Lake & Parks Report – Fish Stocking (from Jerry Jones)

On Saturday May 9, 2009, Wayne Tiller and Jerry Jones drove to Buffalo, TX to pick up fish for stocking in our lakes. Since Lake 3 is our largest and most popular for fishing, it was stocked the heavyist.  All the other lakes were all stocked with Mozambique Tilapia for forage for our larger fish and for aquatic weed control.  Tilapia, we have learned are also useful for mosquito control.

Last year, the tilapia were stocked in mid March.  As you recall a cold snap occurred in April.  This probably resulted in a loss of some of the tilapia since they can not tolerate water temperature much below 50 degrees.  As a result not many eating size tilapia were caught.  This year our new supplier, Overton Fisheries recommended to wait for stocking until the water temperature reaches 70 degrees.  In 2007, the first year Lake 1 was stocked with tilapia, one was caught in early September that weighted over 2 pounds; it  had grown to that weight from stocking size, 3 – 5″   March 19 to Sept. 5th.

We noticed that smaller catfish are not appearing at the feeders, probably because the fry that are hatched are not surviving from our large concentration of bream and bass.  Fathead minnows were stocked in all lakes but Lake 4 this year to see if they make a difference in survival rate of catfish fry.
Catfish were stocked in Lakes 1, and 3, our most heavily fished lakes.  Lakes 2 and 4 should be stocked with catfish next year, if conditions merit.

Lake 1 – tilapia (25 lbs), fathead minnows (10lbs), catfish-6-8″ (125), 4-6″ (200)

Lake 2 – tilapia (12.5 lbs) fathead minnows (10 lbs)

Lake 3- tilapia (50 lbs) fathead minnows (10 lbs) catfish 6-8″ (125), 4-6″ (300)

Lake 4 – tilapia 12.5lbs

We need to say thank you to Larry and Leo Lynch (lk 3), Don Nutt (lk 2), and Aaron McLarey (lk 4),
who keep the feeders filled and maintained.

3 weeks ago bullet holes in the feeder on Lk 4 let rain  ruin all the food that was left in the feeder.
Thanks Aaron, for noticing it and removing the spoiled food and patching the holes.  We have had little vandalism this year but we need to be on the watch for any suspicions activity around the lakes.

Jerry Jones
5-12-09