AbstractThe quality of recreational fishing is influenced by the species, size, and number of fish an angler catches, companions, environmental variables, and personal values. Several indices of general application are developed that enable a quantitative assessment of fish and fishing. Companionship and environmental values are not incorporated into the indices because they are not easily changed by management. The index, Fish Quality, is a function of individual weights and lengths as a percentage of the world-record for the species. The indices, Catch Quality and Harvest Quality, incorporate the importance to the angler of species, size, and whether a fish is kept or released. Trip Quality is the summation of Catch Quality points for a particular day of fishing, and it includes the importance of number and diversity of fish caught. The weighting for species, size, number, and diversity as variables is based on evaluations of individual anglers. The quality indices are applied to the Big Piney River fishery in Missouri to document the improvement in fishing quality that resulted from establishing a 12-inch minimum length limit for smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieui).