Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir - 2012 Survey Report

Prepared by John E. Tibbs and Michael S. Baird
Inland Fisheries Division
District 2-B, Waco, Texas

This is the authors' summary from a 28-page report. For a copy of the complete report, use the download link in the sidebar.

Fish populations in Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir were surveyed in 2012 using electrofishing and trap netting and in 2013 using gill netting. Anglers were surveyed from June 2010 through August 2010 with a creel survey. Historical data are presented with the 2012-2013 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

Tradinghouse Creek is a 2,012-acre reservoir located 15 miles east of Waco in McLennan County, Texas. The reservoir was constructed in 1968 by Texas Utilities Generating Company (TXU) to serve as a cooling-reservoir for electrical power generation, however the power plant has been recently dismantled. Bank and boat access on the reservoir are good, yet handicap facilities are absent. Habitat features consisted mainly of natural shoreline, emergent aquatic vegetation, and limited overhanging riparian brush and trees.

Management History

Important sport fish include Largemouth Bass, White Bass, White and Black Crappie, and Channel Catfish. The management plan from the 2008 survey report included annual monitoring for Hydrilla, and a multi-strategy effort to determine if a Red Drum fishery still exists in the reservoir. This multi-strategy effort consisted of: verifying the status and future plans for the power plant, conducting supplemental gill netting to obtain additional data on Red Drum, obtaining average winter temperatures to determine if over-wintering is possible for Red Drum, collecting water samples for comparative purposes to determine any changes in important parameters such as chlorides, which effect Red Drum, and conducting a summer quarter creel in 2010 to document angler use of the reservoir including Red Drum, and continuing to stock Red Drum pending the results of these strategies.

Fish Community

• Prey species: Forage species included Gizzard Shad, Threadfin Shad, Bluegill, Redear and Longear Sunfish. All forage species were collected below their historical averages except Threadfin Shad, which were collected at record rates.
• Channel catfish: Channel Catfish were collected in good numbers and all were in good to excellent condition. No Blue or Flathead Catfish were sampled.
• White bass: White Bass were collected at rates similar to their historical average and body condition was good.
• Largemouth bass: The Largemouth Bass electrofishing catch rate was lower than the previous two surveys. Body condition was fair to average.
• Crappie: White and Black Crappie are present in the reservoir in low density. More crappie were collected with gill netting than the target gear, trap netting.

Management Strategies

• Continue managing Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir with statewide regulations.
• Conduct standard monitoring with electrofisher and trap netting in 2016 and gill netting in 2017.
• Future management strategies should include continued annual monitoring of noxious vegetation and removal of the Red Drum regulation since they are no longer in the reservoir and will no longer be stocked.

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