TPWD 1967 F-4-R-14 #1158: Fisheries Investigations and Surveys of the Waters of Region 2-A: Job No. 3-36, Evaluation of the Pre-impoundment Rotenone Treatment of Hubbard Creek Lake

Marion Toole D-J Coordinator JOB COMPLETION REPORT As required by FEDERAL AID IN FISHERIES RESTORATION ACT TEXAS Federal Aid Project No. F-4-R-l4 FISHERIES INVESTIGATIONS AND SURVEYS OF THE WATERS OF REGION 2-A Job No. 3-36: Evaluation of the Pre-impoundment Rotenone Treatment of Hubbard Creek Lake Project Leader: Charles T. Menn J. R. Singleton Executive Director Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Austin, Texas Eugene Aa Walker Director, Wildlife Services December 15, 1967 Abstract The pre-impoundment rotenone treatment performed on Hubbard Creek Reservoir was not effective and failed to be of any advantage to the "game species” pOpulation in that lake. ' _a Job Completion Report 8 t a t e 0 “mil-"say ._ M...“ P1“ 03' e C t No o-....,..1.7:.‘_:é+;j€~_:.l4_ 1...... Name: assassins ailareetissaii.assesses? area f . the . MaraOLEeasaaaamr “we...“ J01? N0 . “new..- Pianrrrnrr...“ T i t 1 e 2 Evaiaata-aanaasiie lireiaasssassaaisates-assl-. T real; me n assesses 1.9.rsskmlase_..-...,.._._....,. mm... Per 10d Covered 2mm__._._§23ssaeai iiéarmkssemberméi “.1291“- ”Mimiimmmrmm Objective: This study was conducted in an effort to evaluate the effectiveness of reservoir preuimpoundment rotenone treatments. The lakes involved in this study were Proctor Lake and Hubbard Creek Lake. Techniques Used: Fortymtwo farm ponds and sloughs in the basin of the Hubbard Creek Lake were treated with rotenone at the rate of 1.5 ppm. Hubbard and Sandy Creeks were also treated at the same rate. These steps were taken in order to eliminate the existing fish populations in the basin area. (Project Ful4-DU6, Job l6a37). There was no pre- impoundment fish kill treatment performed on Proctor Lake. Description of Lakes: Hubbard Creek Lake Hubbard Creek Lake is located about 6 miles northwest of Breckenridge, Stephens County, Texas. It was built by the City of Abilene and is controlled by the West Central Texas Municipal Water District. The earthen dam, across Hubbard Creek below the confluence with Sandy Creek, impounds 163000 surface acres of water. The primary purpose of the lake is to supply water to Abilene and smaller surrounding cities. No efforts were made to provide recreational facilities. Construction was completed in the fall of 1962 and 23000 surface acres of water were impounded that year. Soils on the watershed are primarily of clay-loam with underlying limestone. Shoreline vegetation is limited. Mesquite is the predominant tree while the shores line supports bermuda grass, sunflowers and various range grasses and weeds. Proctor Lake Proctor Lake is located in the Brazos River Basin in Comanche County3 9 miles northeast of Comanche on the Leon River3 a tributary to the Brazos River. The dam was built by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers for flood control and water conservation. Work on the dam was completed in the spring of 1963. Due to heavy rains on the watershed the lake was filled immediately. -2- Lake Proctor has 4,600 surface acres of water which is supplied by Rush Creek, Sabanna River, and Leon River. Soils on the watershed are primarily sand with underlying clay. Peanuts and watermelons are the principle crops grown on the immediate watershed. The shoreline has a variety of trees, but consists mostly of large pecan trees intersPersed with post oak. Bermuda is the predominant grass. Launching ramps, camp sites, picnic areas and paved roads, built by the Corps of Engineers make the lake very attractive and extremely accessible to the public. Stocking of Lakes After eradication was completed on Hubbard Creek Reservoir, heavy rains inundated 2,000 acres of fertile pasture land. The lake was stocked with 150,000 channel catw fish, 37,000 blue catfish and 10,000 bass fingerlings. This stocking took place the last week of August. Subsequent stockings of both Proctor and Hubbard Creek Lakes are tabulated in Table 1. Table l Stocking of Hubbard Creek Lake & Proctor Lake Hubbard Creek Lake Largemouth Channel Catfish Flathead Crappie Date Bass Catfish Blue Catfish White 8-62 10,000 2,000 , 9-62 5,000 103,050 12,000 10-62 19,000 10,700 24,000 2,000 4-63 9.29.299 . . . .._.._...... ._., rags Totals 384,000 115,750 36,000 2,000 1,096 Proctor Lake Date Largemouth Channel 'Catfish Flathead Crappie Bass Catfish Blue Catfish White 6-63 167,700 8—63 76,980 10-63 5,050 Totals 167,700 _ 76,980 5,050 m3- Gill nets were used to sample fish populations and were set at stations established during the initial (Fw4uR-ll) segment of this job. The nets were 150 feet long and 6 feet deep with square mesh graduated from 1 inch to 3% inches, changing every 25 feet. Nets were set in the afternoon and raised the following morning. Netting trips were distributed more or less randomly over the segment periods. The yearly net footages for each lake are shown in Table 2. Table 2 Yearly Net Footages ”new” Wm .z Memmwmmamrmmnrmmm iiE‘E’bmW'mm—mm‘fiiimmmmwm” sssasai wreakemi... Erasing-2. 63~64 8,550 “eet 8,350 feet 64~65_ 6,450 feet 6,000 feet 65-»66 ”Listings m7 genres}; Totals 22,200 feet 21,550 feet ICJ-IA _--:...o. mums. Wm mmmc. I:mm4mmm an: hm um. Mum—s. :3...r—-_\::c:1-I: . mum-r . amau'xmug- I‘m.” n.m_n_ “flu-,- Infl u . ”1, ’_.‘_ “a: m. ” a—flo— I ..-.E 21 I .u _. ___-.nw Scientific names of fish mentioned in this report are shown in a checklist (Table 3). The checklist also categorizes the various species included in the terms ”rough fish”, “game fish” and ”miscellaneous sunfish” as used in this report. Table 3 Checklist of Fishes Mentioned in This Report arc-m. r... .m‘:m—auna‘m;fl.=am17:mflA-;¢uufll gamma-4.. gang-4 a . Jr 2.qu J‘la'mmgnmwrm.u “swan: “mmmn- mammughmmzfl-flmummim m.zm.'rm_fl.w_h._fi.m: m‘_:m-Hm;-Jm;¢. twang—.4. Roush Fish 3 1.25.742: “flat—"- End razor—5..“ Sp 0 t ts d ear Lise leggings sealants. Lenses 8 e ear - arm-seamen assess Gizzard shad Egrosoma gs ediéppm Smallmouth buffalo ' letiobugnbubalgg River carpsucker gfigpipgggzgagpig Cara Erma-ass assess illack infljUaead .lEEflliHflii QSJifii Yellow hullhead , lptalflfufi,3§£§$;§ FreShwa u» 1‘ drum and ifisias srlnntena -4- Table 3 (continued) Checklist of Fishes Mentioned in This Report “WWW Game Fish Channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus Blue catfish Ictalurus furcatus Flathead catfish Pylodictis olivaris Largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides White crappie Pomoxis annularis Miscellaneous Sunfish Warmouth Chaenobryttus gulosus Green sunfish Lepomis cynellus Redear sunfish Lepomis microlophus Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus Longear sunfish Lepomis megalotis M It should be noted that water analyses were made on each lake at an established station during the segments. Tests were made to determine dissolved oxygen, carbon dioxide, pH, and alkalinity. The results of these tests showed both lakes to be similar in water quality. Data: The netting data for segment 3, 1965-66, are shown in Tables 4 and 5. Netting data from previous segments can be found in the Job B-3l completion report F-4-R~12. Table 6 consists of the tabulated netting data for all three years in regards to per cent of number and per cent of weight. These are also graphically illustrated (Table 7). Table 6 Per Cent of Number and Weight __._____________________._____a__________________i_____i___ Hubbard Creek Lake Per Cent of Number Per Cent of Weight 1963-64 1964-65 1965-66 1963-64 1964565 1965—66 Rough Species 40.65 61.85 45.15 55.36 65.39 62.84 Game Species 35.51 32.20 34.41 41.95 34.06 35.21 Miscellaneous Species 23.84 5.95 20.44 2.69 0.55 1.95 (DUN 510 ”.o. h-O1 at 0* MNOMM o\q)h-C)¢)C3 owic>aarwai O O F4wdoiolhlbl l h d‘ I 0") M . 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Table 6 (continued) WWW Proctor Lake Per Cent of Number ' Per Cent of Weight 1963-64 1964-65 1965-66 1963-64 1964-65 1965-66 Rough Species 40.71 51.08 54.34 41.87 45.46 57.43 Game Species 54.97 42.73 37.90 57.15 53.64 _41.48 Miscellaneous Species 4.32 6.19 7.76 0.98 0.90 1.09 W Discussion: To better understand the data and draw some conclusions several indices must be chosen. Several interesting facts can be seen by comparing such factors as per cent of numbers and per cent of weight (Tabler 6 and Figure l). The graph comparing per cent of numbers for both lakes shows several things: 1. Although Hubbard Creek Lake received pre-impoundment rotenone treatment, the total per cent of ”rough species” in this lake for the first year was almost equal to the "rough species percentage" of Proctor Lake which was not treated before stocking. 2. The per cent of ”game species” in Proctor Lake was greater than the percentage in Hubbard Lake during the first year. However, it must be noted that the per cent of "miscellaneous species" for the first segment were greater in the treated lake, Hubbard.-“ Numbers 1 and 2 seem to indicate that the pre-impoundment rotenone treatment had little or no influence on the fish populations in Hubbard Creek. r. W 1/ If a rough fish - game fish comparison is used to determine effectiveness of pre-impoundment rotenone treatments, the role of the ”miscellaneous Species” cannot be overlooked. It must be realized that there is a possibility that the ”miscellaneous fish” may occupy part of the habitat of either the game or the rough p0pulation. Since the”miscellaneous species“ could influence either population, it is assumed that their affect will not greatly bias this study.