ABSTRACT
The South Shore Park reef was considered to be an ideal site to investigate the utilization of a shore zone artificial reef by forage and sport fishes and compare the sport fishing success at the reef site with other popular and historical inshore fishing areas. The rapid decline of the yellow perch population in Lake Michigan could be attributed to the introduction of the alewife, the decline in water quality and the destruction of spawning habitats and nursery grounds, with the latter being the most significant. The South Shore Park reef was considered to be an ideal site to investigate the utilization of a shore zone artificial reef by forage and sport fishes and compare the sport fishing success at the reef site with other popular and historical inshore fishing areas. The concept of using artificial structures in freshwater systems, specifically Lake Michigan, has received little attention.
