Kevin W. Storey

Lake Fork Reservoir, in northeast Texas, supports a nationally-recognized trophy largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides, LMB) fishery which the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) has managed using restrictive harvest regulations since it was opened to public fishing in 1980. De- spite a long history of annual creel and electro fishing surveys conducted by TPWD, data on trophy fish is limited. Fisheries managers' inability to collect trophy-sized LMB using traditional sampling methods is probably the result of a combination of gear biases and low relative abundance of trophy-sized...

We estimated the accuracy of field identification of white bass (Morone chrysops) and palmetto bass (M. chrysops X M. saxatilis) by Texas fisheries workers and evaluated the reliability of meristic and morphometric characteristics commonly used to differentiate between these 2 fishes. Electrophoretic and isoelectric focusing analyses of diagnostic proteins were used to verify the fisheries workers' identification of fish (1,087) sampled from 16 reservoirs thoughout Texas. Overall, accuracy of field identification was high and fisheries workers correctly identified all sampled white bass;...

In November 1988, Purtis Creek State Park Lake opened to public fishing with a catch-and-release regulation for largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). The objective of the regulation was to prevent initial overharvest and provide a quality fishery under high anticipated fishing pressure. The fishery was evaluated using spring electrofishing and annual creel surveys. No illegal bass harvest was observed during creel surveys. The proportion of bass ≥356 mm declined and PSD shifted from >80 into the 40-70 range within 2 years. This change was likely due to mortality induced by the...

We assessed trotline hooking mortality of channel catfish (lctalurus punctatus) at Lake Palestine, Texas, from June through September 1989. Our objective was to estimate trotline hooking mortality of channel catfish using 3 hook types and identify factors relating to that mortality. Fish collected by trotline were confined for 72 hours in submerged cages. We examined relations between percent mortality and hook type, water temperature, and oxygen concentration using logistic analysis. A total of 214 channel catfish were collected by trotline; 40 (19%) were dead at the end of the 72 hour...