Nacogdoches Reservoir - 2016 Survey Report

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

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 Lake Nacogdoches were surveyed in 2016 using fall electrofishing and in 2015 and 2017 using spring electrofishing. Anglers were surveyed from March through May 2017 with a creel survey. Historical data are presented with the 2016-2017 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

Lake Nacogdoches is located on Loco Bayou, a tributary of the Angelina River in the Neches River basin. The City of Nacogdoches is the controlling authority. Primary uses are municipal water supply and recreation. At conservation pool elevation, Lake Nacogdoches is 2,212 surface acres and has a mean depth of 15 feet. Water level fluctuations average 3 feet annually. Habitat in the lake consists of submerged and emergent aquatic vegetation (mainly hydrilla, American lotus, and torpedograss) and standing timber. Most of the land around the reservoir is used for timber production, agriculture, and residential use.

Management History

Important sport fish include Largemouth Bass, White Crappie, and Black Crappie. The 14- to 21-inch slot-length limit for Largemouth Bass (implemented in 1988) was changed to a 16-inch maximum length limit in 2008. Florida and Sharelunker Largemouth Bass fingerlings were stocked from 2008–2016 with the exception of 2012-2014 to maximize trophy bass potential.

Fish Community

• Prey species: Primary prey species included Threadfin Shad, Gizzard Shad, and Bluegill. Electrofishing catch of Gizzard Shad was low compared to previous surveys. Electrofishing catch of Bluegill was moderate, with most fish <5 inches in length and available as prey.
• Channel Catfish: Historically, abundance of Channel Catfish has been relatively low. Gill net surveys were discontinued in 2016. Few anglers target catfish at Lake Nacogdoches (< 3% of total fishing effort).
• Black basses: Spotted Bass were present in low abundance and all fish collected were small (< 12 inches). Largemouth Bass were abundant with stable size structure. Approximately 85% of anglers target black bass. Directed angler effort increased in 2017, and angler catch rates remained relatively high and stable (range = 0.8 – 1.3/h). From 2009 - 2014, 5,394 Largemouth Bass > 5 pounds were estimated as caught by anglers via a voluntary reporting program (1,181 > 8 pounds; 426 > 10 pounds).
• Crappies: White Crappie and Black Crappie were present in the reservoir. In 2017, 8.2% of anglers targeted crappies, similar to 2009 when 6.5% of anglers targeted crappies, but down from the 17% observed in 2013. Angler catch rate was high in 2017 (1.5/h) and 5,195 fish were harvested.

Management Strategies

• Continue to manage Largemouth Bass with a 16-inch maximum length limit.
• Continue to monitor trends of hydrilla coverage through annual aquatic vegetation surveys (2017-2020).
• Conduct spring electrofishing surveys in 2019 and 2021 and a spring quarter (March-May) creel survey in 2021.
• Conduct standard monitoring with fall electrofishing, and an angler access survey in 2020.

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