TPWD 1956 F-4-R-3 #253: Inventory of Species Present in Lake Worth

JOB COMPLETION REPORT aic_. .EATE OF TEXAS Project No. FhR3 cName Fisheries Investigations and Surveys of the Waters of Region h-Be Job Noe B~15 Title Inventory of Species Present in Lake WOrth Period Covered: November 12 1955 to October 312 1956 OBJECTIVES To determine the species present and their relative abundance and to determine the ecological factors influencing their distribution. HISTORY OF LAKE Lake Worth is located on the West Fork of the Trinity River about 8 miles north of Fort WOrth, in the northwest part of Tarrant Countyq It is the smallest and oldest of a chain of three lakes from which Fort werth receives its water supply. The dam was completed in 1912 and originally impounded 27,000 acre feet of water with a surface area of 5,M00 acresa The lake has not been full of water for a number of yearsa The level of the impoundment does not fluctuate severely as water is frequently released into it from Eagle Mountain Lake, located only a few miles above it on the Trinity Rivera The lake is never cleara A large amount of aquatic vegetation, primarily cattails and large areas of sedges, Scippus spy, abound along the shorelineo Many stumps can be seen protruding from the surface of certain areaso There is a large collection of silt on e lake bottomo The shoreline is heavily populated with homes and has a few fishing camps, Boating is heavy on the lake in areas that are clear of stumps. Most of the fishing pressure comes from.1ocal anglers whose catch is primarily composed of white crappie, catfish and drums The pOpulation of fish in Lake WOrth can not be considered entirely endemic due to the large inflow of water from Eagle mountain Lake. COLLECTING METHODS Random samples of the fish population were collected with gill netsa Seven stations were sampled with 2900 feet of netc An effort was made to select stations that would be representative of the various ecological conditions found on the lake“ waevery our efforts may not have been entirely successful as stump patchesj sand bar, and other unnavigable areas prevented the exploration of the entire lakes Minnow seine collections were not made on the lakee Most of the shore is covered with dense vegetation of some sorta The remaining areas have so much mud that it is impossible to wade and seine them“ Table 1 is a checklist of fish found in Lake Hertha RESULTS OF_NETTING COLLECTIONS A total of 28 gill net sets Captured 605 fish representing 1h specieso Table 2 shows a tabulation of the data taken from the gill net collections” White crappie were the most abundant species caught and represented #3080 percent by number and 21¢75 percent by weight of all fish netteda The crappie population of Lake Worth is good but may not be quite as high as our net catches indicated; Station 1 consistently produced good catches of crappie» This station was located adjacent and perpendicular to a shore vered with a dense growth of sedgeso The water was 3 to 6 feet deep over a bottom covered with soft mndu Other stations produced good catches of crappie at times but not as consistently as Station 16 While the number of crappie in Lake North is high the general condition of the crappie population is not too goods The average "K” factor of that species from the impoundment is considerable lower than the average "K” factor of the same species from three other lakeso The average ”K" factor of crappie from.Whitney5 Eagle Menntain and Benn brook Lakes is 2071? 20739 and 2076 respectively; Lake WOrth shows an average "K” factor of 2055“ One clue to the low ”K” factor at Lake North may be that 80 percent of the crappie pepulation is accounted for in the 7 and 8minch size rangeo measurements are recorded as standard lengtho The 7 and 8minch groups compose the major part of the crappie population in.many lakes but are usually of less importance than that found in Lake Wortha The reasons for the general poor condition of the crappie and the abnormally high percentage of the 7 and 8-inch fish are not knowno No doubt; a more thorough examination of the food chain as well as the environmental conditions would reveal additional data on the subjecta Channel catfish accounted for 6077 percent of the total net catcho Most of the channel cat were small with an average weight of less than one poundo The fish were in fair to poor conditions A.number of trotlines are set for catfish in the lake and channel cat play a fairly important role in the local fish harvesto A number of large yellow cats (flatheadsi are also taken by trotlines, although our gill nets failed to produce any fish of this specieso Largemouth bass are not abundant and accounted for only 1.h9 percent of the total net catchu Bass fishing is no longer considered a productive pastime on Lake wortha The white bass population is also limited and represented only 2081 percent of the net catchu ' Shad accounted for 230%? percent of the fish populationo Carpsuckers represented 8v76 and gar 6ae5 percent of the net catchu With a relatively high gar representation and a good channel cat and yellow cat populationg-the predatory Species represent an important segment of the fish populationo This factor could account for the fair balance that exists between the game and rough fish species of the lasso Table 3 shows a comparison of the data regarding the collection of game and rough fish made by the notes The stomachs of all fish were examined in the fiefdo Only prominent objects were listed as a microscope was not used in the examinations Table h records the frequency that various food items were found in the stomachs cf the game specieso REEQMMENDATIQES Heavy siltation and turbidity are the main factors prohibiting better fish production in Lake North” The sport fishing is as good as could be expected with the present conditions prevailingm Any'perceptible improvement in.the lake would have to begin with some major morphological change such as removing ,he deep layer of silt that blankets the bottom or raising the lake level to inundate new grenade SUMMKEE in Lake Worth is an old; dingy9 heavily s-lted impoundment that serves as a holding reservoir for Fort Worthgs water supplyo 2c The lake was sampled.with gill nets from December l955 through October l9560 3d White Ora' is was the most abundant s ecies collectedo PP 1L. The population of channel catfish is good and a fair amount of yellow cats are reported in the fishermen"s catch 5. Largemouth bass are scarce in the lake. 6. The balance between the rough and game species is surprisingly good. Prepared by Robert N. Hambric Approved by £§ZW fig—9%, Assistant Project Leader C-eif "Aquatic Biologist Date March 21 1957 Table 1. Checklist of Fish Species from Lake Worth, Texas, 1955 - 1956. Common Name Scientific Name Spotted gar Legisosteus Broductus Longnose gar Legisosteus osseus Gizzard shad . Dorosoma. ceEedisnum Smallmouth buffalo Ictiobus bubalus River carpsucker Cagiodes 03.11310 Carp Cmrinus caflio Channel catfish Ictalurus Eunctstus White bass Roccus chgsogs Largemouth black bass Microgterus salmoides Redear sunfish Lepgmis microlthus Bluegill sunfish Lemmis macrochims Longesr sunfish LeEomis megelotis White crappie Pomoxis annularis Freshwater drum Aplodinotus gmiene my emon m3 emdsHmewos ow beds wees QMHH Zed oowHoodwobm wees Hme asses» amxmmc Zodmsomw Hmmm sweosmw endowmw Hmmm. IIIIIiIiiiIIIiIIIIIIIIiiIiIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIiIIIliIiIIIiIiIiIiIIIIIIIIIIIiIIIIIIiiiiIIiIIIIIIIiIlliilliliiitiiillilllll mwoowmm assess omsmwd .wowooss ow _h tossmm.. mmeoosd om bsmo zmwmwd zoo ow wwmfi Hem. mew HOfimH mosses omfimfie HoemH EoMde Ms tossmm mos H00, Zoe wow H00a Zoe fig meossms owe wm m.mm mo.44 H:.m4 sumo Hope m,Ho Hosmsomm mmw 4 H.Hm wH.om dart For? .mr H.0Q cheeses meme Hem mw.:4 mwomq Hmosq awm :.oo H.m: messmwo Hm m.:m woomo 4.wm m.om .mm H.0m assemsQWQs mm mafia mm.4m H: om H.HH H.mw meow omse Hp H.mm Hm.wm :fimm waqw owm .mm osmssmw assess: . pp mafia mw.:m mamw .mq H.:H H.mm asses wmmm H4 m.m~ q.mw H.mo .eh .mm ems ememmsossw wmmm m H.:w m.wm m.mm woo: .wp swm wpcmmswp messsms . 4 H.Hm Homw .w4 .mm ,m: ”ow asses oemsesm mmm :w.mo @0940 mwoqw ow: w.pr w.Hw ewes. m .wm Hm.:o :.:H much “my .mw :H4.om HO0.00. mo.m4 Table 3. A Comparis0n_of the Rough and Game Fish Caught by Gill Nets in Lake Worth, Texas, 1955 — 1956.' '- Total Number of Specimens Caught - 605 *Total Weight of Specimens Caught : #17 Average weight Per Specimen .69 Total Weight of Rough Fish 25h **Total weight of Game Fish 163 Total thber of Rough Fish 260 Total Number of Game Fish 3&5 Average Weight Per Rough Fish .98 Average weight Per Game Fish .h7 Percent Rough Fish (by Weight) 60.91 Percent Game Fish (by Weight) 39.09 Percent Rough Fish (by Nnmber) h2.98 Percent Game Fish (by'Number) 57.02 * weight in Pounds. ** Catfishes, drum and white bass included in game fish. adem r. wsomfimsow ow Onassaowoo ow @009 Hamam waoa wwmw QOHHsOde 6% QMHH sodas Haas Sosawc memms zedmadms mew arsosmw OnaOde mem. i mwoowmm mfimm dbwmmbaMmede Hammoam memm mam domoamaHOD 20. 0% awmw mew memem mamawbom 5%; mSOdamm new 0 H H 0 mm Hobmhomo mas o H o o 4 053.3 8.33%. o m m 5 5 afiHdo wmmm o m o 0 H4 Hmsmofiofiaw meoW wmmm o m o 0 w wHfiomHHH mCBWHmU o H o O a stdo mewowm H Hwo H o mmm is