TPWD 1955 F-2-R-2 #165: Inventory of Species Present in the Belton Reservoir, Texas

STATE TeEgs . . . PROJECTWE 2 “a 2 Job 2-11 .1 [If PERIOD June 1,1955 1.12.0222 n22 31,1955 Job Completion Report by Kenneth C. Jurgens TITLE Inventory of Species Present in the Belton Reservoir, Texas. OBJECTIVES To determine the species present and their relative abundance, as well as to determine the ecological factors influencing their distribution. METHODS Since the Belton Reservoir is a newly impounded body of water, and since it had not filled to the expected normal pool elevation during the study period, and since the lake level varied considerably from month to month, no regular netting or seining stations could be established. All net and seine collections were therefore made at random, with the purpose of making as many collections as possible from the varied habitats during the alloted we. Specimens were collected through the use of small meshed seines, experimental and regular gill nets, and fyke nets. Seined specimens were preserved in a solution of formalin (10 per cent) for later identification in the laboratory. Netted specimens were identified, weighed and measured at the lake. Da.ta was recorded for netted indivim duals of ti is game species a.nd in some cases for individuals of the forage a.nd rough species. This data included: length, weight, sex and stage of sexual development if any game fish specimens were found to have food in their stomachs, these stomachs were preserved for laboratory examination. Water samples were collected regularly from a station established soon after the gates on the dam were closed and water began to be impounded. A one day creel census was made on Armistice Day, November ll, 195A, in order to sample the type of fishing pressure presently being exerted on the fish population in the reservoir. DESCRIPTION OF THE BELTON RESERVOIR The following description of the Belton Reservoir Area was taken in part from material provided by the U. 8. Army Corps of Engineers, in that portion of the Master Plan for the Bolton Reservoir entitled Biological Potentialities. “H~O3. Soils and vegetation.” The soils in the pro~ ject area represent various stages of development. The alluvial soils of the bottom lands are sandy loans and clay loams. The residual soils are clays, stony clays, and rocky soils. \ ‘1 i l! 2 O Anon. Only remnants of the bottom timbers remain since a large percentage of the bottom lands have been cleared or selectively cleared for cultivation and pecan production. Tree growth and ground cover of the lowlands consists principally of pecan, American elm, cottonwood, willow, walnut, box elder, sycamore, bur oak, hackberry, water ash, buckeye, Johnson grass, bermuda grass and ragweeds. Vegetam tive cover on the slopes and uplands consists princim pally of blackjack oak, post oak, live oak, cedar, hackberry, persimmon, skunkbrush, buffalo grass, grams grass and bluestem. These rough slopes and uplands have been subject to overgrazing and burning and the better areas provide only fair pasture. h-OS. Physical features 9£_Egg_reservoir area.w The reservoir lies in the Lampasas Cut Plains, a physiographic subdivision of the Great Plains Prom vince. To the east of the Belton project is a roll- ing prairie and to the west is a heavily timbered region. The major streams have cut sharply into the terrain leaving Umshaped valleys varying in width from about onenquarter to more than one mile, and varying in depth from about 70 to 200 feet. h~06. Physical features g£_E§E_reservoir basin.w The reservoir lies in the narrow and tortuous valley of the Leon River and the relatively straight valley of Cowhouse Creek, the principal tributary of the Leon River. At the top of conservation pool, ele- vation 569, the lake will extend about 22 miles up the Leon River Valley and about 8 miles up the Cow- house Creek Valley. The irregular shoreline will be about 110 miles in length. Most of the shore is steep, and only a small amount can be considered flat.” At the end of the study period the reservoir had filled to elevation 55s and covered 5,170 surface acres with ll8,000 acre feet of water. At conservation pool elevation the lake will cover 7,AOO acres with a maximum depth of 99 feet. Of this area 21% will be less than 10 feet in depth, indicating large areas of shoal which should provide adequate spawning grounds for the game species. ”Access to the west side of the lake between Cowhouse and Owl Creek will not be available to the general public..., except by water craft. The Cowhouse Creek arm of the reservoir which includes about onewfourth of the water surface of the lake will be needed for military use in the proposed military expansion program." FEEDINGS Table I contains a checklist of the species found to occur in the Bolton Reservoir. In all, a total of 56 seine and 75 net collections were made during the two years the lake was under study. These collections provided a total of 9,607 ined specimens and 1,08% netted specimens or a grand total of lO,588 specimens, representing 38 species and 10 fish families. The results of these collections are presented in Tables II and III. In Chart A. are presented the results of analyses made on the stomachs of 36 white crappie and 5l channel catfish. 3. 0f the_1arge mouth bass collected, only the stomachs of six were found to contain food remains. This food had a total volume of 69 m1., of which as ml. was composed of the remains of white crappie, 21 ml. was composed of giszard shad remains and h ml. com- posed of the remains of small sunfish. The stomachs of four spotted bass contained food remains totaling 1h.5 m1. This was composed of gizzard shad, 8.0 m1.; white crappie, 6.0 ml.; and unidentified fish remains 0.5 m1. Three drum stomachs contained 20.62 m1. of food remains. Earthworms make up the bulk of the total with 1h.0 m1. Sunfish remains were next with 6.5 m1. while the remains of dipterous or fly larvae and vegetation comprised the other 0.12 ml. Two flathead catfish stomachs contained a total volume of 33.0 ml. of food re— mains. Most of this, 2h.0 m1., was composed of fish to badly digested to identify. Cockleburrs and algae made up the other 9.0 m1. A single yellow bullhead stomach containing food was found. This food totaled only 1.02 ml. and was made up entirely of insect remains including damselflies, beetles and chironomids. - Only two warmouth bass stomachs containing food remains were examined. These specimens contained a volume of 12 m1. of partially digested food. The bulk of this Data recorded at the temperature and water sampling station are presented in Tables IV and V. This station was established in the open lake near the dam in July, 195% and the data shown are for the period from July 195h through May, 1955. Sechi disc readings were taken during the same period as temperatures and water samples. These varied from 19.5 inches to 72.0 inches, with an average of 39.25 inches for the year. The readings were Obtained from the lower end of the lake where the water is normally the clearest. The.upper end of the lake, which is rapidly af- fected by rises on the Leon River, often turns red with silt when runoff is heavy. Chart B. presents a.month1y reading of reservoir elevation, the approximate surface acreage and the acre footage for the months June, 195A, through May, 1955. At its highest level, in May 1955, the Bolton Reservoir covered 5,170 acres and contained 118,000 acre feet of water. Its greatest depth during the period was 63 feet. Tables VI through X present data concerning weights and "K” factors for indiviw duals of given total lengths for 19 of the species collected in the reservoir. Total lengths are given in inches and weights are given in pounds and tenths of pounds for most of the specimens. The weights of some smaller individuals are given in grams where they weigh less than 0.1 pounds. "K" factors were based on standard length in mm. and weight in grams. In Table XI are given the results of a one day creel census taken in an effort to sample the type of fishing pressure being exerted on the fish population. The table shows the number of fish caught, the number of hours spent fishing and the return per unit of effort in numbers of fish per man hour, for the various species taken, the methods of fishing employed and the types of baits used. It needs to be pointed out that the figures shown are based only on pure catches of each species shown, or as in the case of sunfish, for all types of sunfish, and for fish caught when only a single method or type of bait was used. if. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS Work during the study period conclusively proved the existence of a large Crappie population in the reservoir. These fish were frequently seined and netted and ranged in total length from 2 to 1h inches, and from 1.5 grams to 1.6 pounds in weight. 0f the netted crappie, the average total length was 12 inches and the average weight was 0.9 pounds. Crappie accounted for 15.2 per cent of the specimens netted during the period June, 195M through May, 1955 and for 14.2 per cent of the specimens netted over the two year study period. Regardless of their apparent abundance, however, this species has not yet been taken in appreciable numbers by sport fishermen. This may be due in part to the abundance of forage fish in the reservoir. For example: Gizzard shad taken in nets accounted for 12.7 per cent of the total netted catch over the two year period. (Table ID Redfin shiners and blacktail shiners together comprised 55.h per cent of the seined specimens and the other ten forage species increased this per centage to more than 67 per cent. (Tablefll) Of the 36 crappie stomachs found to contain food, 91 per cent of the food was composed of shad. (Chart A.) It seems plausible that a species, such as the crappie, which prefers dense cover and is provided with both excellent cover, in the form of brush and trees left standing in the reservoir basin, and with an abundance of food fishes to prey upon, would be difficult to take on the rod and reel with either live or artificial bait. So far this has been the case in the Bolton Reservoir. Carp and carpsuckers are also very abundant in the Belton Reservoir. The two species accounted for more than 30 per cent of the specimens netted during the two years of the study. The average size for carp was 9 inches in total length and for carpsuckers was 15 inches. Fortunately, many fishermen of the Temple-Belton area do not object to these species and large numbers of fishermen specifically go the lake to fish for carp and sucker type fish. The method commonly employed when fishing for carp or suckers has been bank fishing with pole and line, baited either with doughbait or worms. There is no doubt, however, that these two species along with the gizzard shad will have to be controlled in the near future. Since the lake now covers large areas of what were formerly cultivated fields of sandy loam, it might be possible, in the future, to bait areas which could be dragged with large haul seines. If this were done during the spawning season, it is concievable that the populations of carp and carpsuckers could be effectively cropped. . Gizzard shad comprised better than 12 per cent of the netted specimens and nearly 5 per cent of the seined specimens over the two years. For the present, at least, this species is not a major problem although their future control will be necessary. This could be effected through the use of rotenone as a selective poison. Like the gizzard shad, the combined species of sunfish comprised approximately 12 per cent of the netted specimens and more than 13 per cent of the seined specimens. The bulk of these specimens were under seven inches in total length and are of a size not desirable to most fishermen. Some form of control of these species which will help to crop the population also needs to be devised or it is certain that these fish will soon be overly abundant. Like the crappie, channel catfish are more abundant in the lake than is apparent in the catch of the sport fisherman. The species accounted for nearly 10 per cent of the total netted Specimens during the study period. 5. The channel catfish taken ranged in size from 9 to 25 inches and in weight from 0.h5 pounds to 6.9 pounds. The average netted catfish was found to be 15.5 inches long and weighed 1.6 pounds. This species has not been frequently taken by fishermen. Perhaps the most apparent reason for this is the fact that the lake bed, as it was covered by the rising water level, contained many earthworms which, when covered by water, tried to escape by coming out of the ground and were eaten in quantities by channel catfish. Earthworms were found to be more than 36 per cent of the diet in the contents of 51 channel catfish stomachs examined. (Chart A.) Likewise, yellow, or flathead catfish, are relatively abundant, making up ape proximately one per cent of the total catch. The presence of this species is a.definite asset to the lake both as an effective predator and as a desirable sport species. Large mouth bass, though not taken in large numbers in either seine or net cola 1ections are apparently fairly numerous in the Belton Reservoir. Judging from the number taken during one day‘s fishing by 7M fishermen, the relative abundance of this species seems to be fairly high. (Table XI.) The fact that the Bolton Reservoir was not full during the study period made work in the area relatively difficult. Much of the shoreline and much of the shoal area of the lake was covered with peach, plum and pecan orchards as well as scrub cedar and scrub oak. It was not until the last month of the study period that sufficient water was impounded to place the shoreline at a level where the trees and brush had been removed. If this level is maintained, or if the lake level rises, it should be somewhat easier for fishermen to fish the lake and the fish may be forced to leave the heavier cover, with which the floor of the reservoir basin is covered. The one day creel census, taken on Armistice Day, l95h revealed the following information: Seventy four fishermen, in 176.5 hours caught 62 fish. This was at the rate of one fish every 2.9 hours or 0.35 fish per man hour. Sunfish were caught at the rate of 1.3 fish per man hour, largemouth bass were caught at the rate of 1i3fish every 2.5 hours and carp were caught at the rate of 1.1 fish per hour. Of the total hours spent fishing by the 7M fishermen, 140.5 hours out of 176.5 hours, or 79 per cent of the time, was spent in still fishing from the bank. During only.21 per cent of the hours fished, were the people engaged in trolling from boats. The average fishing trip lasted 2.h hours and produced 0.8 fish per fisherman. The fact that most of the fishing in Bolton Reservoir was done from the shore indicates either one of two things. Either the fishermen using the lake prefer shore fishing to boat fishing or there are not enough boats to go around. The latter is more probably true. This strongly indicates a need for additional boat liveries to supplement the service now being given by the existing two dock operators. RECOMMENDATIONS 1. It is recommended that further study of the Belton Reservoir be made to determine a method or methods of controlling the gizzard shad, river carpsucker, carp and sunfish populations. 2. It is also recommended that this lake be opened to contract fishermen. 3. It is further recommended that both state and federal fish hatcheries be instructed not to stock any of the species of sunfish or crappie since both types of fish are already present in relative abundance. 0\ SUMMARY 1. Relton Reservoir lies in the rough, tortuous valley of the Leon River and the relatively straight valley of Cowhouse Creek, Texas. 2. The Reservoir now covers approximately 5,000 surface acres, or roughly 71% of the surface acreage expected at conservation pool elevation. 3. About one fourth of the surface acreage of the lake will be used for mili~ tary purposes and shall not be available to the general public. h. 10,688 specimens, representing f3species of fish were collected during the study. 5. Catfish and crappie are present in greater abundance than the results of sport fishing would indicate. 6. Largemouth bass also are relatively abundant. 7. Gizzard shad, river carpsuckers and carp are multiplying rapidly and will need to be controlled in the near future. 8. 0f the crappie collected, 91% of their food, based upon the contents of 36 stomachs, was composed of gizzard shad. 9. Of the channel catfish, earthworms comprised the most frequent food, being 36 per cent of the total volume of food remains in 51 stomachs. 10. Based on one day's creel census data, 79 per cent of the time spent fishm ing on Belton Reservoir is devoted to bank fishing, the average fishing trip lasted 2.h hours and fish were caught at the rate of 0.8 fish per fisherman per trip. unidentified fish Stomachs earthworms 36.1% unidentified fish, minnows and suckers ”Channel terrestial Catfish animals 51 Stomachs .unfish and crappie vegetation and detritus giasard shad 16.3% 29.7% Chart ”A” a Results of Stomach Analyses, Relton Reservoir, June 1953 through.May 1955. mflwabam bmmb HZ bommm mfiowbmm bwmb H2.b0wm ammfl wwmfibHHoz Hz.wmmfl . eczm MCHM bdm wave 006 20¢ bmo sz www .zbw bmm 25M ovens :w: a mmmmecowu mwm<mawonc mnewmnm been annmmamm and meadows we been amass mewaom memeecowec Doom Hmme a sea Hmmw. Table I Checklist of Species, Belton Reservoir. Scientific name Lepisosteus platostomus Lepisosteus productus Dorosoma cepedianum Cycleptus elongatus Ictiobus bubalus Carpiodes carpio Moxostoma congestum Cyprinus carpio Notemigonus crysoleucas Hotropis atherinoides .' Notropis venustus Notropis lutrensis Notropis volucellus Notropis buchanani Eimephales vigilax Pimephales promelas Campostoma anomalum Ictalurus punctatus Ameirus melas Ameirus natalis Pilodictus olivaris Schilbeodes mollis Fundulus natalis Gambusia affinis Micropterus punctulatus Micropterus treculi Micropterus salmoides Chaenobryttus coronarius Lepomis cyanellus Lepomis microlophus Lepomis macrochirus Lepomis humilis Lepomisfimegalotis Pomoxis annularis Hadrogterus scierus Eggcina caprodes Etheostoma spectabile éplodinotus grunniens Common name shortnose gar spotted gar gizzard shad blue sucker smallmouth buffalo river carpsucker grey redhorse carp golden shiner emerald shiner spottail shiner redhorse or red shiner mimic shiner ghost shiner parrot minnow fathead minnow stoneroller _ southern channel catfish black bullhead yellow bullhead yellow catfish tadpole madtom blackstripe topminnow common mosquitofish Kentucky spotted bass Texas spotted bass largemouth bass warmouth green sunfish redear sunfish bluegill sunfish orangespotted sunfish longear sunfish white crappie dusky darter logperch orangethroat darter freshwater drum Hmwwm HH memowam ow Zodawom OOHHmoaMOomc meaoo wmmmueowec anon Hmmw afieoomm Zea wam. sea: Heme a as Heme- Heme- a ea mwmQHmm mdzm mafia bum mama one 20< umo gbz amw gem bww Era HOfibb Hoabb me: Hmmm Hoabb Hoabb HOHWH .mwamm a. eHaaoaaeeee H o o o o m o o Hm Hm o a as e am we 4H m.mm a. eeeaeeaea m o o m o o o o o m o m HH H. 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