Brownwood Reservoir - 2020 Survey Report

Prepared by Michael D. Homer and Natalie Goldstrohm
Inland Fisheries Division
Abilene District

This is the authors' summary from a 30-page report. For a copy of the complete report, use the download link in the sidebar.

Fish populations in Brownwood Reservoir were surveyed in 2018 and 2020 by electrofishing, 2020 by trap netting, and in 2021 by gill netting. Historical data are presented with the 2017-2021 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

Brownwood Reservoir is a 6,814-acre impoundment constructed on Pecan Bayou and its tributary, Jim Ned Creek, in the Colorado River Basin about 70 miles southeast of City of Abilene and about 6 miles north of the City of Brownwood, Texas. The reservoir was constructed in 1933 and is used for municipal water supply, flood control, and recreation. The reservoir is controlled by the Brown County Water Improvement District. Rainfall during 2015-2016 refilled the reservoir and increased water level to over conservation pool elevation. Subsequently, water level fluctuated between 7 feet below to slightly over conservation pool. During the habitat survey, the areas surveyed in the reservoir were primarily featureless, though observed vegetation was mostly inundated terrestrial vegetation and shoreline habitat was typically rocky. Boater access was available at all public ramps during the survey period, and bank angler access was limited to areas near the boat ramps and Lake Brownwood State Park.

Management History

Palmetto Bass were regularly stocked from the 1980’s through mid-1990’s, but stockings were discontinued because of the lack of directed fishing effort. Largemouth Bass harvest was managed with a 16-inch minimum length limit (MLL) from 1 September 1992 to 31 August 1999. Thereafter, the regulation was changed to a 14-inch MLL. Blue Catfish were stocked in 2007, 2010, and 2016 to improve the catfish fishery.

Fish Community

• Prey Species: Bluegill, Gizzard Shad, Threadfin Shad, and Longear Sunfish comprised a majority of the prey species community. Shad and sunfish were available as prey to most sport fish, and Bluegill were the predominant prey in 2020.
• Catfishes: Blue, Channel, and Flathead catfishes were present in the reservoir. Relative abundance of Blue Catfish remained low in monitoring surveys. Similar to previous gill netting surveys, most Blue Catfish sampled were legal size. Flathead Catfish and Channel Catfish were not enumerated in the gill netting surveys, and low frequency electrofishing could not be conducted for Flathead Catfish because of constraints attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Largemouth Bass: Largemouth Bass catch rates fluctuated during the survey period but catch indicated adequate reproduction similar to other recent surveys. Catches of legal length fish was similar during the survey period. No pure Florida Largemouth Bass were found in the genetics sample, but the percentage of Florida alleles remained consistent to prior surveys.
• White Crappie: White Crappie catch was poor in 2020. Sampling effort was reduced from that used in prior surveys. The intended sampling effort for the 2020 survey was not completed because of conflicts arising from the COVID-19 pandemic and poor sampling conditions.

Management Strategies

• Continue developing and maintaining partnerships for improving fish habitat within the reservoir.
• Continue to monitor for zebra mussels and work with controlling authority and stakeholders to identify potential preventative and control measures.
• Conduct electrofishing and trap netting in fall 2024 and gill netting during spring 2025.
• Conduct a roving creel survey from summer 2024 – spring 2025.

Performance Report as required by Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act, Texas Federal Aid Project F-221-M-2 Inland Fisheries Division Monitoring and Management Program