Lake Winnsboro 2006 Survey Report (PDF 499.1 KB)
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Lake Winnsboro - 2006 Survey Report
Prepared by Aaron K. Jubar and Kevin W. Storey
Inland Fisheries Division
District 3-B,
Tyler, Texas
This is the authors' summary from a 22-page report. For a copy of the complete report, use the download link in the sidebar.
Fish populations in Lake Winnsboro were surveyed in 2006 using electrofishing and trap nets, and in 2007 using gill nets. Aquatic vegetation and habitat surveys were conducted on Lake Winnsboro during August 2006. This report summarizes the results of the surveys and contains a management plan for the reservoir based on those findings.
Reservoir Description
Lake Winnsboro is a 1,100-acre impoundment located in Wood County, Texas, on Big Sandy Creek, a tributary of the Sabine River. It was constructed by Wood County for flood control and recreation. Habitat consists primarily of featureless banks and shallow areas are usually dominated by native emergent aquatic vegetation.
Management History
Important sport fish include largemouth bass, white crappie, black crappie, and channel catfish. The management plan from the 2002 survey report recommended monitoring the Florida largemouth bass allele frequency using liver samples from age-0 largemouth bass collected during fall electrofishing. Florida largemouth bass were stocked most recently in 1998 and 1999.
Fish Community
- Prey species: Predominant prey species in the reservoir include gizzard shad, threadfin shad, bluegill, and redear sunfish. Electrofishing catch of gizzard shad was very high, with the majority of gizzard shad being available as prey to most sport fish. Electrofishing catch of bluegills was moderate, but few bluegills were over 6 inches. Redear sunfish are also present in the reservoir in high abundance, with many individuals ≥6-inches. Threadfin shad provided additional forage for sport fish in the reservoir.
- Catfishes: All channel catfish collected during gill netting were of harvestable size, indicating a productive fishery that may be underutilized. No blue or flathead catfish were sampled in the reservoir during the spring 2007 survey.
- Largemouth bass: Few largemouth bass were caught during electrofishing, most likely due to unusually low water conditions. Despite the low catch rates, size structure of the population was good. Largemouth bass tended to be in good body condition, indicating prey populations were adequate.
- Crappies: Black crappie was the only species sampled during the survey. They were more abundant than previous surveys and showed good size distribution and excellent body condition. Black crappie reached legal size between two and three years of age.
Management Strategies
- Continue to monitor the largemouth bass population using biennial samples to evaluate the effect of stockings of Florida largemouth bass fingerlings conducted in 1998 and 1999.
- Conduct an additional trap net survey in fall 2008 to monitor the black and white crappie populations.
- Continue with standard monitoring using trap nets, gill nets, and electrofishing surveys in 2010-2011.
Performance Report as required by Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act Texas Federal Aid Project F-30-R-32 Statewide Freshwater Fisheries Monitoring and Management Program