(Braunig Reservoir - 2005 Survey Report
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Prepared by Randy Myers and John Dennis
Inland Fisheries Division
District 1-D,
San Antonio, 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 Victor Braunig Reservoir were surveyed in 2005 using electrofishing and in 2006 using gill nets. Creel sampling was used to survey anglers from December 2004 to November 2005. This report summarizes the results of the surveys and contains a management plan for the reservoir based on those findings.
Reservoir Description
Victor Braunig Reservoir is a 1,298-acre power plant cooling impoundment located on the southeast side of San Antonio, Texas. Water level is maintained at or near conservation pool by pumping from the San Antonio River. Habitat features consisted of bulrush, cattails, rip rap, southern naiad, and sago pondweed.
Management History
Important sport fishes include red drum, palmetto bass, catfishes, and largemouth bass. Fingerling stockings have been conducted in most years since the mid-1970s to support the palmetto bass and red drum fisheries. Angler harvest of palmetto bass, red drum, and catfish has been managed under the statewide length and daily bag limits. Largemouth bass have been intensively managed since the reservoir opened through stocking and special harvest regulations. Florida largemouth bass (FLMB) were first stocked in 1976 with the last fingerling stocking occurring in 1987. Largemouth bass harvest regulations were changed from the statewide 10-inch minimum length limit (MLL), 10 fish daily bag limit (DBL) to a 21-inch MLL, 2-fish DBL in 1985. The harvest regulations were again changed in 1993 to an 18-inch MLL, 5-fish DBL. In 2004 and 2005, City Public Service Energy (CPS, the controlling authority) purchased and stocked sub-adult northern largemouth bass. White crappie have not been collected from the reservoir since 1988 when previously stocked hybrid crappie were collected in cove-rotenone sampling.
Fish Community
- Prey species: Gizzard shad, threadfin shad, bluegill, and blue tilapia form the reservoir’s forage base. Relative abundance of bluegill remained high and gizzard shad abundance decreased by about half. Relative abundance of threadfin shad and blue tilapia was undeterminable because of low susceptibility to sampling gear.
- Catfishes: Channel catfish dominate the catfish community in the reservoir. Relative abundance of channel catfish remained high and size structure of the population continues to improve. Anglers expended 16.6 h/acre targeting catfish and harvested 10,305 catfish during the 2004-2005 annual creel survey period.
- Palmetto bass: Relative abundance of palmetto bass increased in 2006 compared to 2005 and 2004. Size structure of population likewise improved. Anglers expended 5.4 h/acre targeting this species and harvested 2,214 palmetto bass during the 20042005 annual creel survey period.
- Largemouth bass: Relative abundance of largemouth bass remained low and the population was dominated by individuals under the MLL in 2006. Anglers expended only 3.0 h/acre targeting this species and harvested just 131 largemouth bass during the 2004-2005 annual creel survey period.
- Red drum: Red drum remains one of the most popular sport fish species in the reservoir. Anglers expended 45.6 h/acre targeting this species and harvested 2,455 red drum up to 36 inches long during the 2004-2005 annual creel survey period.
Management Strategies
Continue to stock red drum and palmetto bass annually. Support stocking of sub-adult northern largemouth bass by CPS in an effort to improve the largemouth bass fishery and evaluate stocking success.
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