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Lake Whitney - 2019 Survey Report

Prepared by John Tibbs and Michael S. Baird
Inland Fisheries Division – Waco District

This is the authors' summary from a 40-page report. For a copy of the complete report, use the download link in the sidebar.

Fish populations in Whitney Reservoir were surveyed in 2019 using electrofishing and in 2020 using gill nets. Historical data are presented with the 2019-2020 data for comparison. This report summarizes the results of the surveys and contains a management plan for the reservoir based on those findings.

Reservoir Description

Whitney Reservoir is a 23,200-acre impoundment of the Brazos River, in Bosque and Hill Counties. Water level has fluctuated from 6 feet below conservation pool (approximately 527.0 feet above mean sea level [MSL]) to 22 feet above conservation pool (approximately 555.0 feet above MSL) since 2015. Water levels were six feet low during the 2019 electrofishing survey and 4 feet low during the 2020 gill net survey. Fish habitat at the time of sampling was dominated by natural rock shorelines. Boat access (23 ramps) on the reservoir is excellent.

Management History

Important sport fish include Striped Bass, White Bass, Largemouth Bass, White Crappie, and catfishes. All have been impacted by periodic toxic golden alga blooms which started in 2001. Efforts to mitigate these losses have included enhanced collection of fisheries data, annual Striped Bass stockings, and Smallmouth Bass stocking requests. Golden alga was not a major issue during the four years covered by this report. Recent management efforts include cooperating with the controlling authority to post appropriate signage at access points to try and prevent the spread of the invasive zebra mussel into the reservoir.

Fish Community

Management Strategies

Sport Fish Restoration Logo

Performance Report as required by Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act Texas Federal Aid Project F-221-M-6 Inland Fisheries Division Monitoring and Management Program



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