Eagle Mountain Reservoir - 2016 Survey Report

Prepared by Thomas Hungerford, Raphael Brock and Cynthia Fox-Holt
Inland Fisheries Division
Dallas-Fort Worth District

This is the authors' summary from a 35-page report. For a copy of the complete report, use the download link in the sidebar.

Fish populations in Eagle Mountain Reservoir were surveyed in 2016 using trap nets and electrofishing, and 2017 using gill nets. Historical data are presented with the 2016-2017 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

Eagle Mountain Reservoir is an 8,504-acre impoundment constructed on the West Fork Trinity River by the Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD) in 1932 for municipal and industrial purposes. The reservoir is located in northwest Fort Worth. The reservoir is approximately 10 miles long and 3.5 miles wide (widest point), drains 1,970 square miles of watershed and has 93.5 miles of shoreline. Conservation pool elevation is 649 feet above mean sea level and storage capacity at conservation pool is 179,880 acre-feet. Angler and boat access is fairly limited. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department sold a tract of land that was proposed to be developed into a state park on the reservoir to the TRWD in 2008. TRWD has developed some hiking and biking trails but no angler access was incorporated. There is one ADA-compliant fishing pier on the reservoir. Fishery habitat consisted primarily of natural banks, rocky shorelines, and boat docks.

Management History

Important sport fish include Largemouth Bass, crappies, White Bass, and Blue and Channel Catfish. All species are managed with statewide regulations. The reservoir has a population of large Blue Catfish. Florida Largemouth Bass were stocked in 2014 and 2015.

Fish Community

• Prey species: Gizzard and Threadfin Shad were in great relative abundance in the reservoir. Bluegill and Longear Sunfish are also available as prey. Some Bluegill over 6 inches are available for anglers.
• Catfishes: Blue Catfish continued to increase and produced some large individuals. Relative abundance of 7- to 8-inch Blue Catfish indicated a strong year class entering the fishery. Blue Catfish were the second most sought after species during the 2016/2017 creel survey. The relative abundance of Channel Catfish has decreased during the past three surveys. Although present, no Flathead Catfish were sampled during 2017 gill netting.
• White bass: White Bass catch rates remained stable compared to the previous survey.
• Black basses: The Spotted Bass population has decreased during the last three surveys. The Largemouth Bass population had varied in abundance during the last three surveys but remained good. Size distribution is skewed towards smaller fish. Largemouth Bass were the most sought-after species during the 2016/2017 annual creel survey.
• Crappies: The relative abundance of White Crappie had decreased over the past three surveys. Black Crappie were now the more abundant crappie species.

Management Strategies

Monitor zebra mussels in the reservoir. General monitoring with gill netting, trap netting, and electrofishing will be conducted in 2020-2021, when the next report will be written.

Performance Report as required by Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act Texas Federal Aid Project F-221-M-2 Inland Fisheries Division Monitoring and Management Program