TPWD 1971 F-2-R-18 #1382: Region 2-B Fisheries Studies: Job No. B-26, Fishery Management Recommendations, Project F-2-R-18

--- Page 1 --- ge 8 SLA. JOB PROGRESS REPORT As required by FEDERAL AID IN FISHERIES RESTORATION ACT TEXAS Federal Aid Project No. F-2-R-18 REGION 2-B FISHERIES STUDIES Job No. B-26: Fishery Management Recommendations Project Leader: R. L. Bounds James U. Cross Executive Director Parks and Wildlife Department Austin, Texas Fred G. Lowman Roy T. Huffman Branch Head, Inland Fisheries Director, Current Operations Funes] P97? --- Page 2 --- Summary Preliminary meetings and public hearings to discuss fishing regulations were conducted in the Edwards Plateau and the Possum Kingdom Regulatory Areas. Existing fishing regulations were determined to be adequate and no changes were made. Lakes Canyon, Decker, Inks, Lyndon B. Johnson and Stillhouse Hollow were sur- veyed during this segment. Recommendations concerning management of the above lakes were made as follows: 1. to stock walleye pike in Canyon Reservoir to add another sports fish species and also to provide some control of an overabundant rough fish population. 2. to stock Decker Lake with flathead catfish to control undesirable black bullhead and an overabundant sunfish population. 3. to renovate Lake Lyndon B. Johnson while it is reduced in size. 4. to continue collecting basic inventory data from Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir to be used for future management purposes. 5. to continue this job so that candidate waters for management practices can be located and appropriate practices implemented. --- Page 3 --- Job Progress Report State of Texas Project No. F-2-R-18 Name:__ Region 2-B Fisheries Studies Job No.__. B-26 Title: Fishery Management Recommendations Period Covered: February 1, 1970 to January 31, 1971 Objectives: To determine the need for changes in fish harvest regulations, population con- trol, stocking, evaluation of commercial.netting and vegetation control in Region 2-B waters. Procedures: 1. Meetings were held between game management officers, biologists, and supervisory personnel to discuss existing. hunting..and fishing laws and to propose changes needed in the hunting. and fishing regulations for the counties in the Edwards Plateau, Possum Kingdom, and Trinity-Brazos Regulatory areas. The proclamation resulting. from. the above meetings was presented to the public at hearings in. each county under Regulatory Authority and to the Commissioners of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Depart- ment for their approval or disapproval. 2. Lakes Canyon, Decker, Inks, Lyndon B. Johnson and Stillhouse Hollow were surveyed quarterly during this segment using. standard 150-foot experi- mental gill nets. Seining collections and water quality determinations were incorporated in each survey. 3. Observations were made during each survey to determine if aquatic vege- tation was present in such quantities that access or fishability of fishing areas might be inhibited. Findings and Discussion: Canyon Reservoir This 12,890 surface acre reservoir was stocked with walleye fry in 1965 in an attempt to establish another sport fish species to utilize the abundant forage fish populations and hopefully to add some degree of natural control of the rough fish population. The initial introduction was a failure since no wall- eye have been recovered, but further attempts will be made to establish wall- eye during 1971 or 1972. Canyon Reservoir was surveyed again this segment, as in the previous two segments, to gather basic inventory data to be used to more accurately evaluate future walleye introductions. As can be seen from the composite of the results of quarterly collections made during this segment and given in Table 1, rough fish species comprise 74 per cent of the fishery by weight and number, with gizzard shad accounting for 29 --- Page 4 --- ~2= per cent of the total, by number. This segment's results varies only slightly from survey results collected during the preceeding two segments (see Job Progress Reports from F-2-R-16 and F-2-R-17), indicating this reservoir has reached its peak in sports fishing production relatively early when compared to other reservoirs in this region. Decker Lake Decker Lake, a 1,200 surface acre impoundment, owned and operated by the City of Austin, was completed and stocked with hatchery reared fish in October of 1967. The lake was closed to fishing until February 1970 to allow completion of public facilities and to protect the hatchery stocked fish until they had attained enough size to provide quality fishing... A composite of the quarterly surveys made during this segment are given in Table 2. Rough fish accounted for 52.39 per cent by number and 72.42 per cent by weight of the catch. Desirable game fish species, namely largemouth bass, channel catfish, blue catfish, white bass, and white crappie, accounted for only 12.68 per cent by number and 21.99 per cent by weight. Five sunfish species make up the remaining 34.93 per cent of the population by number, but this was anticipated because of the large number of small farm ponds with established sunfish populations that are located on the watershed of the lake. Black bullhead catfish were also prominent in the collections (29.79 per cent by number) but this was also a result of contamination from farm ponds on the watershed. Despite the low game fish population reflected by reconnaissance data, Decker Lake has produced a substantial yield of largemouth bass and channel catfish in the 1-3 pound category since the lake was opened to fishing. Inks Lake Lake Inks, an 800 surface acre lake located in the Colorado River Basin imme- diately below Lake Buchanan, in Burnet and Llano Counties, Texas, was impound- ed in 1938 for hydroelectric power production and for this reason, it is main- tained at a constant level by water releases from Lake Buchanan. At various times during the late winter and early spring months of 1967, 1968, and 1969, the lake was lowered eight to ten feet for periods of up to three months and it was feared that water level fluctuations during the early spring months might have reduced the spawning success of white bass and largemouth bass. The composite of survey results given in Table 3 shows these fears to be un- founded. Lake Lyndon B. Johnson This lake was commercially fished from 1962 through 1966. Because the merits of commercial fishing as a management tool were suspect, Project F-2-R conducted monthly netting surveys, concurrent with commercial fishing opera- tions, to determine the effect of such operations on the fishery of Lake LBJ. --- Page 5 --- a3 Commercial fishing operations were terminated in 1966, but it was felt that a post-commercial fishing study was essential for validity of the data already collected. Therefore, quarterly netting surveys were started in Segment 16 (1967) and continued through this segment. The lake was lowered 36 feet during October 1970 for repairs to flood gates and for construction of a steam turbineelectrical generating plant; therefore, only three netting sur- veys were conducted during this segment... Table 4 is a composite of the results of those surveys. As indicated by the chart below, the smallmouth buffalo population seems to be expanding while the river carpsucker population is declining, but this is the first indication the shift in the smallmouth buffalo-river carpsucker population that coincided with the beginning of commercial fishing may be returning to pre- commercial fishing ratios and it may only be a temporary trend. Number of Fish Caught Per 100 Feet of Net ecies 96219631964 1965 i966 1968-1969 1970 Smallmouth buffalo 7.71 3:23 2 32 1.53 0.91 0.69 0.92 1.32 River carpsucker 4.19 5.18 5.78 6.38 7.46 7.78 8.67 7.05 Weight of Fish Caught Per 100 Feet of Net Smallmouth buffalo 22.93 14.79 11.65 8.68 5.67 5.28 8.55 8.83 River carpsucker 5.13 6.68 8.48 10. 54 11.81 14.00 14.81 12.01 In either case, no further unbiased information, in relation to the commercial fishing study, can be collected because the lake has been reduced to about one- sixth its normal size (approximately 1,000 surface acres) and the existing fish populations subjected to extremely crowded conditions at the time of year when forage for predator species it at its lowest point. Therefore, the post-commer- cial fishing study should be terminated and a final report prepared on the data collected through October 1970. Studies are now underway to determine if renovation (chemical or mechanical) for Lake LBJ is economically feasible. It is believed that such renovation is justified in view of the unbalanced fish population and the apparent decline of fishermen angling success since 1965. Stillhouse Hollow This relatively new 6,500 surface acre reservoir was constructed on the Lampasas River in Bell County to provide flood control and a future water supply for municipalities located in that portion of the Brazos River Watershed located in Central Texas, Its proximity to several large municipal areas and Fort Hood Military Reservation assures it of receiving heavy fishing pressure. That Stillhouse Hollow is still experiencing an expanding fish population is reflected in the composite of netting results collected during this segment and given in Table 5. Rough fish make up only 58.63 per cent by number and 65.25 per cent by weight of the population. During this segment, the reservoir has produced a good yield of largemouth bass and channel catfish for the sports --- Page 6 --- when Table 1 Canyon Reservoir Annual Netting Results, 1970-1971 Sixty Standard Gill Nets Per Cent Weight Per Cent Species Number by No. in Pounds by Weight Longnose gar* 19 1.46 47.31 1.88 Gizzard shad* 383 29.53 159.62 6.35 River carpsucker* 34 ‘2.62 171.00 6.80 Gray redhorse sucker* 425 32.77 775.32 30.85 European carp* 98 7.56 718.37 28.58 Channel catfish 68 5.24 160.12 6.37 Yellow bullhead* 2 .16 1.12 .05 Flathead or yellow catfish 46 3.55 350.25 13.93 Largemouth bass 43 3.32 70.31 2.80 Warmouth 29 2.24 9.62 38 Green sunfish 12 .93 2.88 -11 Redear sunfish 16 1.23 4.81 .19 Bluegill sunfish 81 6.24 15.50 .63 Redbreast sunfish 3 .23 1.06 .04 Longear sunfish 5 38 . 69 .02 Rio Grande perch 8 . 62 4.12 .16 White crappie 17 1.31 13.99 -56 Black crappie 5 38 6.81 .27 Golden shiner* 3 23 .76 .03 Total 1.297 100.00 2,513.66 100.00 Rough Fish* 972 74.94 1,877.62 74.69 Game Fish 179 13.80 601.48 23.93 Sunfish 146 11.26 34.56 1.38 a Sa ee UE En gE I UE SUES REISUESESSSS REESE --- Page 7 --- Table 2 Decker Lake Annual Netting Results, 1970-1971 Fifty-Five Standard Gill Nets Per Cent Weight Per Cent Species Number by No. in Pounds by Weight Gizzard shad* 373 16.37 351.58 15.95 Smallmouth buffalo* 109 4.78 850.68 38.59 River carpsucker* 14 - 62 47.57 2.16 European carp* 1 04 2.50 .12 Channel catfish 156 6.85 328.08 14.88 Blue catfish 2 .09 9.12 -41 Black bullhead* 679 29.79 330.50 14.99 White bass 5 22 13.26 . 60 Largemouth bass 120 5.27 135.25 6.14 Warmouth 4 .18 44 .02 Green sunfish 107 4.69 18.36 .83 Redear sunfish 84 3.69 30.70 1.39 Bluegill sunfish 531 2329 66.37 3.01 Longear sunfish 70 3.07 7.56 .34 White crappie 8 35 8.19 «37 Golden shiner* 16 .70 4.44 .20 Total 2,279 100.00 2,204.60 100.00 Rough Fish* 1,194 52.39 1,596.39 72.42 Game Fish 289 12.68 484.78 21.99 Sunfish 796 34.93 123.43 5.59 --- Page 8 --- =§= Table 3 Inks Lake Annual Netting Results, 1970-1971 Forty Standard Gill Nets Per Cent Weight Per Cent Species Number by No. in Pounds by Weight Longnose gar* 20 1.54 55.94 2.32 Gizzard shad* 529 40.66 201.93 8.39 Smallmouth buffalo* 88 6.76 742.81 30.87 River carpsucker* 201 15.45 671.54 27.91 Gray redhorse sucker* 1 . 08 4.25 .18 European carp* 45 3.46 98.81 4.11 Channel catfish 55 4.23 64.68 2.69 Yellow bullhead* 1 . 08 44 02 Flathead or yellow catfish 41 3.15 394.12 16.38 White bass 74 5.69 104.00 4.32 Texas spotted bass 4 31 5.81 24 Largemouth bass 10 77 17.50 st3 Warmouth 11 . 84 2.81 12 Green sunfish 12 92 4.92 .20 Redear sunfish 44 3.38 5.56 .23 Bluegill sunfish 143 10.99 16.50 . 68 Redbreast sunfish 6 46 1.31 .06 Longear sunfish 6 46 .69 .03 White crappie 7 54 5.82 24 Freshwater drum* 3 «23 6.69 .28 Total 1,301 100.00 2,406.13 100.00 Rough Fish* 888 68.26 1,782.41 74.08 Game Fish 191 14.68 591.93 24.60 Sunfish 222 17.06 31.79 1.32 --- Page 9 --- Table 4 Lake Lyndon B. Johnson Annual Netting Results, 1970-1971 Forty-Five Standard Gill Nets Per Cent Weight Per Cent Species Number by No. in Pounds by Weight Longnose gar* 19 1.13 47.00 2.07 Gizzard shad* 595 36.13 219.82 9.68 Smallmouth buffalo* 89 5.36 596.68 26.26 River carpsucker* 476 28.75 810.87 35.69 Gray redhorse sucker* 13 77 32.06 1.41 European carp* 16 «95 78.99 3.48 Channel catfish 31 1.86 55.06 2.42 Yellow bullhead* 1 .05 .19 -OL Flathead or yellow catfish 26 1.56 232.50 10.23 White bass 30 1.81 28.12 1.24 Largemouth bass 5 .30 9.44 42 Warmouth 14 .84 3.63 .16 Green sunfish 17 1.02 2.25 .09 Redear sunfish 15 90 2.63 .12 Bluegill sunfish 205 12.37 27.12 1.19 Redbreast sunfish 4 24 75 .03 Longear sunfish 20 1.20 1.94 .09 White crappie 25 1.50 14.69 .65 Freshwater drum* 53 3.20 107.69 4.74 Golden shiner* 1 .06 38 .02 Total 1,655 100.00 2,271.81 100.00 Rough Fish* 1,263 76.31 1,893.68 83.35 Game Fish 117 7.07 339.81 14.96 Sunfish 275 16.62 38.32 1.69 OU --- Page 10 --- Table 5 Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir Annual Netting Results, 1970-1971 Sixty Standard Gill Nets Per Cent Weight Per Cent Species Number by No. in Pounds by Weight Spotted gar* 13 . 84 16.19 1.09 Longnose gar* 66 4.23 110.13 7.42 Gizzard shad* 274 17.64 57.82 3.89 Smallmouth buffalo* 17 1.09 55.37 3.73 River carpsucker* 53 3.39 190.96 12.86 Gray redhorse sucker* 196 12.57 239.63 16.14 European carp* 239 15.33 282.12 18.99 Channel catfish 64 4.10 200.90 13.53 Black bullhead* 34 2.18 11.44 77 Yellow bullhead* 17 1.09 4.44 .29 Flathead or yellow catfish 16 1.03 96.25 6.48 White bass 14 . 89 13.19 . 89 Largemouth bass 76 4.87 117.01 7.88 Texas spotted bass 15 96 6.81 46 Warmouth 7 44 1.50 . 10 Green sunfish 28 1.79 Se71 225 Redear sunfish 13 .83 2.05 14 Bluegill sunfish 277 17.76 36.81 2.48 Longear sunfish 50 3.20 4.68 .32 White crappie 85 5.45 33.26 2.24 Freshwater drum* 5 -32 .87 05 Total 1,559 100.00 1,485.14 100.00 Rough Fish* 914 58.63 968.97 65.25 Game Fish 270 17.32 467.42 31.47 Sunfish 375 24.05 48.75 3.28 ee a --- Page 11 --- ~Qu fishing creel. No fishery management is necessary at this time, but basic inventory data should continue to be collected for at least two more segments so that when the sports fishing peak is reached, appropriate management practices can be instituted to prolong this peak. Fish Harvest Regulations Existing fish harvest regulations are considered to be adequate for the current fishery resources; therefore, no changes are recommended. Vegetation Control The impoundments surveyed this segment contained only sparse amounts of aquatic vegetation; therefore, no control measures were necessary. Recommendations: 1. Since Canyon Reservoir contains such. a high gizzard shad population, it is recommended that another attempt be made to establish walleye pike as soon as possible. 2, Decker Lake contains unsually large populations of various sunfish species and black bullheads. To control these undesirable species, it is recommended that an attempt be made to establish flathead catfish in the lake. 3. No management recommendations are necessary for Lake Inks at present. 4, It is recommended that renovation (either chemical or mechanical) of Lake Lyndon B. Johnson be carried out while it is reduced in size. This recommendation is believed to be justified because of the current unbalanced fish population that exists and the apparent decline of angling success on the lake. 5. No management recommendations are necessary for Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir at this time, but monitoring of population trends should be continued. for at least two more segments since this reservoir is relatively new and basic inventory data will be necessary for future management purposes. 6. It is recommended that this job be continued so that other waters which are candidates for management practices can be located and the appropriate practices instituted. Prepared by: Robert L. Bounds Approved by: ZL Liat daithn J Project Leader Coordinator Date: June 7, 1972 Richard L. White Inland Fisheries Supervisor