TPWD 1960 F-4-R-7 #538: A Study of Crappie in Lake Whitney

. Repert .1 of Fisheries. Investigaticns A Study of Crappie in Lake .Whitney Dwane‘ Smith Assistant Pre-Jeet Leader Dingelanohnson Project Felt-Rafi Job E-J-L ' November 3., 1959 - Octo’b-er 31 , 196C . H. D. Dodgen - Exe-cutiv‘e Secretary Texas Game and Fish Commieeien Austin, Texas Marian Toole Kenneth C. Jurgene and William E Brown Coordinator Assistant Coordinators A B S T R.A C T The study of crappie, Pomoxis annularis, in Lake Whitney was continued in an effort to learn something of the size of the crappie population, the reasons for the recent small harvest, the movement of tagged crappie, the ecological factors influenCing their distri- bution and to develop satisfactory methods for sampling crappie fry. Fish to be tagged were taken primarily in wire traps and by hook and line and, beginning in July, small crappie entered the trap catch. This seemed to indicate a successful spawn during the previous year. Efforts to sample crappie fry during the present year's spawning season resulted in the capture of only a single specimen in seines. .Most of the tagging occurred in the middle third of the lake, even though traps were used in all other areas of the lake. A total of l,h93 crappie were tagged during the year and #7, or 3.1% percent of these were recaptured. Five crappie from previous years' tagging were also recaptured. The greatest distances traveled by tagged crappie were 30 miles each'by two specimens, however, overfihalf the tagged crappie recaptured travelled less than 100 yards from the point of release. The greatest length of freedom for a crappie re- caught this year was 1,030 days. This individual was recaptured within one mile of the original point of release. Another, free for hos days, was retaken within two miles of where it was released. Since the emphasis of the study thus far has been on tagging and recapture, and since it is indicated that tagged crappie tend to re- main near the original point of release, it is intended that future emphasis will be placed on the study of crappie fry and spawning success. Job Completion Report State of TEXAS _ Project No. thanx . Name: Fisheries Investigations and Surveys EEriiEg3EHEEE??ErTEQEE§§733§T—u_u_flnfl Job No. _ E—h I Title: A Study of Crappie in Lake Whitney Period Covered: \ November 1: 1959 w October 312 1960 OBJECTIVES To determine the population of crappie in Lake Whitney and the reasons for the recent small harvest. To study the pattern and extent of travel of tagged or marked Crappie and the ecological factors influencing their distribution. To develop satis» factory methods of sampling crappie fry. PROCEDURE The trapping of crappie, Pomoxis annularis, in Lake Whitney during the period covered by this report continued along_the same general lines as in previous segments. Two changes, however, were the use of a gang net, in an effort to capture crappie fry, and the use of the size three, selpriercing, strap type, monel metal tag on the larger crappie taken in traps. Most of the traps used were constructed of 9wgauge concrete reinforcement wire, with a six~inch square mesh, covered with onewinch mesh poultry wire. All but one of the traps are five feet long and 29 inches in diameter, and all are of either single» and double—throat construction. The throat openings are from three to five inches in diameter. The one exception is a trap constructed with a throat extending from the top to the bottom of the trap; whereby the trap could be set in a vertical position (Figures 1 and 2). _ In addition to the described traps, three small traps were constructed with no frame using one—inch poultry wire. mesh leads. It was used to capture crappie fry in shallow water during the spawning season but was not as successful as anticipated. This was felt due to rapid water temperature fluctuations in the shallows brought about by sudden changes in the weather. All traps were placed at locations believed to be good crappie habitats. It was intended that these would be permanent locations. After several collections, however, it was decided that to catch more crappie for tagging, it would be necessary to move the traps from time to time. age location was used for a period of approximately two weeks and few crappie were taken, the trap was moved to what was considered a better location. This procedure of moving traps from place to place was repeated in order to capture as many crappie as possible. Figures 1, 2, 3, and h illustrate the wire traps used to take crappie from Lake Whitney. Figures 1 and 2 show an experimental trap which_was constructed to catch crappie near the thermocline. The threat, which extends vertically from top to bottom, would extend through the thermocline. ' Baiting of the traps was not practiced although one trap was baited with a cake of pressed cotton seed meal. The trap was checked the following morning when it was found that only 13 carp were taken. Consequently no more traps were baited. No types of attractors were experimented with during this study period. ” ‘ Trapping stations were established from Little Rocky Creek, near the dam, and eXw tended to the Nolan River, near the head of the lake. This is a distance of from 20 to 30 miles of lake and river. Many of the stations used during the segment are new, although some were used during previous segments. The work of trapping was divided among five sections of the lake. The Brazos River Area extends upstream from the Santa Fe Railroad Bridge (Station No. 3h). What has been called the Upper Lake Area extends downstream from the same bridge to the vicinity of the White Bluffs (Station No. 31). The Nolan River Area lies within this portion of the lake but the Nolan River arm extends from the lake proper. The Middle Lake Area includes that portion of the lake from White Bluffs downstream to the Katy - Railroad Bridge (Station No. 17). The Lower Lake Area includes the remainder of the lake, downstream to the dam. Traps could be set in only three of the above mentioned areas at a time because of the lack of-traps. No traps were set in the Brazos River Area because the Nolan River was utilized during this segment. Not more than 25 traps were set an any one given time during the study period. The method of tagging crappie in past segments of the study was continued. Strap type, monelmmetal, jaw tags were placed on the left premaxillary of all fish tagged. The tag sizes used were either No. l or No. 3. Data recorded for each tagged specimen were: total length in millimeters, tag number, date and place of capture and release. Prior to release, tagged fish were cursorily examined for external parasites and for a bacterial type of infection noted in previous study periods. None of the fish tagged this year appeared to have this bacterial infection. ‘ Posters were placed in conspicuous places around the lake and newspaper articles were published informing the public about the work being done. It was hoped that the public would cooperate by providing information concerning any tagged fish caught. Card forms, with blanks for the information desired, were given to camp operators on the lake, local stores, and cafes. These cards, when properly filled out either by individuals or by project personnel, provided needed information concerning the tagged fish. The information received on these cards was later transferred to a ledger for a permanent record. Gill net collections were made in the vicinity of the wire traps to provide some parative information concerning the relative abundance of crappie in the area. This a}... also served as a check on the efficiency of the traps in taking crappie. Common sense minnOW'seines and small mesh wire traps were used along the shoreline in an attempt to sample crappie fry during and after the spawning season. In addition, two rotenone samples were taken from restricted areas to sample crappie fry. RESULTS Data concerning the number of each species taken in wire traps are given along with the percentages of the total trap catch represented by each species. The results of trapping are presented in Table l. The data presented covers the period from November, 1959 through June, 1960. The data for the months of July, August, September, and October were omitted from Table 1 because they were inaccurately recorded by a summertime student employee. This employee attended the traps and tagged and released all crappie taken but failed to keep records of fish other than crappie caught in the traps. Therefore the data for the four months were discarded. It is interesting that white crappie, fomoris annularis, comprised t?.55 percent of the total catch in traps for the eight months represented in Table l. Bluegills, Lepomis macrochirus, comprised 26.t3 percent. Compared to data from the previous study period, crappie increased slightly in the catch from hh.38 to h7.56 or 3.18 percent. Bluegills decreased from hh.78 to 26.h3 or a total decrease of 18.35 percent. There were only #7 gizzard shad, Dorosoma ce edianum comprising 3.23 percent of the total trap catch. Yet, as shown in Table 2, 595 giazard shad were taken in gill nets set near the traps. 0f the total catch in gill nets, shad comprised 6l. 5 person . The data given in Table 2 is a consolidation of data which served as the basis for locating or relocating the wire traps. In Table 3 consolidated gill net collection data are broken down to shoe area of netting and the ratio of crappie to all other species caught. The number and percentages of crappie tagged are given by area in Table h. In all, a total of l,h93 crappie were tagged during the eight months covered by this report. In the Nolan River Area, 1th crappie were caught in the wire traps. These reprew sent 9.6M percent of the total tagged during the year. Of these, five were recaptured in the same area and represent 0.03 percent of the total crappie tagged or 10.63 percent of the #7 tags recovered during the study period. In the Upper Lake Area, 238 crappie, or 15.94 percent of the total, were tagged during this segment. Seventeen tagged fish were recovered, which accounted for 0.dé percent of the total tagged fish released, or 3h.05 percent of the total tagged fish recovered during the year. One fish that had been tagged the previous year was also recovered. There were 1,109 crappie tagged in the Middle Lake Area, which amounted to ?d.28 percent of the yearly total of marked fish. In this same area 25, or 0.02 percent of the total fish tagged this year, were recovered along with four crappie that had been tagged and released in earlier study periods. The 29 returns comprised 53.19 percent -1... of the total tagged fish recovered during the year. Four traps were used in the Lower.Lake Area, but only during the months of November, 1959 through January, 1960. Two crappie were caught and tagged during that period. A fisherman later recovered one of these and it comprised 2.13 percent of the total tagged fish recovered during the year. ' ' Information concerning all tagged crappie recaptured by either fishermen, gill nets, or traps is listed in Table 5. Two crappie traveled 30 miles, one traveled three miles and four traveled two miles each. The remaining tagged crappie either traveled shorter distances or had no travel at all. With the exception of the few fish menu tinned, the movement of crappie based on tagged fish recaptured during periods other than the spawning season is indistinct. No pattern or trend of movement is indicated. As a matter of fact 33 tagged crappie, recaptured during the year, traveled less than' 100 yards, and are shown in the distance traveled column of Table 5 as "none". It seems apparent that tagged crappie do not tend to move very far from the place where they were released. For example, Tag Number 287 was placed on a crappie on Jane 12, 1957. This fish was recaptured on April 6, 1960, after a period of almost three years, within one mile of_the place where it was originally tagged and released. a fish, with Tag Number 2,26h, was recaptured after being free for #05 days mithin two miles of the place of tagging. Another, with Tag Number 1,028, remained free for 280 days and was recaptured at the original point of tagging and release. Still another fish, carrying Tag Number 2,97% and free for 258 days, was recaught within two miles from where it was released. The only other fish to remain free more than 130 days see recaptured within 100 yards of the point of release. weekly lake level elevation readings are presented in Table 6. The lake maintains an almost constant level throughout the year, varying only 3.2 feet from its lowest level to its highest. week to week changes in lake level were slight, and so far as is known had little or no effect upon the crappie in Lake Whitney. As a matter of record, Table 7 includes temperatures taken at the mouth of Cedar Creek on Lake Whitney for the months of June, July, and August. Comparable temperatures are given for-June 19575 July 1957 and 1959; and August 1957. As shown in Table 8, only one crappie was taken in seine samples and this was a crappie fry. Giszard shad were predominant in the catch, comprising 84.28 percent of the fish seined. The sharpness Shiner, Hotropis ogyrhynchus, was next in abundance with h.90 percent of the seined specimens, and Gambusia agfinis followed with 3.10 percent. Bluegills, easily caught in the wire traps, comprised only 2.58 percent of the 388 specimens seined. The study thus far has been primarily concerned with the tagging and recapture of adult crappie and this work has indicated that, barring exceptions, tagged crappie tend to remain relatively near the original point of capture and release. With this in mind, it seems apparent that the emphasis of the study should be shifted to the stndy of crappie fry and Spawning success. This will be the major part of the work daring the coming year's study. Prepared by Dwane a. Smith Approved by " W ' Assistant Project Leader Director Inland Fisheries Division Date February 1%, 1961 Table 1. Fish caught in wire traps in Lake Whitney, November 1959 through June, 1960. Scientific name Species Spotted gar Lepisosteus oculatus. 0.61 Longnose gar l? osseus 2.62 Gizzard shad Dorosoma cepedianum 3.23 Smallmouth buffalo Ictiobus bubalus 0.83 River carpsucker Carpiodes carpio, 3.30 Carp Cyprinus carpio' 6.89 Channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus 6.89 White bass Roccus chrysops h.el Flathead catfish Eylodictus olivaris O.13 Largemouth bass .Micropterus salmoides l.h5 warmouth Chaenobryttus Eulosus 0.2C Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus 26.h% White crappie Pomoxis annularie L7.56 Freshwater drum . A lodinsws Totals eases m. mangoes 0e mass can noeomoaeosm. sass essasme. assesses H. Home newness endgame my. 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