TPWD 1963 F-9-R-11 #819: Basic Survey and Inventory of Fish Species Present, as Well as Their Distribution in Hondo Creek and Its Tributaries Lying Within Medina County, Texas

--- Page 1 --- Jiene® Oud JOB COMPLETION REPORT As required by FEDERAL AID IN FISHERIES RESTORATION ACT TEXAS Federal Aid Project No, F-9-R-11 FISHERIES INVESTIGATIONS AND SURVEYS OF THE WATERS OF REGION 5-A Job No. B-24 Basic Survey and Inventory of Fish Species Present, as Well as Their Distribution in Hondo Creek and Its Tributaries Lying Within Medina County Project Leader: Elgin M. C. Dietz J, Weldon Watson Executive Director Parks and Wildlife Department Austin, Texas Marion Toole Eugene A, Walker D-J Coordinator Director, Program Planning November 6, 1963 --- Page 2 --- ABSTRACT A total of four seining and three gill net collections for fish specimens was made on Hondo Creek during the period of study. Gill net collections showed a large dominance of rough fish which composed 89.11 per cent of the netted specimens. Channel catfish had the highest inci- dence for the game species with only 5.21 per cent of the total collection. The only feasible management recommendation for this stream at this time is to secure a competent contract fisherman in an effort to reduce the present rough fish population. --- Page 3 --- JOB COMPLETION REPORT State of Texas Project No. F-9-R-11 Name: Fisheries Investigations and Surveys of the Waters of Region 5-A Job No. B-24 Title: Basic Survey and Inventory of Fish Species Present, as Well as Their Distribution in Hondo Creek and Its Tributaries Lying Within Medina County, Texas Period Covered: December 1, 1962 through July 31, 1963 Objectives: To gather fundamental data on the above waters in regard to their physical, chemical and biological aspects. To determine the distribution of fish species present, their relative abundance and the ecological factors influencing their distribution. Techniques Used: A total of four seining and three gill net collections for fish specimens was made on Hondo Creek during the period of study (Figure 1). Gill net collections were made using several net sets at each station. Nets used were the standard type of net used by inland fisheries crews of the Parks and Wildlife Department. These nets were composed of varying mesh sizes from l- to 3-inch square mesh. Lengths, weights and numbers of netted fish were recorded in the field, Fish collected by seining were taken in 12- by 4-foot common sense minnow seines and were preserved in 10 per cent formaldehyde solution for later identification and tabulation in the laboratory, A checklist of fish species collected is given in Table 1, Findings: Hondo Creek begins in the northwest corner of Medina County, well up in the Edwards Plateau, and flows in a southeasterly direction until it reaches Hondo, Medina County. At this point it flows almost due south through Medina County to its junction with the Frio River, northwest of Pearsall in Frio County. Just north of Hondo, the Balcones Escarpment crosses Medina County in an east-west direction. From this point southward the river flows through the Coastal Plains, The river bed is almost totally limestone bedrock from its beginning to the Balcones Escarpment. Most of this area is heavily fractured and flows only after runoff from the watershed. Small pools are present in some of this area, but most of these usually dry up during the. summer months, The fish in this area are of very little or no significance. The first permanent --- Page 4 --- 205 FIGURE 1 HONDO CREEK ee TA LEGEND ROADS Z\ NET STATIONS Ce) SEINING STATIONS INSET i ez o £ £ 3 4 ales FRIOG COUNTY --- Page 5 --- Table 1, Checklist of fish Common Name Spotted gar Longnose gar Gizzard shad Smallmouth buffalo Gray redhorse Carp Blacktail shiner Red shiner Mimic shiner Channel catfish Mosquitofish Largemouth bass Warmouth Green sunfish Bluegill sunfish Redbreast sunfish Longear sunfish White crappie Freshwater drum Rio Grande perch -3- species used in this report. Scientific Name Lepisosteus oculatus L. osseus Dorosoma cepedianum Ictiobus bubalus Moxostoma congestum Cyprinus carpio Notropis venustus N. lutrensis N. volucellus Ictalurus punctatus Gambusia affinis Micropterus salmoides Chaenobryttus gulosus Lepomis cyanellus L. macrochirus L. auritus L. megalotis Aplodinotus grunniens Cichlasoma cyanoguttatum water starts after the river reaches the Coastal Plains area, immediately south of U. S. Highway 90. Beginning at this point, the river bed is mostly gravel, graduating ‘to sandy loam, The cut-banks through the sandy loam are deep and fairly narrow in the upper area. Below this point, the river valley continues to widen as the soil and river bed graduates to black loan. The pools become deeper and the cut-banks through the black loam are fifty feet deep in places. Gill netting collections showed a large dominance of rough fish which composed 89.11 per cent of the netted specimens (Table 2). Gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) were the most numerous with 48.37 per cent. With only 5.21 per cent of the total collection, channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) had the highest incidence for the game species. These collections pretty well point out the condition of this stream in regard to fish populations. The stream is murky and, in general, is poor habitat for game species. This turbidity is no doubt due to the large popu- lation of bottom feeding rough fish. During the summer of 1954, this stream was renovated with rotenone and restocked with game species. Rough fish from downstream reinfested this stream to its present population. A good minnow population exists in the few shallow riffle areas of the stream, There is, however, only limited habitat for minnows because of the --- Page 6 --- *ySTJ ysnor se petytsseyTo setosdsy yuinjeq gngoueds eulose[yoT) ySteTuunrs SnjouTpoTdy stie[nuue sTxXouog snjyane "T ShipysoIseM STUOTST SOpTOMT eS SnxsIdoIsT SN984 dund SnANnT eo £S°0 76°6 9T*0O £0°0 €£°O CHT G6"Z 0S°T GL°E 7° 96L GL° ny 97° OT 8e"0 P Ssroqum soToeds SUOTIDOT ION UST re ylin}S9su0D BUlOSOXOW yoTdres SmaTIaAD xSnyTeqnq Ssnqotjoy ylinuey pede. Buloso10g gxsSnesso °*'T xSNJeTNoo Sno zsostTdey OoOrFnAn yan nA Or rat oN om rt "C961 ‘YO2I1N Opuoy ‘sz[NSer BuTIIEU TITD *Z PTqeL --- Page 7 --- large deep pools and the limited shallow areas where the water flows over rock and rubble bottom, The red shiner (Notropis lutrensis) was the most common species in the seining collections, accounting for 73.15 per cent of the total specimens collected by this method (Table 3). Other species accounted for only minor percentages of the total specimens collected by seining. Table 3. Seining collections, Hondo Creek, 1963. cc Dorosoma cepedianum Notropis venustus N. lutrensis N. volucellus Gambusia affinis Micropterus salmoides Chaenobryttus gulosus Lepomis cyanellus L. macrochirus L. auritus L. megalotis Cichlasoma cyanoguttatum Recommendations: Fisheries management recommendations are rather difficult for this stream because of the cost of such work and its limited fishing potential. The stream is small and has very limited access points. Property owners adjoining the stream make up the bulk of the fishing pressure. This stream would no doubt support a larger number of anglers if a good game fish population were present. However, with its limited access areas and the small size, the cost of proper management practices would be prohibitive. It is, therefore, recommended that an attempt be made to secure a competent contract fisherman for this stream in an effort to reduce the present rough fish population. This is the only feasible management recommendation for this stream at the present time. Prepared by__ Elgin M, C. Dietz Approved by , ‘ Atape wits “pote- Project Leader Coordinator Date November 6, 1963 Kenneth C, Jurgens Inland Fisheries Supervisor