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Big Creek Lake 2007 Survey Report media download(PDF 264.6 KB)

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Big Creek Lake - 2007 Survey Report

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

This is the authors' summary from a 20-page report. For a copy of the complete report, use the download link in the sidebar.

Fish populations in Big Creek Lake were surveyed in 2007 using electrofishing and trap netting, and in 2008 using gill netting. Aquatic vegetation and habitat surveys were conducted on Big Creek Lake during September 2007. This report summarizes the results of the surveys and contains a management plan for the reservoir based on those findings.

Reservoir Description

Big Creek Lake is a 520-acre impoundment located in Delta County, Texas, on Big Creek, a tributary of the South Sulphur River. The reservoir was constructed by the City of Cooper for municipal water supply. Habitat consists primarily of featureless banks and the littoral area contains several species of native aquatic plants and Eurasian watermilfoil. American lotus inhabits much of the littoral area, exhibiting excessive coverage.

Management History

Important sport fish include largemouth bass, white crappie, and channel catfish. The management plan from the 2003 survey report recommended stocking Florida largemouth bass at a rate of 100/acre in 2005 and 2006, and monitoring the Florida bass allele frequency using liver samples from age-0 largemouth bass collected during fall. Although Florida largemouth bass were not stocked in 2005 or 2006, fingerlings were stocked during spring 2007.

Fish Community

Management Strategies

Continue to monitor the largemouth bass population using biennial electrofishing surveys to evaluate the effect of stockings of Florida strain fingerlings conducted in 2007. Continue with standard monitoring using trap netting and electrofishing in 2011 and gill netting in 2012.

Sport Fish Restoration Logo

Performance Report as required by Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act Texas Federal Aid Project F-30-R-33 Statewide Freshwater Fisheries Monitoring and Management Program