TPWD 1965 F-3-R-12 #993: Fisheries Investigations and Surveys of the Waters of Region 3-B: Fisheries Reconnaissance, Job Completion Report

SEGMENT COMPLETION REPORT A8 reQuired by FEDERAL AID IN FISHERIES RESTORATION ACT TEXAS Federal Aid Prejeet Neu F S—R—lB Fisheries Investigations and Surveye of the Waters of Region fimB Jeb we. 3-18 Fisheries Reconneieeenee Project Leader Joe E. Toole J. Weldon Watson Executive Director Texas Perks and Wildlife Depertment Austin;'Texee Marion Toele Eugene A0 Walker D—J Coerdinetar Director, Wildlife Services 1% June 45 196.5 ABSTRACT Netting trips were made to six reservoirs and portions of three rivers in Inland Fisheries Region 3~B during the 1964 segment to collect reconnaissance 3 data“ Such limited netting collections on large reservoirs cannot provide ao— ourate data on population trends for this reasono 'It is recommended that this job be terminated JOB COMPLETION REPORT State of Texas Project No. F—S—R—lB Name: Fisheries Investigations and Surveys ________‘_____ ____fi__i_______*w_m_______________,_ - of the waters of Region 5~B° Job Non B~18 Title: Fisheries Reconnaissance W Period Covered: February 1 1964 m January 51, 1965 M OBJECTIVES: 10 To determine gross changes in the relative abundance of individual species” 2. To determine the quality of fishing; 53 To determine changes in those factors which may influence fish popu- lationso 4n To insure adequate fishing regulationsa TECHNIQUES USED: Netting trips were made to six reservoirs in Region S—B and to portions of three rivers during this segment; The lakes are as follows: Dam ”B” Reser— voir, Lake 0' the Pines, Lake Murvaul, Caddo Lake, Lake Striker and Lake Tylero Collections were also made on portions of the Sabine, Neches and Trinity Riverso Fish were collected with standardized gill nets 150 feet in length and 8 feet in depth with mesh size ranging from 1 to 5% inchesa Bag seines were used to supplement the netting with seining collections. Observations were made on the status of aquatic vegetation, fishing pres— sure, and public accessa Water analyses included pH, methyl orange alkalinity, chlorides, turbidity and water temperaturea DAM ”B” RESERVOIR Dam ”B" Reservoir, located in Jasper and Tyler Counties on the Angelina and Neches Rivers, has been surveyed in 1958~59, 1961—62, 1965 and 1964, Table l is a checklist of all species of fish collected from Dam "B” during all surveys; Table 2 is a comparison of the percentage of numbers of netted fish for all sur— veysn In 1963, the number of game fish collected reached an all—time low of 27041 per cento During the 1964 segment, game fish comprised 40007 per cent of the collectiono Dam ”B” continues to be a very productive reservoir, due to its shallow depth and water fluctuations During the summer months of 1964, the lake was drawn down to the river channels in many areas, exposing most of the basin to aeration and sunlight“ This provided for the growth of lush vegetation which” in turn produced natural fertilization when inundated in the falla _ 2 _ It is doubtful however if Dam ”B" will continue to be as productive with the completion of Sam Rayburn Reservoir, located upstream on the Angelina River. The water level of Dam ”B” will be stabilized and without the annual fluctuations of the water level the fertility of the reservoir may decreaseo The aerial spraying conducted by the Uu Sn Corps of Engineers for the con- trol of water hyacinths on Dam ”B” has been very successfulu Low water level and increased turbidity during the summer of 1964 also aided in the control of submerged vegetation. Dam "B" continues to be a favorite spot to fishermen and campersa The Dam ”B" State Park has recently been completeda Table 5 is a comparison of the 1965 and 1964 average "K” factors for the reservoir as compared to the regional averages according to speciesa The white crappie (PomOXis annularis) from the 1964 collection showed an increase in con“ dition factor over the 1965 figureo In general the game fish collected from Dam.”B" are below the regional average for the respective species. _m——flF——ufl———u——_.—u—_———-—n_————-———_——————————— Table 10 ?R_Reservoir Fish Species Species 1958—59 1961 1952 1965 1964 Alligator gar (Lepisosteus spatula) X Shortness gar (L. platostomus) X Spotted gar (L. oculatus) X X X X X Longnose gar (L, osseus) X X X X Bowfin (Amie calva) X X Threadfin shad (Dorosoma petenense) X X Gizzard shad (Q. cepedianum) X X X X X Blue sucker (Cycleptus elongatus) X Smallmouth buffalo (Ictiobus bubalus) X X X X X River carpsucker (Carpiodes carpio) X X X X X Gray redhorse (MOXostoma congestum) X Blacktail redhorse (Mt poecilurum) X Spotted sucker (Minytrema melanops) X X X X Lake chubsucker (Erim zon sucetta) X Carp (Cyprinus carpio; X X X Golden shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas) X Emerald shiner (Notropis athernoides) X Ribbon shiner (N, fumeus) X Weed shiner (N. teXanus) X X Chub shiner CE} potteri) X X Pallid shiner (Nu amnis) X X Blacktail shiner (No venustus) X X X X Red shiner (No lutrensis) X X X X Sand shiner (ND stramineus) X X Mimic shiner (Nu volucellus) X Silvery minnow (Hybognathus nuchalis) X X Bullhead minnow (Pimephales vigilaX) X X X . X Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) X X X X g“ X Blue catfish (I, furcatus) X X X X “7 X Black bullhead (Ia melas) X Yellow bullhead (In natalis) x Flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris) X X X X X Golden tepminnow (Fundulus chrysotus) X X X X X X Blackstrip topminnow (Ea notatus) _ 3 _ Table 1. A Checklist of Dam ”B” Reservoir Fish Species (Continued) 19es~59 Species 1961 1962 1965 1964 Mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) X X X X Brook silversides (Labidesthes sicculus) X X X X White bass (Roccus chrysops) * X Spotted bass (Micropterus punctulatus) X X X X 'Largemouth bass (Nb_salmoides)- X X X X X Warmouth (Chaenobryttus gulosus) X X Spotted sunfish (Lepomis punctatus) X X X Redear sunfish (L. microlophus) X X X X X Bluegill sunfish (L. macrochirus) X X X X X Longear sunfish (L. megalotis) X White crappie (Pomoxis annularis) X IX X X X Black crappie (P. nigromaculatus) X X X X River darter (Hadropterus shumardi) X Logperch (Percina caprodes) X Scaly sand darter (Ammocrypta vivaX) X Bluntnose darter (Etheostoma chlorosomum) X Slough darter (E. gracile) X Freshwater drum (Aplodinotus grunniens) X X X Number of Species 41 16 55 50 21 *Introduced Table 2 Comparison of Percentages of Numbers of Netted Fish from Dam ”B” Reservoir Species 1958—59 1961 1962 1965 1964 Alligator gar* 0.54 0 O O O Longnose gar* 5.12 14.74 5.66 2.88 0 Shortnose gar* 0.08 6.51 O O O Spotted gar* 4.68 o 5.00 6.75 11.55 Bowfin* 0.68 0 O O 0.55 Gizzard shadt 16.27 10.55 27.00 40.38 28.76 Blue sucker* 0.08 O O O O Smallmouth buffalo* 22.11 18.95 14.55 15.58 10.29 River carpsucker* 4.96 4.21 6.54 0.96 1.77 Gray redhorse* 0.24 0 0 0 0 Blacktail redhorset 0.56 0 0 0 0 Spotted sucker* 5.58 0 0.66 . 2.40 3.90 Lake chubsuckert 0.08 0 0 0 0 Carp* 0.80 0 0 0.48 1.06 Channel catfish 6.20 4.21 11.55 2.40 5.52 Blue catfish 2.72 12.65 5.00 7.22 12.06 Black bullhead* 0.16 0 0 0 0 Yellow bullhead* 0.47 0 0 0 0 Flathead catfish 0.60 2.11 0.34 0.96 1.77 Spotted bass 0.24 0 0 0.48 0.55 Species Largemouth bass Warmouth Redear sunfish Bluegill sunfish Longear sunfish White crappie Black crappie Freshwater drumi Rough Fish i Game Fish m 4 a Table 2 Comparison of Percentages of Numbers of Netted Fish from Dam “B” Reservoir (Continued) 1958~59 5.56 0.47 5.80 4.24 0 10.60 5.40 2.56 62.57 57.65 1961 4.21 1.9.629. 1. 0 5 1 0. 10 4 6 54 .00 .67 55 .00 .00 .00 .99 1965 1964 2.88 2.48 0 0 1.45 5.55 1.45 2.15 O 0 7.69 12.41 2.88 0 5.58 2.48 72.59 59.95 27.41 40.07 100.00 100.00 -— — .— -— _ -— ”a —— -— —- — —.--o -— n..- — ”— —. u.— —n -— —- -— - —— -—~ -— _ — _- -— .—-- .— -— — -— ——- -—- -— —- .— Species Channel catfish Blue catfish Flathead catfish Largemouth bass Spotted bass Redear sunfish Bluegill sunfish White crappie Black crappie Table 5 Comparison of Dam "B” Average "K” Factor to Average ”K” for Region. Number !—' manual—403160101 1965 Average ”K” 1.56 1.57 1.98 2.25 2.09 5.82 4.18 2.90 5.15 Number 1964 Average "K” 1.57 '1.55 1.79 2.00 5.85 4.64 2.50 ”K” Regional Average .70 .82 .05 .72 .55 .82 .58 .05 .54 OJCrlbll-CNNNIOI—‘I—J “—— -— —- — _..—- —— —I1 ——= _..o _ —-u-n .— . _——. _— _.—n .— _.—n u— _.—- — —-u — _...— —— .—— —— .— _.—..- _ _.-.— — _.-— ._ -— _.—- — _...— — .p— _ 5 i LAKE 0E THE PINES Lake 0’ the Pines is located in Marion County west of Jefferson. This reservoir was surveyed in 1958~59, 1960~61, 1965 and 1964. Table 4 is a checklist of fish species from all collections. Table 5 is a comparison of the per cent of numbers of fish collected by nets. A sharp increase was noted in sunfish and black bullhead catfish populations during the 1964 col— lection. A decrease in gizzard shad was indicated by the 1964 collection. It is the writer‘s belief, however, that for a reservoir of this size, a series of netting collections throughout the year is necessary to obtain valid data concerning relative species abundance. Lake OE the Pines pro— duces an excellent fishery for both largemouth bass and black crappie alm though the reconnaissance netting data for the 1964 segment indicates a decrease in both of these important game fish species. Submerged vegetation is an increasing problem in the shallow marginal areas of Lake 0* the Pines. The clear water and stable water level of the reservoir provide a good habitat for the submerged plants. Public access and facilities are very good at Lake 0! the Pines. Many camping areas and swimming beaches are available as well as boat launching ramps. Over three million people visit the reservoir annually. Table 6 contains water analysis data on Lake 0' the Pines collected during the 1965 and 1964 segments. Table 7 lists coefficient of condition figures for several game fish species. -— — --s H m —— — _. p... p... m H w. n... —q an m «— .—- —.. u... _. n... —n n.“ ..— v—u ._.. gun “a —5 a... ‘V—fl m . 10.! --a ,_u Table 4. A Checklist of Lake 0‘ the Pines Fish Species Species 1958-59 1960 1961 1962 1965 1964 Shortnose gar (Lepisosteus platostomus) X Spotted gar (L. oculatus) X X X X X X Longnose gar (N. osseus) X 'X Bowfin (Amia calva) X X X X Threadfin shad (Dorosoma petenense) X X X X Gizzard shad (N. cepedianum) X X X X X X Grass pickerel (ESOX americanus) X X X X Chain pickerel (E. niger) X X X Smallmouth buffalo (Ictiobus bubalus) X X Blacktail redhorse (MOXostoma poecilurum) X Spotted sucker (Minytrema melanops) X X X X X X Lake chubsucker (Erimyzon sucetta) X X .X X Carp (Cyprinus carpio) X X Golden shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas) X X X Ribbon shiner (Notropis fumeus) X X Spottail shiner (N. venustus) X X X X X Redhorse shiner (N. lutrensis) X X X X X Sand shiner (N. stramineus) X X Mimic shiner (1y. volucellus) x Silvery minnow (Hybo nathus nuchalis) X X Bullhead minnow (Pimephales vigilaX) X X X X X Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) X X X Blue catfish (g. furcatus) x x 4;; 6 Table 4. A Checklist of Lake 0‘ the Pines Fish Species (Continued) Species 315.012 bullhead (.10 males) Yellow bullhead (I. natalis) Flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris) Tadpole madtom (Schilbeodes gyrinus) Golden topminnow (Fundulus chrysotus) Starhead topminnow .E° notti) Blackstripe topminnow (F. notatus) Mosquito fish (Gambusia affinis) Pirate perch (Aphredoderus sayanus) Brook silversides (Labidesthes sicoulus) White bass (Roccus chrys0ps) Spotted bass (Micropterus punctulatus) Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) Warmouth (Chaenobryttus gulosus) Green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) Spotted sunfish (L. punctatus) Redear sunfish (L. microlophus) Bluegill sunfish (L. macrochirus) Redbreast sunfish (L. auritus) Longear sunfish (L. megalotis) White crappie (PomOXis annularis) Black crappie (P. nigromaculatus) Flier (Centrarchus macropterus) Blackside darter (Hadropterus maoulatus) Log perch (Percina caprodes) Bluntnose darter (Etheostoma chlorosomum) Freshwater drum (Aplodinotus grunniens) Number of Species _ .— .._-.- r.—_1 —. .— .-; .—.- _. a. ..=. my r1; nu an .=. 41-3 1958~59 1960 1961 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X IX X X X X. X X X 47 59 22 1962 1965 1964 WWW—”w X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X Table 5. Comparison of Percentages of Number of Netted Fish from Lake 0' the Pines. .44 .25 .80 .19 .58 .20 .12 .46 .58 .25 .66 Species 1958 59 1960 Shortnose gar t 0.08 0 Spotted gar 8 18. 25 15 Longnose gar t 0.42 0 Bowfin * 1.04 0 Threadfin shad t 0 O Gizzard shad R 7.00 26 Grass pickerel t 0.45 0. Chain pickerel t 0.40 0 Smallmouth buffalo 6 10.78 0 Blacktail redhorse t 0.56 0 Spotted suckert 2.05 10 Lake chubsucker * 0.56 0 Carp * 1.04 0 Golden shiner * 0.06 0 Channel catfish 4.98 0 Blue catfish 2.78 0 Black bullhead 8 17. 41 10 Yellow bullhead * 5. 67 5 .71 l 4 961 79 56 14 94 56 .25 9 0 2 0 0 0. 4. 0 0 0 0 8. 0. 0 0 2 0 8. 4 1.12 1962 5 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 6 0 2 0 0 6 5 .5 '7 .5 .5 (.7101 .51 9 ..8 .5 9 5 1 .96 (Iii—J 1965 1964 0 0 9.15 2.88 0 0 0.48 O 0 0 48.08 12.99 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.44 0.72 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.48 0 5.85 10.79 1.44 0 - 7 _ . Table 5. Comparison of Percentages of Number of Netted Fish from Lake 0' the Pines. (Continued) Species 1958~59 1960 1961 1962 1965 1964 Flathead catfish 1.24 0.25 O 0 0 2.88 White bass 2.15 '4.52 4.47 0 59 1.44 0.72 Spotted bass 2.82 0.12 0 0 0.96 0.72 Largemouth bass 6.46 5.21 7.26 5.55 4.55 1.44 Warmouth 4.49 2.67 1.12 1.77 0.48 2.16 Green sunfish 0.05 0 0 0 0 0 Spotted sunfish 0.59 0.80 0 0.59 1.44 0 Redear sunfish 0.54 1.51 2.79 2.96 4.81 50.21 Bluegill sunfish 5.75 7.88 4.47 5 91 9.15 20.14 Redbreast sunfish 0.11 0.58 0 O 0 5.05 Longear sunfish 0.25 0 0 O 0 0 White crappie 2.82 4.98 5.55 1.18 1.95 0 Black crappie 5.22 4.06 7.26 20.12 10 58 4.52 Flier 0 0.12 0 O 0 O Freshwater drum * 0.06 0 0 0 0 0 Rough fish * 65.79 66.51 67.05 65.55 64.42 52.57 Game fish 56.21 55.49 52.95 56.67 55.58 67.65 Total 100 00 100 00 100.00 100 00 100 00 100 00 Table 6. Water Quality of Lake 0’ the Pines 1958~59 1960 1961 1962 1965 1964 pH 6.5 6.9 7.0 6.8 7.2 7.2 Alkalinity (p.p.m.) 18.00 41.00 15.00 58.00 55.00 55.00 Chlorides (p.p.m.) 24.11 54.57 21.25 55.46 55.46 55.46 u—w _‘ q... u—w u—n- _ m n—u —- _. ("a .m A...» —. an 1—9 _. _. .... _.. ._=. ..- u .— _. m .— .-—- — H .— — .—. .— __ .— — —.u u— —. _ .— —. Table 7. Comparison of Lake O3 the Pines Average ”K” and Regional Average ”K” Factor. Species Lake OE the Pines Regional 1965 1964 Flathead catfish 0 1.75 2.05 Blue catfish 1.50 0 1.82 Channel catfish 0 1.51 1.70 Largemouth bass 2.54 2.22 2.72 Spotted bass ' 2.50 2.42 2.55 Warmouth 5.55 5.57 4.10 Redear sunfish 5.95 5.69 5.82 Bluegill sunfish 4.07 5.90 4.58 White crappie 2.99 0 5.05 Black crappie 5.50 0 5.54 White bass 2.97 5.14 5.16 -— —o ._.. m _ ._g —. ._n _; .—. .u- .—n .— u .—. A- .—. a... qu—O _. —. m _ —. m h... _- — —. ._.. — a... -.—- —u n... F. — ..n _. _. _- ..... _ 8 _ Lake Murvaul Lake Murvaul, located in Panola County near Carthage, was surveyed in 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1965 and 1964. Table 8 is a checklist for Lake Murvaul. No additional species were added in 1964. Table 9 is a comparison of the percentages of numbers of netted fish for the past collections. Lake Murvaul contains a high percentage of game fish. The reservoir contains large populations of bluegill and redear sunfish, in addition to an increasing population of white crappie. These species, as well as a high population of gizzard shad, provide an abundant food supply for the largemouth bass in the reservoir. Lake Murvaul has gained the reputation of being the best lake in TeXas for catching large bass. Many bass weighing from 7 to 10 pounds have been caught from Lake Murvaul. January and February of 1964 were productive months for bass fishermen. Table 10 is the Lake Murvaul average ”K" factors compared to the regional average. With the eXception of ' largemouth bass and channel catfish, all of the game fish collected during 1964 had a higher condition factor than did those of the 1965 collection. Table 11 gives water quality data from Lake Murvaul. v—Iv n- d. _ —. .... w.- -— u—u .— — _ .fl _... u _. — _. ... u: _ .— u-I .—a. — —» n-u — .—- _... _. "- —- .— _ _. fl — I—O Table 8. A Checklist of Lake Murvaul Fish Species Species 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1965 1964 —_——_a-———-——_p————mu—-—n—n_—u—-———u—-——u—n Spotted gar (Lepisosteus oculatus) Bowfin (Amia calva) “Gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) Grass pickerel (ESOX americanus) Smallmouth buffal 0(Ictiobus bubalus) River carpsucker (Carpiodes carpio) Blacktail redhorse (MOXostoma poecilurum) Spotted sucker (Minytrema melanops) Lake chubsucker (Erimyzon sucetta) Golden shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas) Pugnose minnow (Ops0poeodus emiliae) Ribbon shiner (Notropis fumeus) Pallid shiner (N. amnis) Blacktail shiner (N. venustus) Redhorse shiner (N. lutrensis) Sand shiner (N. stramineus) Blackspot shiner (N. atrocaudalis) Mimic shiner (N. volucellus) Taillight shiner (N. maculatus) Silvery minnow (Hybognathus nuchalis) Bullhead minnow (Pimephales vigilaX) Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) Blue catfish (3. furcatus) 51661 56115646 (N.lmelas) Yellow bullhead (I. natalis) Flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris) Tadpole madtom (Schilbeodes gyrinus) Blackstripe topminnow (Fundulus notatus) Mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) Pirate perch (Aphredoderus sayanus) Spotted bass (Micropterus punctulatus) NNNMNNNMNM >4 NNNNMNNNNNNNMMNNNN MNMM 241815.424 MMMMNfi MMHMNM MN NNN'MM >4wa NM MMb-dM >4 NMNN M M NM >4