Were it not for the slot limit, this 26,810-acre lake, spanning the Louisiana-Texas border, might rank higher. It produces lots of huge bass in the spring along with quality bream. Department (TPWD) has an established slot length limit for largemouth bass at Caddo Lake, making it illegal to possess largemouth bass that are between 14 and 18 inches in length 5. The investigation of mercury in fish from Caddo Lake continued in April 1995, when the DSHS.
Prepared by Timothy J. Bister
Inland Fisheries Division — Marshall District
This is the author's summary from a 37-page report. For a copy of the complete report, use the download link in the sidebar.
Fish populations in Caddo Lake were surveyed in 2017 using electrofishing and dual-cod trap netting, and in 2018 using tandem hoop netting. Anglers were surveyed from June 2017 through May 2018 with a creel survey. Historical data are presented with the 2017-2018 data for comparison. This report summarizes the results of the surveys and contains a management plan for the reservoir based on those findings.
Reservoir Description
Caddo Lake is a 27,472-acre lake on Big Cypress Creek located in the Cypress Creek Basin approximately 20 miles northeast of Marshall, in Harrison and Marion Counties, Texas and Caddo Parish, Louisiana: 12,712 acres lie in Texas. Habitat features consist of bald cypress wetlands and a complex aquatic plant community including the invasive species giant salvinia, water hyacinth, crested floating heart, and hydrilla.
Management History
Important sport fishes include Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Redear Sunfish, and crappies. The management plan from the 2013 survey report included the need for nuisance aquatic vegetation monitoring, Largemouth Bass supplemental stocking, and the need to investigate alternative sampling approaches in the presence of giant salvinia. Largemouth Bass were managed with a 14- to 18-inch slot-length limit. Efforts to control nuisance aquatic plants on the lake continued.
Fish Community
- Prey species: Threadfin Shad and Gizzard Shad were present in the reservoir. However, few Gizzard Shad were available as prey to most sport fish. Bluegill and Redear Sunfish electrofishing catch rates were moderate.
- Catfishes: We utilized tandem hoop nets baited with soap to survey the Channel Catfish population instead of traditional gill netting. Fish were collected from 9-20 inches, which was similar to previous gill netting surveys. Tandem hoop nets should be a reliable method for conducting future Channel Catfish population surveys while minimizing bycatch of non-target species.
- Black bass: Largemouth Bass abundance and size structure have improved over recent surveys, and Spotted Bass were present but negligible. More Largemouth Bass were collected within the protected slot-length (14-18 inches) than the previous two surveys. Largemouth Bass had moderate growth (age at 14 inches long was 2.8 years), and average body condition indicated adequate prey availability in the lake. Almost 70% of angling effort was directed toward black basses. However, fishing effort during the 2017/2018 angler survey was much less than in 2009/2010. This difference is likely due to the excessive coverage of giant salvinia that inhibited boat travel and covered many areas of the Texas side of Caddo Lake.
- Crappie: White and Black Crappie were collected using dual cod trap nets during fall 2017 and tandem hoop nets baited with soap during spring 2018. Hoop nets have been successful surveying crappie in other reservoirs and is also used to survey Channel Catfish. This alternative method will be evaluated for future use to monitor crappie populations in Caddo Lake.
Management Strategies
Slot Limit For Bass On Caddo Lake
- Continue stocking Florida Largemouth Bass to support the high-quality bass fishery at Caddo Lake.
- Conduct invasive aquatic plant surveys annually, and continue management of giant salvinia and other invasive aquatic vegetation.
- Continue to work with stakeholder groups on invasive species management issues.
Performance Report as required by Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act Texas Federal Aid F-221-M-3 Inland Fisheries Division Monitoring and Management Program