User:Hmwhmw02/Lake Weatherford

Lake Weatherford
Lake Weatherford was impounded in 1957. Surface area is 1,158 acres with a maximum depth of 39 feet. Lake Weatherford is located east of Weatherford off US 80/180, and 19 miles from downtown Fort Worth. The lake has a surface area of 1,158 acres with a maximum depth of approximately 39 feet (TPWD). Boating, wakeboarding, water skiing, and fishing are some of the main activities enjoyed on Lake Weatherford. The fish population includes Largemouth bass, White bass, Crappie, Channel catfish, and Sunfish. Little vegetation exists in the deeper lower lake. Cattails and American lotus can be found in the upper lake (TPWD). No overnight camping is allowed anywhere on the lake.

Stocking History for Weatherford (TPWD) Lake Rod and Reel Records (TPWD) Angler Access

This Weatherford Reservoir has one public boat ramp with parking, boarding piers, and good lighting. Much of the Weatherford Reservoir is privately owned with occupied homes and boat docks; however, there is an interspersion of bank access. Shoreline access is available at the public park adjacent to the boat ramp area and a 0.3 mile stretch of shoreline on the east side of the reservoir.

Survey reports

Shoreline habitat was surveyed in 2015 and vegetation was surveyed in 2019. Fish populations for the Weatherford Reservoir were surveyed in 2019 using electrofishing and trap netting (TPWD).

Reservoir Description

The Weatherford Reservoir is a 1,158-acre impoundment on the Clear Fork Trinity River in Parker County. After several years of drought, the reservoir refilled in 2015. Since then the water level has remained near the conservation elevation of 896.0 ft-msl. The reservoir is increasingly eutrophic resulting from agricultural and domestic runoff in the watershed, and raw water transfer from Benbrook Reservoir. Habitat features consisted mainly of bulkhead and rocky and natural shoreline with numerous boat docks and piers.

Management History

The main sport fishes included: Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, and White Crappie. In 1999, a harvest slot limit for Largemouth Bass sizes 14- to 18-inchs was removed and replaced with the statewide regulation (TPWD) All sport fishes are now managed with statewide regulations. Channel Catfish, Threadfin Shad, and Florida Largemouth Bass were stocked periodically from the 60’s through the 80’s. Florida Largemouth bass were stocked again in 2019. Eurasian watermilfoil was problematic on the reservoir until flooding and Grass Carp stockings in the early 1990s. Since then aquatic vegetation has been minimal.

Fish Community

Prey species: Threadfin and Gizzard Shad along with Bluegill were caught during an electrofishing survey.

Catfishes: Channel and Flathead Catfish have been caught in Lake Weatherford.

White Bass: Historically, White Bass have been present in low abundance.

Largemouth Bass: Electrofishing catch rate of stock-length Largemouth Bass increased since 2015. The amount of legal-length bass available to anglers has doubled.

White Crappie: Trap net catch rate of White Crappie was a new record. The catch rate of legal-length crappie was also a new record, with 58% of the sample population 10 inches and larger. White Crappie body condition and growth were excellent.

Management Strategies

Lake Weatherford has requested a Florida Largemouth Bass stocking in 2024. Texas Parks and Wildlife plans to conduct general monitoring surveys with trap nets and electrofishing surveys in 2023 and gill net surveys in 2024 to further monitor the fisheries. Access and vegetation surveys will be conducted in 2023 as well.[AC16]  Texas Parks and Wildlife plans to continue to educate the public about invasive species. The purpose of these surveys is to gauge the health and productivity of the lake.

References

tpwd.texas.gov. Retrieved 2020-11-17.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdpubs/lake_survey/pwd_rp_t3200_1394/

Cummings, Greg. Bennet, Dan. Weatherford Reservoir

2019 Fisheries Management Survey Report. Pottsboro: TPWD, 2020.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdpubs/media/lake_survey/pwd_rp_t3200_1394_2019.pdf