Alan Henry Reservoir - 2005 Survey Report

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Prepared by Jason Henegar and Charles Munger
Inland Fisheries Division
District 1-A, Canyon, Texas

This is the authors' summary from a 29-page report. For a copy of the complete report, use the download link in the sidebar.

Fish populations in Alan Henry Reservoir were surveyed in 2005 using electrofishing and trap nets and in 2006 using gill nets. Anglers were surveyed from March 2005 through May 2005 with an access point creel. This report summarizes the results of these surveys and contains a management plan for the reservoir based on those findings.

Reservoir Description

Alan Henry Reservoir is a 2884-acre impoundment located on the Double Mountain Fork of the Brazos River, six miles east of Justiceburg, Garza County, Texas. The reservoir was built to provide municipal water and recreation. Alan Henry Reservoir was impounded in 1993.The reservoir first reached conservation pool during October, 2004 and the water level has remained within two feet of spillway elevation since 2004. Productivity of Alan Henry Reservoir was characterized as low. Habitat features consisted of standing timber, rocks, and very little native submerged aquatic plants.

Management History

Important sport fish include blue catfish, channel catfish, flathead catfish, Alabama spotted bass, largemouth bass, and white crappie. Alabama spotted bass harvest has been managed with restrictive harvest regulations since their introduction in 1996 in order to establish a viable population. Regulations on largemouth bass harvest were liberalized with no MLL and only 2 fish less than 18 inch in 2002 in order to reduce the potential for fish to stockpile into size classes less than 18 inches. Alan Henry has developed a trophy largemouth bass fishery in recent years, producing 23 entries into the ShareLunker program since 2000. ShareLunker offspring have been stocked each year since 2004 in efforts to continue the recruitment of trophy bass.

Fish Community

• Prey species: Electrofishing catch rate of gizzard shad increased in 2005 with over half being available as prey to most sport fish. Electrofishing catch rate of bluegill in 2005 was similar to that of 2004, with the majority of fish ranging from 2 to 4 inches and being available as prey.
• Catfishes: All catfish species were present at low relative abundance. Only two blue catfish were caught in the 2006 gill net survey, both were quality-size fish. Channel catfish were slightly more abundant in the 2006 gill net survey, and 95% of fish sampled legal size (12 in) or larger. Flathead catfish were present in the reservoir, with only two individuals caught in the 2006 gill net survey. There has been increased interest by anglers to improve the catfish fishery at Alan Henry Reservoir.
• Alabama spotted bass: Electrofishing catch rate as well as body condition of Alabama spotted bass remained similar to those of previous surveys. However, size structure of the population continues to improve. A new lake record for spotted bass of 4.28 lb was caught on January 28, 2006. An estimated 1,368 spotted bass were caught and released from March 2005 through May 2005.
• Largemouth bass: Electrofishing catch rate of largemouth bass in 2005 was similar to previous surveys. Size structure has improved with more fish over 18 in present in the population. A new lake record for largemouth bass of 15.0 lb was caught on March 31, 2006. In recent years Alan Henry reservoir has become known for trophy bass, with 23 fish entered into the ShareLunker program since 2000 and 152 largemouth bass reported in the trophy bass volunteer reporting program since March 1, 2005. Thirty three percent of total angling effort at Alan Henry Reservoir was directed at largemouth bass, while another 33% directed at all black bass species combined.
• White crappie: Relative abundance of white crappie increased in the 2005 trap net survey. However, size and body condition of white crappie continued to be poor with few fish of legal size (10 in). Crappie were the second most sought sport fish in the reservoir.

Management Strategies

• Continue annual electrofishing surveys to monitor Alabama spotted bass and largemouth bass populations.
• Continue the trophy bass volunteer reporting program to characterize the number of largemouth bass 5 lb or more caught by anglers annually.
• Conduct aquatic vegetation and habitat surveys in 2006-2007.

Performance Report as required by Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act Texas Federal Aid Project F-30-R-31 Statewide Freshwater Fisheries Monitoring and Management Program