TPWD 1954 F-4-R-1 #72: Inventory of Species Present in Lake Whitney, Texas

STATE Texas PROJECT no“ F-E-R—i, Job Bel PERIOD em. _ __ NW W Segment Completion Report (it: “I ’3... . . 1" {:i .-. " by air r Leonard D. Lamb >~ a ,o, Project Leader Hebert N. Hambric Assistant Project Leader TITLE Inventory of Species Present in Lake Whitney, Texas, OBJECTIVES To determine the species present and their relative abundance as well as to determine the ecological factors influencing their distribution. HISTORY OF LAKE Whitney Dam is located on the Brazos River in Hill and Bosque Counties, Texas, approximately 38 river miles upstream from waco, McLennan County, Texas and 19 miles southwest of Hillsboro, Hill County, Texas, The Whitney Dam and Reservoir was constructed and is operated by the Corps of Army Engineers as a multiple purpose project for the control of floods, and de— velopment of hydroelectric power and for recreational purposes and other uses, Construction of the dam was started May 12, l9h70 Constructure of the clos— ure section was begun.in May 1950 and completed in December l950, During that perm iod about 590 surface acres of water was impounded which extended upstream for a distance of ten milesa The gates of the dam were closed on December 10, 195l, which permitted the power pool to commence filling, The lake has never been closed to fishing, PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS Lake Whitney is a clear water lake, impounding 15,800 surface acres at norm mal pool level (elevation 520 feet above sea levels) The reservoir is approximate~ ly 37 miles long and has a shore line of 190 miles extending into the steeply sloping tributary valleys entering the reservoir. The lake varies in width from about 0,5 miles at the dam, to a maximum of two miles then narrows to a width of several hundred feet up rivera The average width is one mile. The shore line is characterized by gently sloping valleys in some areas and limestone bluffs else- where, Soils of the Lake Whitney area are of the Grand Prairie type, primarily of the DentonmSan Saba group, The group is characterized by deep soils of brown to black in color underlaid with limestone, chalk or marl. The lake bottom, prior to flooding, was about one-half cultivated, one~ fourth grass, and one~fourth timbered land, Rhety percent of the timber was removw ed before flooding of the area began. The uncleared timber consisted primarily of cedar on the side slopes, or bottom hardwoods along the main streams and in the tributary dIews The total eontribu.ting dIeina.ge area of the Brazos River we ten— shed is 359720 square mi1.ee of whieh 17 650 square miles is oontrolled by Whi.tney Demo The land of the teateIe.hed is used: Err grazing a.nd feIming The maximum depth of the lake is 95 feet? About onemthiId of the lake area will be between 20 and t5 feet deepc For water depth areas} see Table 10 The ex” peeted fluctuation between the aweIage annual minimum {elevo 51762} and maximum (52612) pools will be nine ftoy whieh should prove no serious detriment to fish productiono CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS One water analysis was made May 19, 195ta The pH ranged from 7.4 at a depth of 50 feet to 812 at the snIfaeeo The diesolwed oxygen content varied from 107 ppm just above the lake bottom 68 feet deep to 1002 ppm at the snrfaeea Total alkalinity waIied from 11% ppm at a depth of 68 feet to lot ppm at the surface. AQBATIG VEGETQEION Aquatie vegetation is not geneIa1ly abundant and poses no problem in the lakea Some epeoies of U+Iicn1eria (bladdeIwort) and Polygonnm (smartweed) have been found in faiI sized patehee 1n the early part of June 195K large concentrations d (henna (duekweed} were found in proteeted areas of small tributary oreeksa GQLLECTING METHQDS Random samples of the fish population weIe taken by gill nets and minnow seineso Some net sets were made with gill nets 8 ft“ deep by 100 ft” long with square mesh sizes of one inoh to 3 inehesu Other sets were made with gill nets 8 feet deep and 123 feet long whieh eonteined a series of 25 fto seetions in which the equare meeh siees were gIedneted in oneuhelf inoh intervals from one to three inehesa Seining eolleetione were made with 30 a 6 fto etIaight seines and 30 X 6 its bag seinesj each with % ineh meehg Data taken rom fieh naught in gill nets included the length, weight, sex, atom. and contenI and degIee of peIaeitien if any from eeoh fisho Scales from the gem e fish weI. eolleoted feI intone age and growth studieeo Table 2 records the one Cklist of fiehes eel eeted teem Lake Whitneyo BESUlflS OF SEININS COLLEGTIQNS Two eeining eolleetione weIe made on the lakea One collection made June 26} 1953 yielded 59a peeieene, IepIe'enting 13 specieso The other oolleotion taken May 17, 195k netted 619 :fis.h in whieh 18 species were represented Giaaard shed and plains Ied linens weIe the no at abundant species represented with largew mouth base in aeeonnting for the thiId largest group“ Tabulations of the seinm ing eolleetione are found in Tabs 3. RESUEPS 0F BETTER} SOLLECTEQNS Gill net sets equal to 135 nets 100 feet long were made on the lake from June 1953 until May 195%, yielding 2,927 fisha Game fish composed 30% of the oeteh and White enappie were the most abundant game fish takeno' Kentucky spotted bass and largemouth.bass were about equally represented in the catohn Gizzand shad were the most abundant speeies naught? followed by carp and smallmouth buffam lo Ieepeotiwelyo A eomparison of the data representing game fish and rough fish speiee is IeGOIded in Table hm The length, weight and coefficient of condition of all fish collected by gill nets are given in Table 50 The results of monthly catches of each species showing the number caught and the percent of the total monthly catch they rep— resent is shown in Table 6. Corresponding information is listed in Table 7, ex— cept the catch is represented by weight and the percent column shows the percent of the total weight of that monthVS catch for each species. The number of gill nets set each month varied from month to month. Table 8 shows the frequency of capture of each species as well as the number caught per 100 fte net set andthe seasonal variation in catcheso DISCUSSION The fact that Lake Whitney is a new impoundment and has only recently reached its normal capacity of water storage indicates that the reservoir has not yet reached its peak of productiona The lake has been subjected to rather heavy and.regular fishing pressure its entire lifeo .More than one million anglers fish~ ed the lake from June 1953 through May 19549 The rise in water level of the bas~ in has been somewhat steady during the past year. There are many acres of grass and weed covered flats under water whhh should add to the productivity of the lake» The entire food chain is excellent and the ”K” factors of the fish studied indicate rapid growtho A good base spawn occured in the spring of l953 and a very large spawn was found in the spring of 19549 There is a large population of rough fish in the lake but their presence has shown no noticeable harm to the game species to dateo It is contemplated that rough fish removal by state contract fishermen will begin scene The opportunity to follow a new lake through its successive stages of bio~ legical development prompted the work of thisproject. Data resulting from the past yearis work indicates that additional information can be obtained by prolong- ing the studyn Included in the tables of this report are records of a typical seine colleen tion} gill net collection and impoundment survey formo SUMMARY Lake Whitney is a new lake located between Bosqne and Hill Counties near Whitneyy Terese it is a fairly large; clear water lake about 37 miles long with a 190 mile shorelineo The lake was random sampled with approximately 130 gill net sets which cove ered a period of one yearo Netting yielded 2,927 fish which weighed 1,513 poundsa Rough fish constituted 70% by number and 73% by weight of all fish takeno Shed were the most abundant rough fish and accounted for 28% of the total catcho White crappie were the most abundant game fish representing 7% of all specimens takeno Two seining collections yielded 1,213 fish representing 20 specimenso Shad accounted for 3?% and the plains red shiner represented 28%:f all fish collecteda Largemouth bass fry numbered 10% of all fish caught. ' Data resulting from the project indicates that additional information can be obtained by continuing the studyo Table 10 water Depth Areas of Lake Whitney Depth Range _ Percent of 0m5 17 SulO ' l5 lOmQO 20 20~t5 32 t5~7o 70m95 (maxi depth) Table 2. Common Name Spotted Gar Longnose Gar Gizzard Shad Smallmouth buffalo River carpsucker German Carp Gray Redhorse Sucker Pugnose Minnow Pallid Shiner Red Shiner (Redhorse) Blacktail Shiner (Spottail) Ghost mimic shiner Redfin Shiner Parrot Minnow Fathead Minnow Channel Catfish Yellow Catfish (Flathead Catfish) Mosquitofish White Bass (Sand Bass) Largemouth Black Bass Spotted Black Bass Blackstripe Topminnow Warmouth Bluegill Bream Green Sunfish Western Spotted Sunfish Orangespotted sunfish Yellowbelly sunfish Black Crappie White Crappie Logperch Plains Orangethroat Barter Drum Black Bullhead Catfish American Eel Checklist of Fish Species From Lake Whitney, Texas, 1953 ”BA Scientific Name Lepisosteus productus Lepisosteus osseus Dorosoma cepedianum Ictiobus bubalus Carpiodes carpio Cyprinus carpio Moxostoma congestum Opsopoeodus emilae Notropis amnis Notropis lutrensis Notropis venustus Notropis volucellus Notropis umbratilis Pimephales vigilax Pimephales promelas Ictalurus punctatus Pilodictus oiivaris Gambusia affinis Morons chrysops MicrOpterus salmoides Micropterus punctulatus Fundulus notatus Chaenobryttus coronarius Lepomis macrochirus Lepomis cyanellus Lepomis punctatus Lepomis humilis Lepomis auritus Pomoxis nigromaculatus Pomoxis annularis Percina caprodes Poeciliohthys spectabilis Aplodinotus grunniens Ameiurus natalis Anguilla rostrata oo.ooa mam.a mam jam aapaa $0.0 H H mSPanowEOMmHQ mHMoaom $0.0 H H mHHHQmpoemm magegoHHHeeom mw.m mm NH $H mewohmmo eQHohem m$.0 0H 0H onawo msmwam%0 am.wm mm: mmH. Hmm Esmeweogme haemoaom 0m.0 m m : mopmpom mSHocmsm mw.$ m$ 0H mm mHQH%%m meSQEmm mm.0 m m H memaoam mmHagmoEHm mH.a eH :H ewHHEm mswooomommo $0.0 H H amHHmwh mengQoEHm NH.0 m m mfiHHpmanao mHQoapoz $0.0 H H mSHHmUSHo> mHmoapom $0.0 H H aHnam mHmoaaoz ew.em @mm Fem Hm aaaaaaaaa aaaoaaoz mp.m m: mm w wepmsemp mHmoapoz :w.0 m m mHHHESQ mHEOQmH 0m.0 m H m moHHonho mHEommH N0.H MH - w h wopmpomom mHEOQeH mm.m Pm mm m: mohHgooaowS mHaomeH mm.0H mmH 0HH $H memHOEHmm mdhmpmoaoHE Haaoa no paaaaam Haaoe amma .FH at: mmma .wm aaaa aaaaaam amma s mmma .aaaaa .aaaaaaz aaaa amefiommm Seem mo Manama mg mmoflpoeHHoo onmHom mo mpHSmam .m oHQaB Table A. A Comparison of the Rough and Game Fish Caught By Gill Nets in Lake Whitney, Texas 1953— 5k Total Number of Specimens Caught Total Weight of Specimens Caught Average Weight Per Specimen Total Weight of Rough Fish *Total Weight of Game Fish Total Number of Rough Fish *Total Number of Game Fish Average Weight Per Rough Fish Average Weight Per Game Fish Percent game fish (by weight) Percent rough fish (by weight) Percent rough fish (by number) Percent game fish (by number) i m Catfishes, drum and sand bass included in game fish. 30.0h EMPGSNDMERT SfiRhEY FUEilii,9 JOb Bel Name of Water: Lake Whitney Investigator: Hambric Location: Between Bosque and Hill Counties in Texas Date: May 17,195h Surface Acres: 15,800 Tributaries: Dam: Length: l,67h ft., Height: 159 ft. Construct: Avg. Depth: Approx. 25“, Acr. ft.”387,OOC)MaX, Depth 95: Brazos. Nolan, Steele. Rocky and Mesquite, Drainage Area: 17,650 sq. mi. earth-cement Built: 1950 Bottom Type: Shale, limestone. gravel and clay Aquatic Vegetation: Amount u very little Locations: Kind.: in backwater areas Utricularis Sp. and Polygonum sp. Immediate shore: Vegetation ~ sunflowers and grasses Profile: Surrounding Area: Land Use Water level fluctuation: Water uses: Hydroelectric, Types of Fishing: Still fishing, casting, fly fishing, trotline and no. Fishermen Seen: 9 fl .Approm. No: Cottages: V 'J‘ u Farming and Grazing Profile: Approx. 9 ft. per year in normal rainfall. irrigation and recreation trolling. Catch: Fair Resorts: to. Boat liveries: A0, Free Beaches: 190 mi. Accessibility: Good _ public lands. Fishiig Reputation: Good. Previons Five Year Stocking: Pollution: Some from Santa Fe Shops in Cieburne Largemouth bass and redear sunfish, also channel catfish. U coll. ea. smlfswa ’Locality Lake Whitney“ Date 5/17/5t Collector Hambric Time: 3:25 .4300 mm WWW Description Shoreline Shallow and sloping“ ‘ __ H" mm“ Bottom Gravel with some submerged terrestrial vegetation l. . ,mlmmm”m_mflmmwmmw-_m-m-"--.Wm_,w Cover little other than submerged grasses warm -eetei-/._.Presedine .slearwand_warm Weather Present Sky clear) wind mm} water: Temperature Color clear limi_mmmmlmlmmm_i_l_m_ .l.-w-_..“-__mu_ Surface _ BQOF Turbidity Clear Bottom vegetation Submerged Terrestrial grass recently covered. W Floating mun-m minimum-anus: . #rmatmmnmmmmmummmawm .-- - - -_. H - .. Predatfrs nome observed (t1‘m‘m-m;munuwucm 1mm «ma -:':wmmmmrm . mwnmmmmme-MMWW Paraeitea aid Diaeaae none observed Netropis lutreneis 135 Dorosoma cepedianum 1i? Wotropie renuetus P3 Pimephales promelas l Micropterus aalmoidee 52 Percina caprodee lh Gambusia affinis ll Lepomie macrochirna 9 Lepomie cyanellns l *undulue notatne 2 Poecilichthys epectabilie i Opsopoeedns emilae h Pomomis nigromaculatus l Notropis nmbratilis 9 Geratichthys ap. l Total _ _ 3?0 .mim.llineal_MMmallil_mllil__i_li_lli_.HMl.ll_ll_il_.lla___ii______lii__i______lm_,____________u__m__l Collection No. :Tackle Used No. Species LM Bass KS Bees W Crappie Bluegill Drum 3-1. 20 m. Gill R33.199_fia. Sex & Length in mm. Fetal- ..Derelea "Steedwfl F~3 260 mm Fmt 2&5 F-t 2A5 Mmh 235 Mun 200 M~2 150 Fat 260 Locality! .e,8mfia.x Lake Whitney, Sta. 6 '1 3:. _L‘.v Wt in 53535“ 350 277 295 226 190 127 305 Date inch_ ”K” Stomach No. SulB-Bt .Tiee 1.0vernisht. Empty Empty One 5 Empty Remarks Sioma¢h.¢0ntents inch shad Fish remains Insects Empty Empty Algae Algae- Algae Algae Algae Algae Algae Algae Algae Algae Algae Algae Algae Algae ? and seeds and crayfish ? and fish eggs? and fish eggs; and fish