Twin Buttes Reservoir - 2007 Survey Report

Prepared by Mandy K. Scott and Mukhtar Farooqi
Inland Fisheries Division
District 1-C, San Angelo, Texas

This is the authors' summary from a 24-page report. For a copy of the complete report, use the download link in the sidebar.

Fish populations in Twin Buttes Reservoir were surveyed in 2007 using electrofishing and trap nets, and in 2008 using gill nets. This report summarizes the results of the surveys and contains a management plan for the reservoir based on those findings.

Reservoir Description

Twin Buttes Reservoir is a 9,080-acre (currently 2,750-acre) impoundment located 3 miles southwest of San Angelo, Texas in Tom Green County. The reservoir consists of two pools (“North Pool” and “South Pool”) connected by an equalization channel. This eutrophic reservoir experiences dramatic water level fluctuations, and has extensive fish habitat mostly in the form of flooded terrestrial vegetation. Boating access is good on the North Pool, and fair on the South Pool.

Management History

Important sport fish include white bass, largemouth bass, white crappie, and catfishes. Striped bass were stocked in the past, and are still occasionally caught by anglers or in gill nets. Sport fishes have been managed with statewide regulations.

Fish Community

• Prey species: Bluegill and gizzard shad relative abundances were good. Availability of gizzard shad to predators was adequate but lower than previous years.
• Catfishes: Blue catfish and flathead catfish were present in low numbers. Channel catfish relative abundance and size structure were fair.
• Temperate basses: White bass were moderately abundant, with good size structure and fair growth to 12 inches. The white bass water body record of 3.3 lbs. was set in 2003. Striped bass are present in very low numbers; one large striped bass was caught in a 2007 gill net, and a water body record for that species was set at 20.3 lbs. in 2008.
• Largemouth bass: The increase in flooded terrestrial vegetation and submerged vegetation since 2005 has corresponded with improvements in largemouth bass abundance and size structure. Body condition and growth were also good for most bass in the 2007 survey.
• White crappie: Catch rates for stock-size and legal-size crappie remained moderate and fairly steady from 2005-2008. Size structure and body condition were fairly good in the 2007 standard trap net survey, but growth was poor, with some “bottle-necking” occurring around 10 inches.

Management Strategies

• Visit the reservoir frequently to check for blue-green alga bloom, and keep in touch with relevant agencies to monitor the bloom status.
• Conduct a creel survey in 2008/2009, an intensive age-and-growth survey in 2009, and public meeting(s) in preparation to consider a largemouth bass harvest regulation change.
• Conduct additional electrofishing and trap netting in 2009/2010, and standard monitoring in 2010/2011.

Performance Report as required by Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act Texas Federal Aid Project F-30-R-33 Statewide Freshwater Fisheries Monitoring and Management Program