TPWD 1985 F-30-R-11 #1816: Performance Report: Statewide Fishery Management Recommendations, Job A: Existing Reservoir and Stream Management Recommendations, Angelina River below Sam Rayburn R

Infill-3 PERFDRMANCE REPDRT As required by FEDERAL AID IN FISHERIES RESTDRAIION ACT Federal Aid Prcject F-BU—R-ll Statewide Fishery Management Reccmmendatinns Jcb A: Existing Reservcir and Stream Management Reccmmendaticns Angelina River belcm Sam Rayburn Reservcir, 1985 Philip P. Durccher Inland Fisheries Management Prcgram Directcr District IF—a Edgar P. Seidensticker District Management Superviscr Charles D. Travis Executive Directnr Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Austin, Texas Ernest G. Simmcns Chief, Inland Fisheries February 20, 1936 Rcbert J. Kemp Directnr cf Fisheries .":_I- if 4:1 _ .' -" " IWWF ' l - . - - in Heiress.- ifi ssh -. a i. .tnc :n. II as “In; - I f *Plfiiifit]: . I 1' i l I H- ' 1i an" fr.- ” I II | I I W F '31! 3! Han ans-m ' I 1 ll 1‘ 11!. I5 mill.“ 9.1 ”Ii-Pix“- ‘j't‘H-l '1‘ .r' H A Ii I | i | rf: clad " n1- - .-.+Hu'!i Ilill%'.! '1 I Mini-I "hint: 3'". was 3" 'n .12; run *3- H'mfl sass? . IHI 'T ':;--‘. --f In H '-~~'-.;- ' tau Performance Report Job A. District IF—A Dbjective: To recommend habitat improvement, fisherman information, fish I. population manipulation, vegetation control, pollution control, fisherman access and facilities development and fish harvest regulations for existing and proposed public waters of Texas. Summary: The Angelina River from Sam Rayburn Dam to its confluence with the Neches River in the upper portion of B. A. Steinhagen was surveyed during 1985 by methods outlined in the Texas Parks and wildlife Department Management Manual to identify needs for increasing fishing recreation and to recom- mend management techniques. A creel survey was conducted on the Sam Rayburn Dam tailrace area during March, April and May. Gill net samples were taken in August and elctrofishing samples were taken during October. Dther survey techniques were carried out in association with these sam— pling methods. Physicochemical characteristics and fish harvest regulations were deter— mined to be adequate at this time. The fish community was also found to be adequate. Forage fishes present included threadfin shad, gissard shed and sunfishes. Rough fishes present were mainly smallmouth buffalo, but several others species were also present. Sport fishes included channel catfish, blue catfish, flathead catfish, largemouth bass, spotted bass, white crappie, black crappie, hybrid striped bass and white bass. The largemouth bass populations in the mainstream river were found to be low with few legal size bass present; however, anglers fish for these species mainly in the backwaters, sloughs and oxbows. Vegetation in the mainstream river was found to not present any problems, but in the sloughs and oxbows, submerged vegetation did limit access. It is recommended that B. A. Steinhagen Reservoir be lowered 6 to 10 feet on an annual or biannual basis during January for at least two weeks to provide some control of submerged vegetation in the sloughs and oxbows. Another recommendation was for the construction of stairs and walkways to provide better and safer access to the Rayburn tailrace. Fishermen information could be improved by more advance notice of water releases from Rayburn Dam when this information is available. Significant Deviation: Gill net samples were taken during August rather than May due to time limitations of project personnel. Cost: $30,000 Prepared by: Edgar P. Seidensticker Date: February 21, 1986 District Management Supervisor Assistant D—J Managemgnt Coordinator Approved by: agement Coordinator DESCRIPTION OF STUDY AREA The study area consists of the 25-mile segment of the Angelina River in Jasper County located between Sam Rayburn Reservoir Dam and the confluence with the Neches River at the upper end of B. A. Steinhagen Reservoir. This is in the Piney 1Woods Vegetational Area. Stream width in this section of the river varies from T5 to 250 feet and the water is generally clear and deep. River flow is dictated primarily by releases from Sam Rayburn Dam for power generation during March through November. The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers controls these releases. 1Water quality in the river is good with pH running from slightly acid to neutral; turbidity usually very low due to water releases from Rayburn Dam; water temperatures generally ranging from 38“F. to .85flfh; total lmardness and total alkalinity usually less than BO parts per million; and conductivity ranging from 110 to 150 micromhos. Bank fishing access is good in the tailrace area below Rayburn Dam and two improved boat ramps are present in this section of river. Boat access is also readily available from launching sites on B. A. Steinhagen Reservoir. Fishing in the tailrace area is best during March, April and May when anglers can expect to catch crappie, white bass, hybrid striped bass, freshwater drum,channel catfish, spotted bass, largemouth bass and an occasional striped bass tn: walleye. Fishing ii: the remainder of the river segment runs from fair to good for largemouth bass, spotted bass, black and white crappie, channel, blue and flathead catfish and white bass. The primary fishing areas are located in the feeder streams, sloughs and oxbows, rather than in the mainstream areas. MATERIALS AND METHODS water quality data were obtained frmm the Texas water Commission for 198A and 1985 for their sampling station on state highway 63, six miles downstream from Sam Rayburn Dam. Hater release information was obtained from the U. S. Corps of Engineers at Sam Rayburn Dam. Aquatic vegetation and fish habitat were surveyed and evaluated during August by on-site inspection. The common names of aquatic vegetation used in this report are those given in the Texas Parks and 1Wildlife Mangement Manual. Gill net samples were collected during August. Collections were made using ZOO-foot experimental gill nets constructed of eight panels, 25 feet long, 8 feet deep of monofilament webbing with eight mesh sizes ranging in i—inch increments from §—inch to AJinch bar nmeh. Twenty net sites were sampled overnight with one gill net (Figure l). Electrofishing samples for largemouth bass and spotted bass were conducted during October. Four hours of electrofishing were carried out in the lower six miles of the mainstream area. No samples were taken from feeder streams, sloughs or oxbows (Figure l}. .A creel survey was conducted on the Sam Rayburn Dam tailrace during March, April and Iflflf to determine fisherman success and harvest during this peak fishing period. Either one or two creel clerks covering both access points conducted this survey (Figure 1}. Creel data were collected on nine randomly selected days during the survey period. Five survey days started at randomly selected times in the morning between sunrise and 9:30 a.m. and ended at sunset. When there was no generating, the creel clerks left. On four days, the creel survey was conducted continuously from ?:30 a.m. to sunset. These data were analyzed according to methods outlined in the Texas Statewide Creel Survey Program rmul Lambou {1980) except that the yield values were estimated from the actual catch and not from fish being sought data. Information relating to public access and facilities, needs for fisherman information programs and harvest regulations were obtained during the process of other survey activities. The common names of fishes used in this report are those approved by the American Fisheries Society (Robins, 1980}. All methods used in this survey are outlined in the Texas Parks and Wildlife Mangement Manual. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Physicochemical Characteristics The quarterly water samples conducted by the Texas Water Commission during 198A and 1985 revealed no problem areas (Table 1). Dissolved oxygen (Environmental Protection Agency, l9?6), alkalinity (Environmental Protection Agency, l9lb), pH (Environmental Protection Agency, l9lfi), conductivity (McKee and Wolf, 1963) and turbidity (Buck, 1956) were well within acceptable limits. The lL. S. Army Corps of Emgineers' water release data for Sam Rayburn Dam during 1985 indicates that regular releases began on March T and continued until October 25. Releases were made only a total of 1? times during January, February and EEEEmbET (Table 2). Water releases ranged from only two hours per day (569 day sec. ft.) to 25+ hours per day (max. 9200 day sec. ft.). Fish Habitat The survey of aquatic vegetation revealed no problems at this time (Table 3). Primary vegetation observed during this survey included. waterweed, pondweed, water milfoil, and coontail. Emergent vegetation on the riverbanks included black willow, buttonbush and wax myrtle. While aquatic vegetation does not {mums any problems in the mainstream area, the backwaters, sloughs and oxbows have become inaccessible in recent years due to growth of sub“ merged vegetation stimulated by the relatively stable water levels of B. A. Steinhagen Reservoir. Fish Community Even though these data do suggest quantitative 'values such. as 'relative abundance cu? the different fish species, comments of a quantitative nature drawn from these data must 1x2 considered speculative. This is because it is :nrt possible 1x} know how accurate estimates are since confidence limits cannot be calculated. Forage Fishes: Forage species collected in the river include threadfin shad, giasard shad, blacktail redhorse, warmouth, redear sunfish, bluegill and longear sunfish (Table A). These species should provide an adequate forage base for sport fishes in the river system. Sport Fishes: Gill net samples produced the following sport fishes: channel catfish, blue catfish, flathead catfish, largemouth bass, spotted bass, white crappie, black crappie, hybrid striped bass and white bass (Table A). October electrofishing samples in the mainstream river indicated low densities of largemouth bass and spotted bass and very few legal size bass (10 inches tn: greater total length) present in the main river (Figure 2). However, discussions with anglers who fish this section of the river indicate that most of the fishing for bass and crappie is done in the backwaters, sloughs and oxbows. The creel survey conducted (H1 the Sam Rayburn Dam tailrace area indicated that hybrid striped bass (l4.9152.l hours per acre),striped bass (69.5t50.l) and crappie (6?.2 i A726) were the most sought after species during the period March 1 through May 31, 1985 (Table 5). During the creel interviews, it was noted that many anglers expressed a preference for a certain species, but they retained whatever species they happened to catch. Yield per acre in the tailrace was low for a tailrace fishery in my opinion (144.9 1 T94 fish per acre and T2.3 .t 45.9 pounds per acre). It was made up mainly of hybrid striped bass, crappie, freshwater drum and sunfishes (Table 5). Tdarious standards for judging fishing quality are given in Table 6. Bennett (l9l'l) found that most people will not fish when their catch rate does not exceed 0.1 pound of fish per hour unless some other factor is involved. All categories of fishes exceeded this minimum catch rate. The percent successful fishing parties for hybrid striped bass was 15.8 x 11.2 percent and no limits were taken. The values in Table T give the composition of the creel and the average weights calculated from these values. Redear sunfish, freshwater drum, bluegill, and white crappie were the most abundant species taken by anglers during the creel period. Despite heavy fishing pressure for striped bass and hybrid striped bass, only seven hybrid striped base were recorded on the creel and no striped bass were observed. The creel data summary, given in Table 8, indicated only moderate fishing pressure on the tailrace. The catch rate totals and the percent parties successful verify the observation that tailrace anglers may be seeking a specific species, but they will take whatever species of fish they happen to catch. The catch rate for sought-after species was 0.20 i 0.08 fish weighing 0.12 s 0.04 pounds per hour and the percent success for fish being sought was 12.0 t in? while the total catch rate was 0.8!; i 0.35: fish weigh— ing 0.2? t 0.09 pounds per hour and the percent success for all anglers was 34.5 i 9.5. Rough Fishes: Smallmouth buffalo was the most abundant rough fish taken in gill nets (Table A). Other rough fishes included spotted gar, longnose gar, river carpsucker and freshwater drum. Freshwater drum contributed a significant amount to the Sam Rayburn Dam tailrace fishery (Table 5). Rough fishes were not deemed to present a serious problem to the Angelina River fishery. Public Access and Facilities Public access and facilities are adequate on this section or river. Access to the tailrace could be improved by the addition of concrete steps down to the water and possibly a concrete walkway along the riprap above the high water level. This would allow easier access particularly for senior citizens ydni might have difficulty walking on the riprap or down the steep hillsides. Fisherman Information The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers could provide advance notice of water releases from Rayburn Dam when this information is available. The present practime of announcing the release schedule tn: a daily basis on the local radio station is good for local anglers, but does not help people living outside the Jasper area. Fish Harvest Regulations All regulations are adequate at this time. MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS Physicochemical Characteristics No action is necessary. B. A. Steinhagen Reservoir should be lowered b to 10 feet on an annual or biannual basis during January for at least two weeks to provide some control of submerged vegetation. in the backwaters, sloughs and oxbows along the Angelina River and increase the accessibility of these areas to anglers. Fish Community No action is necessary. Public Access and Facilities Access to the Sam Rayburn Dam tailrace could be improved dramatically by the addition of concrete steps from the parking area to the river and con— crete walkways above the high water level running along the riprap. This would provide better and safer access to the tailrace for all anglers. Fisherman Information When water release schedules are known in advance, the Corps of Engineers should make this information available to area newspapers and radio stations. Fish Harvest Regulations No action is necessary. REFERENCES CITED Bennett, G.W. 19?1. Fishing pressure versus yield. Pages 26A—266 in G.W. Bennett, Management of Lakes and Ponds, 2nd ed. Fan Nostrand Reinhold Co. New York. Buck, D.H. 1956. Effect of turbidity on fish and fishing. Oklahoma Fish. Res. Lab. Rept. 56. 62 pp. Environmental Protection Agency. l9ll. Quality Criteria for Water. Office of Hater and Hazardous Materials, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, 0.0. 256 pp. Lambou, F.W. 1966. Recommended method of reporting creel survey data for reservoirs. Oklahoma Department of ‘Wildlife Conservation 'Bull. A. A0 pp. McKee, J.E., and H.W. Wolf, eds. 1963. Water quality criteria, 2nd ed. State of California State Water Quality Control Board Publ. No. 3-A, Sacramento, California. 5A8 pp. Robins, C.R., Chairman. 1980. A list of cosmon and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada. Am. Fish. Soc. Spec. Publ. No. 12. Sam Rayburn Reservoir *I'I-II-i-IIII' *I.I‘-..'l C C N N I. N T N . h gt C - Creel survey site a g up N - Cill net site fl I. m 0} E — Electrofishing site w W — Water sample site : :2 W II on S ’h ‘35 ,p o N 9;. b No N E h F. M 2?99 Jasper N E E n n h B.A. Steinhagen Reservgif Figure 1. Location of sample sites, Angelina River, Texas, 1985. Number Chllected .T___T.__1__w_ "_T"_ 'T_ "._T_”_ Figure 2. 1:5 \K/s / S 3 A 5 6 T 8 9 10 11 Inch Croup Lengthwfroquency statistics for lar from electrofishing samples on the "a “a i s — spotted bass I— largemouth bass ~ ““\ / 12 13 1A 15 16 1? emouth bass and spotte ngelina River, Texas, 18 lgblls