Browsing by Subject "Largemouth bass"
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Item An assessment of largemouth bass and panfish population dynamics in West Texas ponds(Texas Tech University, 2000-05) Shavlik, Calub E.Ponds have been an important aquatic resource in the USA since the eariy 1900's. Ponds can be constructed by creafing dams, digging depressions to hold water, or modifying natural wetlands (Dendy 1963; Bolen et al. 1989). A majority of ponds constructed in the eariy 1900's were built for livestock and domesfic use (e.g., irrigation, fishing, ice skafing, swimming, fire protection; Lopinot 1978), but management of ponds for recreational fishing has become more common in the late 1900's (Bennet 1971). Today, recreational fishing accounts for a substanfial amount of the daily usage of ponds (Flickinger et al. 1999). Numerous publicafions (e.g., Dillard and Novinger 1975; Gabelhouse et al. 1982; Willis etal. 1990; Baker et al. 1993; Lock 1993; Anonymous 1997) have been produced that discuss proper management of ponds for recreational fishing in several U.S. regions (i.e., midwest and southeast USA). Successful recreational fishing can be achieved with proper implementafion of a welldesigned management program by the landowner. In Texas, over 800,000 ponds have been constructed. More than 35% of the recreafional fishing days in Texas are spent on ponds (Flickinger and Bulow 1993), and recreafional fishing has become an important reason for construcfing ponds in Texas. To have successful recreational fishing in ponds, proper management (i.e., correct species selecfion, correct stocking rates, and correct harvest rates) is needed. Several publications (e.g.. Anonymous 1985; Anonymous 1986; Lock 1993) have been produced that provide management recommendafions for Texas ponds. However, some biologists have suggested that general pond management principles do not work in west Texas because of large fluctuafions in water level and increased salinity. The main goal of this research project was to survey fish communities in ponds located in the Southern High Plains region of Texas. Like anywhere else in the country (i.e., southeastern, midwestern, and western USA), no two ponds are alike in Texas (i.e., ponds vary chemically, biologically, and physically). I sampled two broad categories (urban and rural) of ponds in west Texas. Overall, the scientific hypotheses that I tested were (1) ponds could be grouped based on similar physicochemical characteristics within the two broad categories, (2) fish populafion dynamics in west Texas ponds are similar to dynamics in ponds from other U.S. regions, and (3) desired fisheries would likely be found in ponds containing simple fish communities (i.e., only two fish species).Item Interactions between walleye and largemouth bass in a West Texas reservoir(Texas Tech University, 1984-08) Schlagenhaft, Timothy WilliamMany reservoirs in the southwestern United States develop an oxygen-deficient hypolimnion below a well-defined thermocline due to their deep nature and warm ambient temperatures. Such conditions may force the walleye (Stizostedion vitreum vitreum), a species recently introduced in the Southwest, into habitat more commonly occupied by the major resident predator, the largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). Seasonal changes and overlap in habitat use by these two species was investigated in Lake Mackenzie, Texas using ultrasonic telemetry. Habitat use by each species varied seasonally. Largemouth bass were found primarily in brushy coves during fall, winter, and spring, but increased their use of rocky shoreline areas during the summer. Walleye used primarily rocky shoreline areas and open-water habitats throughout the year, but this use changed on a seasonal basis. Most walleyes were located in open water during times that deep-water oxygen content was suitable for the species. Walleye use of rocky shoreline areas peaked in summer when hypolimnetic oxygen was at a minimum. Overlap in habitat use by walleyes and largemouth bass was greatest during the summer but probably was not extensive enough to limit the production of either species. Knowledge of these seasonal movements also should be helpful to anglers.