Alan Henry Reservoir - 2009 Survey Report

Prepared by John Clayton and Charles Munger
Inland Fisheries Division
District 1-A, Canyon, Texas

This is the authors' summary from a 27-page report. For a copy of the complete report, use the download link in the sidebar.

Fish populations in Alan Henry Reservoir were surveyed with electrofishing and trap nets in 2009 and gill nets in 2010. This report summarizes the results of the surveys and contains a management plan for the reservoir based on those findings.

Reservoir Description

Alan Henry Reservoir was constructed in 1993 on the South Fork of the Double Mountain Fork of the Brazos River. It is located 6 miles east of Justiceburg in Garza County, Texas. At conservation pool (2,220 feet above mean sea level; FMSL), Alan Henry Reservoir is a 2,884-acre impoundment. The reservoir is owned by the City of Lubbock, Lubbock County, Texas and is currently used for recreational purposes and will serve as a water supply beginning in 2012. Alan Henry Reservoir first filled to capacity in October 2004, and the water level has remained within 3 feet of conservation pool since that time. Productivity of Alan Henry Reservoir was characterized as low. Habitat features consisted of flooded woody terrestrial vegetation, rocks, and very little native submerged aquatic plants.

Management History

Sport fish in the Reservoir include blue catfish, channel catfish, flathead catfish, Alabama spotted bass, largemouth bass, and white crappie. Alabama spotted bass have been managed with restrictive harvest regulations since their introduction in 1996 in order to establish a viable population. Restrictions on largemouth bass were liberalized with the allowance of 2 fish under the 18 inch minimum length limit in 2002 in order to promote recruitment of fish into size classes larger than the 18 inch minimum length limit. Alan Henry has produced 25 entries into the ShareLunker program since 2000.

Fish Community

• Prey species: Gizzard shad and bluegill are the primary prey species in the reservoir. Electrofishing catch rate of gizzard shad was 84.0/h with less than 4% considered to be suitably-sized prey for sport fish. Electrofishing catch rate of bluegills was 51.0/h, and most bluegills were less than 4-inches long making them available as prey.
• Catfishes: Blue catfish were present in the reservoir. Only one blue catfish was collected in the 2010 gill net survey; however, a new lake record of 39 pounds was caught on a jug line on September 2, 2009. Channel catfish appeared to be the most abundant catfish species in the reservoir; however, catch rates continued to indicate low relative abundance. The catch rate for the 2010 gill net survey remained similar to previous surveys. The majority of channel catfish sampled were larger than the 12 inch minimum length limit. Two flathead catfish were collected in the 2010 gill net survey. The flathead catch rate remained similar to catch rates from previous surveys.
• Black basses: Over the last several years electrofishing catch rates of Alabama spotted bass have shown a general increase. Catch rates for spotted bass in the 2009 survey were slightly lower than catch rates in 2008. A new lake recorded of 5.01 lbs. was caught on December 19, 2009. Largemouth bass had a catch rate of 75.0/h with the majority of fish sampled being more than 8 inches in length. Of the fish sampled, 3% were greater than 20 inches.
• Crappie: Two white crappie were collected during the 2009 trap net survey, but both fish were larger than the 10 inch minimum length limit.

Management Strategies

• Continue annual electrofishing surveys to monitor Alabama spotted bass and largemouth bass populations.
• Liberalize Alabama spotted bass harvest regulation.

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