Pat Mayse Reservoir - 2016 Survey Report

Prepared by Kevin W. Storey and Evan C. Cartabiano
Inland Fisheries Division
Tyler North District, Texas

This is the authors' summary from a 25-page report. For a copy of the complete report, use the download link in the sidebar.

Fish populations in Pat Mayse Reservoir were surveyed in 2016 using electrofishing and in 2017 using gill netting. Access and aquatic vegetation surveys were conducted in July 2016. 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

Pat Mayse Reservoir is a 5,940-acre impoundment located in Lamar County, Texas, on Sanders Creek, a tributary of the Red River. It was constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1967 for flood control, and as a municipal and industrial water supply. Aquatic vegetation coverage was less than 1% of reservoir surface area and was composed of native emergent species. Although hydrilla has been reported in the past, none was observed during the summer 2016 vegetation survey.

Management History

Largemouth bass, Channel Catfish, and White Bass provide the most important sport fisheries. A creel survey was last conducted at the reservoir in spring 1998 to 2000, which resulted in terminating the stocking of Palmetto Bass because of low directed effort. The fisheries management plan from the 2012 survey report recommended monitoring the Largemouth Bass population every four years through fall electrofishing and collecting samples to monitor genetic influence of FLMB and growth rate to the minimum length limit. The management plan also recommended continuing to monitor the reservoir’s hydrilla coverage.

Fish Community

• Prey species: Clupeid (Threadfin and Gizzard Shad) and sunfish populations provide the major prey species for sport fish populations. Body conditions of Largemouth Bass, Channel Catfish and White Bass indicate availability of adequate prey fish populations.
• Catfishes: The Channel Catfish population shows consistent recruitment to legal size, with most fish in gill net samples being of legal size. This quality fishery has the potential to be further exploited.
• Temperate basses: White Bass populations have been subject to periodic fish kills and subsequent reductions in abundance. Recent sampling indicates decreased availability of White Bass to anglers.
• Black basses: Catch rate of Largemouth Bass in the most recent sample has increased and the population is dominated by abundant fish below the minimum length limit. This increase is apparently the result of increased recruitment resulting from improvements in aquatic habitat caused by higher lake elevations. Catch rates of legal sized fish have also gradually increased. Spotted Bass are much less abundant that Largemouth Bass and none were collected in 2016.
• Crappie: Although White Crappie and Black Crappie are present in the reservoir, no sampling was conducted for these species in 2016 due to low and variable catch rates in previous surveys.

Management Strategies

Stock FLMB in 2018 and 2019, plant American water willow in several trial sites, and inform the public about the threats from aquatic invasive species.

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