Lake Quitman - 2009 Survey Report

Prepared by Kevin W. Storey and Aaron K. Jubar
Inland Fisheries Division
District 3-B, Tyler, Texas

This is the authors' summary from a 24-page report. For a copy of the complete report, use the download link in the sidebar.

Fish populations in Lake Quitman were surveyed in 2009 using electrofishing and trap netting, and in 2010 using gill netting and a roving creel survey from March through May 2010. Aquatic vegetation and habitat surveys were conducted on Lake Quitman during September 2009. An additional vegetation survey was conducted in May 2010 to assess the abundance and distribution of water hyacinth. Reconnaissance surveys were also conducted in July, August, and September to track the distribution of water hyacinth prior to treatment activities. This report summarizes the results of the surveys and contains a management plan for the reservoir based on those findings.

Reservoir Description

Lake Quitman is an 814-acre impoundment located in Wood County, Texas, on an unnamed tributary of the Sabine River. It was constructed by Wood County for recreation and flood control. Habitat consists primarily of natural shoreline, boat docks, emergent aquatic vegetation, and the invasive aquatic plant alligatorweed. Water hyacinth is also present and presents an ongoing threat to the ecosystem.

Management History

Important sport fish included largemouth bass, white crappie, and channel catfish. The management plan from the 2005 survey report recommended stocking Florida largemouth bass (FLMB) fingerlings at 100 fish/acre because the percentage of FLMB alleles in fall 2005 sampling was below 20%. Recent treatment efforts for water hyacinth have included physical removal as well as aquatic herbicide applications.

Fish Community

• Prey species: Predominant prey species in the reservoir include gizzard shad, bluegill, and threadfin shad. Electrofishing catch of gizzard shad was high, with the majority of gizzard shad being available as prey to most sport fish. Electrofishing catch of bluegills was moderate and the population was dominated by fish under 5-inches in length. Threadfin shad provided additional prey for sport fish.
• Catfishes: Catch rate of channel catfish has historically been low. Fish of harvestable size were collected during gill net sampling.
• Black bass: Largemouth bass were relatively abundant. Body condition of largemouth bass was satisfactory indicating adequate prey fish availability. Although spotted bass have been collected in previous surveys, none were observed.
• Crappies: White and black crappie were both present in the reservoir, but white crappie were the predominant and moderately abundant. Crappies were the most sought game fish on Lake Quitman in spring 2010.

Management Strategies

• Conduct additional largemouth bass-only electrofishing survey in fall 2011 and standard monitoring with trap netting, gill netting, and electrofishing surveys in 2013 to 2014.
• Conduct roving creel survey in spring 2014 to monitor fishing effort, catch, and harvest rates.
• Conduct annual aquatic vegetation surveys from 2010 to 2013 to monitor distribution and acreage of water hyacinth.

Performance Report as required by Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act Texas Federal Aid Project F-30-R-35 Statewide Freshwater Fisheries Monitoring and Management Program