Alan Henry Reservoir - 2013 Survey Report

Prepared by John Clayton and Charles Munger
Inland Fisheries Division
District 1-A, Canyon, Texas

This is the authors' summary from a 30-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 2013 using electrofishing and trap netting and in 2014 using gill netting. Historical data are presented with the 2013-2014 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

Alan Henry Reservoir was constructed in 1993 on the South Fork of the Double Mountain Fork of the Brazos River. It is located 6 miles east of Justiceburg in Garza County, Texas. At conservation pool (2,220 feet above mean sea level; FMSL), Alan Henry Reservoir is a 2,884-acre impoundment. The reservoir is owned by the City of Lubbock, Lubbock County, Texas and is currently used for recreational purposes and as a water supply. Alan Henry Reservoir first filled to capacity in October 2004, and the water level remained within 5 feet of conservation pool until 2011 when it began a steady decline to approximately 14 feet below conservation pool at sampling in 2013 and 2014. Productivity of Alan Henry Reservoir was characterized as low. Habitat features consisted of flooded terrestrial vegetation, rocks, and very small amounts of native submerged aquatic plants.

Management History

Sport fish in the reservoir included Blue Catfish, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish, Alabama Bass, Largemouth Bass, and White Crappie. Alabama Bass were managed with restrictive harvest regulations since their introduction in 1996 until September 1, 2011 in order to establish a viable population. Largemouth Bass harvest regulations were liberalized with the allowance of 2 fish under the 18 inch minimum length limit in 2002 to promote recruitment of fish into size classes larger than the 18 inch minimum length limit. Alan Henry Reservoir has produced 25 entries into the ShareLunker program since 2000.

Fish Community

• Prey species: Gizzard Shad and Bluegill are the primary prey species in the reservoir, but their relative abundance is low.
• Catfishes: Blue Catfish were present in the reservoir. Only one Blue Catfish was collected in the 2014 gill net survey. Channel Catfish were the most abundant catfish species surveyed; however, catch rates continued to indicate low relative abundance. The catch rate for the 2014 gill net survey was lower than previous surveys. The majority of Channel Catfish sampled were larger than the 12-inch minimum length limit. One Flathead Catfish was collected in the 2014 gill net survey. The Flathead Catfish catch rate remained similar to previous surveys and indicated low relative abundance.
• Black basses: From 2001 to 2011electrofishing catch rates of Alabama Bass have shown a general increase; however, catch rates have declined from 41.0/h in 2011 to 12.0/n in 2013. A new state record of 5.62 lbs. was caught on January 15, 2011. Largemouth Bass catch was low with the majority of fish sampled being less than 15 inches in length. Of the fish sampled, two were greater than 18 inches.
• Crappie: Two White Crappie were collected during the 2013 trap net survey, but both fish were smaller than the 10 inch minimum length limit.

Management Strategies

• Continue annual electrofishing surveys to monitor Alabama Bass and Largemouth Bass populations.
• Conduct an extensive black bass electrofishing survey in 2015.

Performance Report as required by Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act Texas Federal Aid Project F-221-M-4 Inland Fisheries Division Monitoring and Management Program