TPWD 1957 F-2-R-4 #322: Inventory of Fish Species in Lake Granite Shoals, Texas: Job Completion Report, Project F-2-R-4, Job 3-16

1 JOB COMPLETION REPORT Lflfl Investigations Projects STATE OF TEXAS Project Non FERh Name -Fisheries Investigations and Surveys of the Waters of Region 6-30 of S ecies in Lake Granite Shoals Texas Job No; 3-16 Title" Invento Period Covered:' February 12 1256 through January 312 1957, ABSTRACT Thirtywseven seine and fifty—nine gill net collections produced a total of 3,351 fish specimens from.Lake Granite Shoals during the segment periods The gizzard shad, Dorosoma cepedianum was the most abundant species taken in gill nets, accounting for over 50% of the total numbero The spottail' shiner, NotrOpis venustus was the most abundant species taken in the seining collections, making up slightly over 30% of the totala Net and seine collections were made at random since the lake was considered toslarge to effect~ 'ively work set stations, Rough fish in Lake Granite Shoals are becoming an overrincreasing problem, with longnose gar, gizzard shad, smallmouth buffalo, river carpsucker, and gray redhorse sucm ker*making up 71°76% of total numbers taken in the net collection during this segment ' compared to 63°98% in the previous segment, Percent of total weight for these same rough fish species increased from #5958% of the total number in the 1955~56 segment period to ro6l% of the total in the 1956-57 segmenta ‘ The increasing abundance of aquatic vegetation which is closing some of the beta ter fishing areas to the fishermen is one of the most pressing problems and one that will have to be conquered if this lake is to be retained as a good fishing lakeo ' OBJECTIVES To determine the species present and their relative abundanceo TECHNIQUES - Fish collections and ecological observations were made monthly throughout the segment period with the exception of November 19560 Random gill net sets provided almost half of the collected materialo . ' With the exception of one 2 inch mesh not set, all netting was done with experimental type gill netso All Specimensinnunlin gill nets were identified, weighed, measured and checked for gonadal develOpment in the fieldu In addition, all game fish stomachs containing food were preserved in a formaldehyde solution and returned to the laboratory for content analysiso * . Three types of seines were used in collecting the seined material. Six foot straight, thirty-six foot by six foot bag, and twenty foot-% inch mesh bobbinet seines were utilized during the segment period with only limited results, The specimens taken 1 the seine collections were preserved in a~l %jf0rmaldahyde solution and taken to the laboratory for identification and study. PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION A complete physical description of Lake Granite Shoals is included in the Segment Completion Report, Project Fu2—R-3, Job 3-16. CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS Analysis of water samples was discontinued duringthis segment period because it was felt that the analyses made during the preceding period were sufficient. Since the lake area is thinly pepulated and no industries are present in the vicinity, the chance for harmful, man-made pollution is remote at this time. AQUATIC VEGETATION Overwabundant aquatic vegetation, chiefly'Myriophyilum.§p., is one of the major deterrents to the full utilization of the lake by the angler. Large areas of the lake are completely blocked to both the boat and shore fishermen. This aquatic weed is found in all sections of the lake and in many areas grows as far as 50 yards out from the shoreline. The heavy matting on, and just beneath the surface make boat travel near the shoreline extremely difficult. The number of specimens collected in seines dropped during this segment period largely because of the vegetation. Only a few areas contained enough open water to be seined and even these were so close to large concentrations of Myriophyilumlsp. that the fish population immediately escaped into it. } A.mechanical barge-mounted weed cutter has been used by dock owners in clear- ing dock areas and cutting limited boat paths in some areas of the lake. This method is expensive and completely impractical in clearing as vast an area as is covered by th weed. The problem of aquatic vegetation is particularly acute in Lake Granite Shoals because much of the lake is relatively shallow. Uhless some inexpensive and effective weed control process is developed soon, the shoreline area will have only a small porn tion of its surface acreage available to the fishermen. FISH COLLECTIONS Table 1 contains a checklist of species feund to occur in Lake Granite Shoals. Twenty-seven species were taken during this segment as compared with 29 during the previous segment period. Although Lepisosteus platostomus was included in the checkm list for the first segment period it is now felt that this was an error and that this species is not found in Lake Granite Shoals. The only member of family Lepisoseidae found in the collections was the longnose gar, Lepisosteus osseus. - Table 2 presents the results of seine collections for the period February 1956 through October 1956. No seine collections were made after this date because of difficult seining conditions and the poor results obtained. The largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides and the bluegill sunfish, Lepgmis macrochirus were taken in.much larger numbers during this segment than during the initial period. An excellent spawn of both species in the spring of 1956 was evident. Fifty-nine random net collections were made during the segment period and the results of the netting in terms of number and pounds of each fish species, by month, are included as Tables 3 and h. - Table 5 shows success of gill netting in number and pounds of fish per net and per foot of net and is broken down into monthly totals. Rotenone sampling of selected areas was planned but the idea was abandoned because of the over abundance of aquatic vegetation. Application of the rotenone would have been difficult and recovery of the specimens all but impossible. FINDINGS "Lake Granite Shoals is considered a good fishing lake, with largemouth black bass, white bass and channel catfish the most sought after fish species. Excellent strings of all three species were observed during the segment period and both net and seine collections indicate a large game fish pepulation. The largemouth black bass spawn was apparently very successful since thousands of fingerlings were seen in the shallow bank areas in June and July. A comparison of the 1956-57 segment period shows a noticeable increase in the rough fish population. Longuose gar, gizzard shad, smallmouth buffalo, river carpsucker, and gray redhorse sucker contributed 63.98% of the total number and h5.58% of the total weight during the 1955-56 segment as compared with 71.76% of total number and 6t.61% of the total weight during the later period. The primary shift in relative abundance concerned three fish species and this shift is shown in Chart A. Chart A. Comparison of Netting Results for Three Species, 1955-56 Segment and 1956~57 Segment. Gizzard shad White bass Smallmouth buffalo Percent Percent _ Percent Percent Percent Percent total wt. total no.‘ total wt. total no. total wt. total no. 1955-56 a 8.29 . .27.82 a 21.33 12.71 9.85 6.h6 1956-57 8.03 t1.19 8.58 6.33 23.53 10.69 As can be seen in Chart A, the white bass population shows a definite decline in both total numbers and total weight while gizzard shad have increased significantly in total numbers and the smallmouth buffalo in total weight. The increase in the gizzard shed and smallmouth buffalo was expected but the decline in the white bass population was not. Lack of running water for spawning during the past few years is probably roan ponsible in part for this decline and possible it is part of a natural cycle of peaks and lows in white bass populations as found in other lakes in the United States. The increase in percent of total pounds for the smallmouth buffalo is due to a slight increase in number collected and a greater increase in weight of individuals. The smallmouth buffalo averaged one pound during the l955-56 segment and 1.7 pounds in the present segment. RECOMMENDATIONS Following the pattern of other Colorado River lakes and other major impound- ments in Texas, Lake Granite Shoals is beginning to suffer from an overabundant rough fish pepulation. IMuch of the lakes' productivity is being utilized for undesirable fish which have little value from either a sport or commercial standpoint. No chemr ical rough fish control measures are feasible at this time, because of the excessive cost of treatment and the difficulty in applying it to so large an area, particularly with the weed problem. I It is recommended that the lake be inventoried again in from two to five years and recommendations for management be made at that time. The vegetation problem appears insolvable at this time but when techniques are developed for the control of myriophyllum heterophyllum on a large scale, a weed control project should be initiated on Lake Granite Shoals. Prepared by John E. Tilton - Approved by 22 2.4,..W _,/ afim'w‘é/ Assistant Project Leader Chief Aquatic Biologist Date Ma 8 1957 Table 1. Checklist of Species Found to Occur in Granite Shoals Lake. SCIENTIFIC NAME COMMON NAME JUNE '55~ FEB. '56~ JAN. '56 JAN. '57 Lepisosteus platostomus ** shortness gar Lepisosteus osseus longnose gar - - Dorosoma cepedianum gizzard shad - — Ictiobus bubalus smallmouth buffalo — - Carpiodes carpio river carpsucker — - Moxostoma congestum gray redhorse sucker - - Cyprinus carpio carp - — Notropis venustus _ spottail u - Notropis lutrensis redhorse shiner - — Pimephales vigilax parrot minnow — - Campostcma anomalum stoneroller ~ Ictalurus punctatus channel catfish — - Pilodictus olivaris yellow catfish — - Gambusia affinis gambusia - - Reccus chrysops white bass _ - - Mdcropterus punctulatus Kentucky spotted bass — e Micropterus treculi Texas spotted basS' — » Micropterus salmoides largemouth black bass - - Chaenobgyttus gulosus warmouth - - Lepomis cyanellus green sunfish - — Lepomis microlophus redear sunfish ' - — Lepomis macrochirus bluegill sunfish - _ Lepgmis humilis orangespotted_sunfish — Lepomis auritus yellowbelly sunfish . — — Lepomis megalotis longear sunfish _ - Pomoxis annularis white crappie ' - _ Percina carpodes logperch — - Etheostoma spectabile orangethroated darter » Aplodinotus grunniens freshwater drum — - Cichlasoma cyanoguttatum. 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