oxygenated water of high quality
Stonefly larvae are sensitive bioindicators that require cold, fast-moving, well-oxygenated water and are absent from polluted or degraded streams.
Question 7: What is the recommended minimum distance an angler should maintain from an active osprey or bald eagle nest while fishing nearby wetlands under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act?
- 25 feet
- 100 feet
- At least 330 feet (approximately 100 meters) (Correct answer)
- 1 mile
Correct answer: At least 330 feet (approximately 100 meters)
Wildlife agencies generally recommend staying at least 330 feet (100 m) from active raptor nests to avoid flushing incubating adults or disturbing nestlings.
CORE Aquatic Education and Fishing Skills 5
Which water quality parameter most directly indicates recent nutrient pollution (such as agricultural runoff) in a stream?