Houston County Reservoir - 2021 Survey Report

Prepared by Todd Driscoll and Dan Ashe
Inland Fisheries Division — Jasper District
Brookeland, Texas

This is the authors' summary from a 32-page report. For a copy of the complete report, use the download link in the sidebar.

Fish populations in Houston County Reservoir were surveyed in 2021-2022 using fall and spring electrofishing. Anglers were surveyed from March through May 2022 with a creel survey. Historical data are presented with the 2021-2022 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

Houston County Reservoir is a 1,523-acre impoundment on Little Elkhart Creek within the Trinity River basin approximately 10 miles northwest of Crockett, Texas. Houston County Reservoir was constructed in 1966 for municipal and industrial purposes and is managed by Houston County Water Conservation and Improvement District #1. Water level fluctuations average 2-3 feet annually. Habitat consists of standing timber, boat docks, and limited amounts of aquatic vegetation. Most of the land around the reservoir is used for timber production, agriculture, and residential use.

Management History

Important sport fish include Largemouth Bass and crappies. All sport fishes except Largemouth Bass are managed under statewide regulations. Largemouth Bass are regulated by a 14- to 21-inch slot limit and a 5-fish daily bag limit. Florida Largemouth Bass were introduced in the mid1970s and stocked four times from 2003 to 2010. Florida Largemouth Bass were subsequentially stocked annually from 2018 - 2020. Lone Star Bass which are 2nd generation offspring of pure Florida strain ShareLunker Largemouth Bass that have proven the ability to grow > 13 pounds were stocked in 2022. Hydrilla coverage in 2009 exceeded 25% of the reservoir surface area. In 2011, hydrilla was eradicated with herbicide and 745 Triploid Grass Carp were stocked for long-term control. Hydrilla was not observed from 2013 to 2019, but trace amounts returned in 2020 and 2021. Water hyacinth coverage reached a maximum of 15 acres in 2015, but annual herbicide treatments have minimized coverage to 5 acres or less since 2018. Giant salvinia was first observed in 2019. A containment boom was installed to limit plant expansion and herbicide treatments have limited coverage to less than one acre

Fish Community

• Prey species: Primary prey species included Threadfin Shad, Gizzard Shad and Bluegill. Electrofishing catch of Gizzard Shad was lower than the previous survey, and most fish were too large to function as prey. Bluegill catch was moderate, with most fish < 5 inches in length and available as prey. Threadfin Shad were extremely abundant and provided ample forage.
• Channel Catfish: Historically, Channel Catfish and Flathead Catfish were present in the reservoir, but abundances were low. Gill net surveys were discontinued in 2018. Few anglers target catfish (no fishing effort observed in 2022).
• White Bass: Past surveys indicate White Bass were present in the reservoir, but abundance was low. Creel surveys indicate no anglers target White Bass.
• Black basses: Spotted Bass electrofishing catch rates have ranged from 38.0 to 76.0/h over the last three surveys, but few fish were > 12 inches in length. Largemouth Bass were abundant with stable and desirable size structure. In 2022, 77% of anglers targeted black basses. Directed angler effort increased in 2022 (5.7 h/acre), but average angler catch rate decreased (0.4/h). All legal-length black basses were released. In 2022, a total of 70 fish > 4 pounds were estimated as caught (16 fish > 7 pounds).
• Crappies: Historically, few crappie were collected in trap net surveys. Sampling was discontinued in 2017. In 2022, the crappie fishery was the second most popular (20% of total angler effort). Directed effort, angler catch rate, and harvest increased from the previous creel survey in 2018

Management Strategies

• Continue to manage Largemouth Bass with a 14- to 21-inch slot-length limit to maintain angling quality.
• Collect angler opinion data regarding a potential change to a 16-inch maximum length limit. If angler opinion is supportive, develop a regulation change proposal in 2023.
• Collect angler catch of trophy Largemouth Bass to justify annual Lone Star Bass stockings to maximize trophy fish abundance.

Performance Report as required by Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act Texas Federal Aid Project F-221-M-3 Inland Fisheries Division Monitoring and Management Program