Arlington Reservoir 2018 Survey Report (PDF 638.3 KB)
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Arlington Reservoir - 2018 Survey Report
Prepared by Raphael Brock and Cynthia Holt and Thomas Hungerford
Inland Fisheries Division
Dallas-Fort Worth District
This is the authors' summary from a 26-page report. For a copy of the complete report, use the download link in the sidebar.
Fish populations in Arlington Reservoir were surveyed in 2018 using electro fishing and trap nets and in 2019 using gill nets and hoop nets. This report summarizes the results of the surveys and contains a management plan for the reservoir based on those findings.
Reservoir Description
Arlington Reservoir is a 1,939-acre impoundment constructed on Village Creek (a tributary of West Fork Trinity River) by the City of Arlington in 1957 to provide flood control, water for municipal and industrial purposes, and recreation. Arlington Reservoir is surrounded by urban development and is almost directly in the center of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. It is approximately 3.8 miles long, 1.6 miles wide (widest point), and has a 20-mile shoreline at 550 feet above mean-sealevel. In addition to run-off from the 143 square-mile watershed, an average of 30,426 acre-feet of water, purchased annually from the Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD), is pumped from Cedar Creek and Richland-Chambers Reservoirs. Exelon operates a natural gas power plant on the reservoir, discharging hot water on the west side of the reservoir. It is classified as Eutrophic by the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality (TCEQ) (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality 2018). Angler and boat access were adequate. There are three handicap specific facilities and three boat ramps. Most bank access is at the parks associated with the boat ramps. Fishery habitat is primarily native emergent vegetation in the form of American Water-Willow (Justicia Americana) and Button Bush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) along with riprap and rocky shorelines.
Management History
Important sport fishes include Largemouth Bass, White Crappie, White Bass, and Channel Catfish. All species have been managed with statewide regulations.
Fish Community
- Prey species: Gizzard and Threadfin Shad were present in the reservoir. Catch rates of these species were lower than in previous samples but these species are of high enough abundance to support predators in the reservoir.
- Catfishes: Catch rate of Channel Catfish remained high with quality fish available for anglers. Flathead catfish are present but none were captured during the most recent survey.
- White bass: White Bass catch rates remained low. This could be the result of spawning activity during sampling or competitive interaction with yellow bass.
- Largemouth bass: The Largemouth Bass catch rates increased from previous survey. The population had good size structure and fish were in good condition.
- White crappie: White Crappie catch rates were higher than the previous survey. The catch rate of White Crappie ≥10 inches also increased.
Management Strategies
- An additional electro fishing survey will be conducted in fall 2020.
- Additional hoop netting will be conducted annually from 2020 thru 2022.
- Hoop netting will be conducted to experiment with the gear to improve catch statistics.
- General monitoring with trap netting, hoop netting, and electro fishing will occur in 2022-2023.
Performance Report as required by Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act Texas Federal Aid Project F-221-M-5 Inland Fisheries Division Monitoring and Management Program