2005 Lake Vilbig Aquatic Survey  

BOB LUSK
Fisheries Biologist & Lake Management Consultant  
P.O. Box 483  
Whitesboro, Texas, 76273
(903)564-5372
(903)564-5173 fax
e-mail pondboss@texoma.net

May 6, 2005

First, the data. To the right of the data is a length/weight curve. Each dot represents a fish taken during sampling. The line represents “average” bass of a given length. As you can see, Lake Vilbig bass pretty much straddle the line. Some of the fish are egg laden females, others are males. Some are probably post-spawn females. Bottom line is this…bass size distribution and relative weights are very good. No grossly underweight bass as in years past.

Here’s a table of data of fish collected.

SPECIES                <1”          1-3”          3-5”          5-7”          7-9”          9-12”          >12”

Largemouth bass                                       2               4               4                11               51

Bluegill                                  100’s          11              7               3

Redear Sunfish                                                                            1

Longear                                                     4

Warmouth                                                                                    2

Green sunfish                                                                               1

White bass                                                                                                                           1

Crappie                                                                                                                                2

Channel catfish                                                                                                                    1

Carp                                                                                                                               many

Gar                                                                                                                                 some

The electrofishing survey identified a number of different species of fish. Since largemouth bass are the target species for the club, this discussion will focus attention to the entire community of fish and how they relate to largemouth bass.

Lake Vilbig bass are in excellent condition. While the lake shares its community with a number of different species of fish, bass are the dominant predator under water.  Our sample number indicates average frequency of fish. In other words, the lake has good numbers of largemouth bass. Size distribution is better than years past, average weight to length is also above average for the entire population. We didn’t see any grossly underweight bass at all.

The lake is healthy for largemouth bass.

A lake is a community. Inside that community are habitats. Each habitat is conducive to the propagation and growth of different fish. For example, Lake Fork is renowned as a trophy largemouth bass fishery. But, if someone asks about fishing for stripers, Lake Fork is never mentioned in the same breath. Lake Texoma or Lake Whitney are the two choices for stripers. Here’s my point…if Lake Texoma didn’t have the best habitat for stripers, those fish wouldn’t thrive.  Lake Vilbig has some excellent habitat for largemouth bass. In years past, you guys have had to deal with the dynamics of your fish population. Juggling numbers by harvest and stocking. You have influenced the genetics of your fishery through stocking of known Florida bass and coppernose bluegill. Habitat for bluegill and bass is great. Those populations of fish respond to the habitat. bottom line…you don’t have any habitat issues for largemouth bass.

Specifically, there are adequate areas for bass and bluegill to spawn. Good substrate, sandy to gravel areas for spawning. Your fish can spawn. There are good areas of cover and structure for small fish. Cover for small, newly hatched fish are the areas of aquatic plants, especially the shallow areas of waterwillow, and overhanging brush, like willow trees. Protect your young fish, and they can contribute most efficiently to the community of adults. Protecting young fish does two things. First, when a fish is newly hatched, it may weigh as little as 10,000 per pound. But, keep a bluegill alive after hatching for 45 days and it weighs about 30 per pound. Since it takes about 10 pounds of baitfish to add a pound to a bass, it’s in your lake’s best interest to allow small fish to live longer, at least to become 2-3” long. Secondly, recruitment is necessary. Fish come, fish go, fish eat each other. So, dense cover allows small fish to live long enough to help replace some of those fish which disappear for whatever reasons.

There is also a fair amount of cover and structure for larger bass. They prefer to ambush their food, lying in wait, partially hidden, for a morsel to swim by. Lake Vilbig has differentiation along the bottom, channels, fallen trees, brush, edge cover around docks.

Other fish live in other habitats. White bass like open water, where they can cruise and chase shad and other fish which dare to enter that space. You have different minnows which seek extremely shallow water, around plants, near the edge. Carp tend to stay deeper, except when spawning. Gar like to hover on top of aquatic plant mats (which Lake Vilbig has very little). So, the lake has different habitat which supports the community of fish you have.

Redear sunfish like to stay in areas where snails grow. Redear eat crustaceans for a living. Vegetation harbors snails. Warmouth live similar to bass, but stay in dense cover, feeding on insects and small fish. Crappie tend to live in deeper water, near structure, in schools of similar size fish. Longear live like bluegill. Bluegill spawn three, four, sometimes five times yearly. Longear spawn once, in spring time. So, you see, Lake Vilbig is home to different species of fish, living in different habitats within the underwater community.

To continue improving your bass population, you have to counteract what nature, and humans, try to do to afflict it. For example…take the concept of pollution. Pollute the water, and expect habitat to change. Habitat changes, living organisms seek optimal habitats. Fish populations changes, so does plants, so does insects. Lake Vilbig has excellent water quality for an urban lake. While it does have its share of visible cups, plastic and “stuff,” the water chemistry is well within the bounds of healthy fish production. We took a look at pH, alkalinity, hardness, select minerals and metals, and all are within bounds of excellent fish production. pH is 7.6, alkalinity was above 140 ppm. There are traces of iron and magnesium..all completely normal. Calcium is moderate, as is carbonates. These two latter ones are key building blocks for bones in aquatic animals. You need calcium carbonate (lime).  Be sure to let the community know the lake is biologically healthy, and fundamental water chemistry is great.

If you want to continue improving the bass population, you will need to continue adjusting dynamics of the bass, with their food chain. Here are my recommendations.

1)      If you wish to strive, long term, to grow double digit bass, stock known Florida bass fingerlings every other spring. I suggest buying 1,000 known Florida or F1 bass fingerlings, 1.5-3” long, for the best price you can find, and stock them as soon as they are available. I can get Florida bass that size, delivered to Lake Vilbig, for $1 each. Available early June, if you want them from us.

2)      Keep good catch records. Weighing and measuring bass is always a good thing. The more data you have on hand, the better decisions you can make long term. Remember, weights of bass are an “effect,” not a “cause.” When food supplies dwindle, bass lose weight. If you are tracking length/weight trends, you can react much more quickly. Post lengths and weights and dates fish were caught into an excel spreadsheet similar to the one we submitted. Heck, use the one we are sending, if you wish. Ongoing data, studied in sets according to date, can be extremely informative. You guys can benefit from ongoing lengths and weights.

3)      Stock coppernose bluegill if you wish. I don’t necessarily think the lake “needs” these fish, but re-inforcing your gene pool with coppernose is a good thing. Coppernose bluegill stocking in the past has been beneficial. We shocked up a number of bluegill easily identified as coppernose. Let your pocketbook be your guide. If you choose to stock coppernose, it may be money better spent to buy larger ones, big enough to spawn.

4)      Here’s another optional recommendation. Some property owners may wish to feed the fish from their docks. That does no harm at all. In fact, if bluegill are the primary fish feeding, it would help those individual fish, and probably the entire nearby community of fish.

Last, but certainly not least, is your cormorant control program. While the Lake Vilbig bass population is in good shape right now, all that can change in less than one month, with the onset of water turkeys this fall. Nothing can rapidly change a fish population in healthy waters as an influx of double crested cormorants. I know you guys have fought the good fight. I simply want to encourage you to continue. It’s easy to let these birds slip from our mind’s grasp, because they are migratory, but keep the management plan on the agenda at each meeting, to keep each member on alert.

Overall, Lake Vilbig, its fish, its management and its members, are improving. I see a big difference between now and the last time I worked with you guys. The lake is healthier, the dynamics of the fishery have improved, and your knowledge as a club has improved. Good job, Lake Vilbig.

As you read this report, I expect you to have questions, or wish clarifications. Please don’t hesitate to drop an email and I’ll be glad to address those concerns.

Many thanks for the opportunity to serve.

Sincerely,

Bob Lusk

Fisheries biologist

2005 Lake Vilbig Aquatic Lake Survey - Field Notes 
and observations taken by Al Kohutek

  Selecting a Vendor 

From Dec. '04 to Jan. '05 the lake survey committee (Jon Griffin, Rick Huffman, Mat Howell, Terry Leatherwood, Tom Root, Steve Dillon, Al Kohutek, Mark Grigsby, Craig Watson, Steve Hamner & Tim Casbeer) interviewed Vendors.

On Sunday, January 23, 2005, the Survey Committee met to discuss the vendor interviews.  The committee members interviewed a total of 17 vendors from Oklahoma, Louisianan, and Texas.

After the committee discussed the interviews, the top 7 Vendors were selected by the committee as potential candidates.   Those 7 were: Dunn's Fish Farm, Texoma Hatchery, Complete Lake Management, Pond King, Arms bait & fish, Danbury Fish Farms, & Total  Lake Management. 

Each committee member voted on his top 3 choices from the 7 above. Pond King, Complete Lake Management, and Texoma Hatchery had the most votes.

The committee then voted on their 1st choice from the top 3 and the winner was Bob Lusk from Texoma Hatchery.

The committee did a fantastic job on their interviews. The decision was tough because everyone like the vendors they interviewed and any of the vendors could have done a great job.  In the end, it was Bob Lusk's notoriety and reputation as a top-notch fishery biologist that helped the committee make it's decision. The committee would like to thank all vendors who took part in the selection process.

The Survey

Conditions April 2, 2005.
Bob and his crew arrived at Cypress Cove Park at 10:00 AM.
The survey started around 10:20 AM.  The air temperature was 62 F degrees.
The survey ended around 2:00 PM.  The air temperature was 75 F degrees.
The water temperature was between 63 F and 66 F degrees
The sky was clear and sunny.  The wind was calm to a light breeze.  It was a nice day.

Pictures
http://s257.photobucket.com/albums/hh212/lake_vilbig1/Lake%20Surveys/2005%20Lake%20Survey/?start=all&special_track=album_paginate_top_view_all

Shock boat / Equipment
Small john boat, homemade boom and shocking equipment, 3 hp Yamaha gas outboard, & gas generator.  We tripped the shocker breaker a couple of times.  The breaker trips were due to the water hardness.....some areas had harder water than others.  One of the dip nets also broke when we tried to pull up a big fish.....Chris Marks loaned us another net.  

Bass Club Members Present
Beverly and Tom Root, Jon Griffin, Chris Marks, Matt Howell and his son,  Jim Young, Rick Huffman (observed from the bank), Mark Grigsby, Al and April Kohutek, Craig and Dottie Watson, Dave Maskarinec & Cliff Cook,   

The Survey
Bob and his crew arrived on time at the boat ramp @ 10:00 am, April 2, 2005.  Al Kohutek and his daughter April were first on the scene to help launch the shock boat. 

Jon Griffin pulled up and right off the bat he caught a nice 2-lb bass while fishing at the boat ramp.  He gave the fish to Bob to be measured and weighed.

We started shocking from the boat ramp working toward the Rusdell channel entrance.  Some of the onlookers followed in boats and collected the trash fish (carp and gar). 

Al and April picked up a 30-inch live flat head catfish behind the shocking boat.  Just before the first check point we noticed another big decomposing dead flat head with an estimated weight of about 45 - 60 pounds.  It looked like it had been there for about a week.  This dead cat was the biggest flat head recorded on the lake.   

At the first check point Bob began measuring & weighing the bass.  All other pan fish were noted but not weighed.  Al and April showed Bob the flat head catfish and he told us that we should remove all the flat heads (sometimes called yellow cats, opelousas) from the lake.  He said a flat head will kill for sport....eat a lot of big bass.... are the top predators in the lake....a flat head will not eat anything dead.....they are very territorial and will kill anything in it’s territory.

About 15 channel catfish in the 3 to 7 pound range were shocked up.  These were left in the lake to recover.  Bob said these will not impact the lake and don’t always compete with the bass.  He said they will eat moss, forage fish, and other things.

From the start Bob was pleased with what he was seeing.  The fish were not under weight and the lengths were good. He said 60% of the bass had the modeling characteristic of Florida bass.  

Several pockets of threadfin shad were shocked up.  Bob said netting them was a death sentence for the little guys, so we left them in the water.  He was glad to see so many made it through the winter. 

The shocking continued on the outside of the Rusdell island, down the north side of Mike Walters’s peninsula the tip of Mike Walters point.  Several check points were taken on this run.  At Mike Walters’s point, Al and April hopped in the shock boat, and Al helped net the bass.

The shocking continued along the south side of Mike Walters’s peninsula and then into the “deep side” of the lake.  All of the deep side was shocked.  The shocking continued along Lakeshore to Sandi and Michael’s house.  With the gas outboard we were moving at a fast pace....several bass could be seen floating behind the boat and were not collected.  A checkpoint was taken when the live well had 4 – 6 bass in it.

Tom Root wanted to see what was at the exit drain (near Greg Hoffmann’s house). So we made a run there and shocked 1 carp and 3 nice crappie.

Other fished shocked.  
Freshwater Drum.....2 - 4
Gizzard shad..............about 5
Threadfin shad...........100’s

It should be noted that the shocking fish for survey purposes does not harm the fish.  It merely "stuns" them for a short period of 20 to 30 seconds.  After weighing and measuring, all sport fish were returned lively and healthy back to their habitat.

Questions / Answers

Q: Bob how often should we do a lake survey.....is every 5 years okay?
A: Yes this is fine, unless you notice changes in your lake.

Q: Are there any other fish we can stock that would be good for our lake?
A: Black crappie might be a good alternative.

Q: What about Hydrilla  Some bass anglers have expressed interested in putting this in for bass cover.
A: Bad idea!  Hydrilla would hurt the lake.  I have seen property values drop 60% when Hydrilla has overtaken a lake.  It's also against the law to transplant Hydrilla any there are some heavy fines and penalties associated with doing it.