Caddo Lake - 2013 Survey Report

Prepared by Lynn D. Wright and Timothy J. Bister
Inland Fisheries Division
District 3-A, Marshall, 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 Caddo Lake (Texas side only) were surveyed in 2013 using electrofishing. Historical data are presented with the 2013-2014 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

Caddo Lake is a 27,472-acre lake (12,712 acres in Texas) on Big Cypress Creek located in the Cypress Creek Basin approximately 20 miles northeast of Marshall, Texas, in Harrison and Marion Counties and Caddo Parish, Louisiana. Habitat features consisted of bald cypress wetlands and a complex aquatic plant community including the invasive species giant salvinia, water hyacinth, and hydrilla.

Management History

Important sport fishes include Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Redear Sunfish, and crappies. The management plan from the 2009 survey report included the need for nuisance aquatic vegetation monitoring, unified fish harvest regulations between Texas and Louisiana, largemouth Bass supplemental stocking, and the need to keep stakeholders informed of fisheries-related issues related to Caddo Lake. Largemouth Bass were managed with a 14- to 18-inch slot-length limit. Efforts to control nuisance aquatic plants on the lake continued.

Fish Community

• Prey species: Shad and sunfish species are the primary prey species in Caddo Lake. IOV was low for Gizzard Shad, and catch rates of Bluegill were lower than they were in past surveys. Redear Sunfish displayed good size structure and provide additional angling opportunities.
• Catfishes: Gill netting was not conducted in 2014; thus, no catfish were collected. Historically, Channel Catfish population abundance has been low and Flathead Catfish have been present in surveys.
• Temperate basses: Gill netting was not conducted in 2014; thus, no White Bass were collected. Historically, few White Bass have been collected during sampling and lack of preferred open-water habitat likely limits their abundance.
• Black basses: Largemouth Bass catch rates were lower than they were in previous years but were likely due to poor sampling conditions. Size structure was excellent, and growth was average (mean age at 14 inches long was 2.7 years). Spotted Bass were present but at low abundance.
• Crappies: Trap netting was not conducted in 2013; thus, no crappies were collected. Historically, crappie catch rates in trap nets were low, but angling effort for crappies was second only to black basses, indicating a viable fishery was present.

Management Strategies

• Conduct additional electrofishing surveys in fall 2015, aquatic vegetation surveys annually from 2014-2017, and standard monitoring with trap nets and electrofishing surveys in fall 2017 and gill netting in 2018.
• Conduct non-standard spring electrofishing in 2015 and 2017.
• Stock Florida Largemouth Bass semi-annually to enhance the trophy fishery.
• Continue to assist stakeholders with nuisance aquatic vegetation management strategies.

Performance Report as required by Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act Texas Federal Aid F-221-M-4 Inland Fisheries Division Monitoring and Management Program