The species taken and their relative abundances based on five seine hauls at each station are shown in Table 7. At the uppermost pool (G-17) only small green sunfish were found. At G-16, next downstream, this species was joined by large numbers of black bullheads and a few redfin shiners and red shiners. G-13 was similar to G-16, but two additional species occurred there. G-12 was a clear, deep pool much larger than any at the stations upstream. Here, seven species were added to the fauna, and the percentages of Ictalurus melas and Lepomis cyanellus were much less. At G-10 Fundulus notatus, Labidesthes sicculus, and Minytrema melanops appeared. Nevertheless, fewer species (10) were captured here than at station G-12 upstream.
Table 7.—Percentages of Fishes Taken on Crab Creek.
| Stations | G-10 | G-11 | G-12 | G-13 | G-16 | G-17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minytrema melanops | 8.7 | |||||
| Labidesthes sicculus | 20.0 | 1.0 | ||||
| Fundulus notatus | 25.7 | 41.0 | ||||
| Ictalurus natalis | 3.8 | .43 | ||||
| Pomoxis annularis | 8.8 | 11.8 | 1.9 | |||
| Lepomis humilis | 15.45 | 9.9 | 8.5 | |||
| Micropterus salmoides | 1.9 | |||||
| Etheostoma spectabile | 1.0 | 1.9 | ||||
| Percina caprodes | 3.8 | |||||
| Moxostoma erythrurum | 1.0 | 7.0 | ||||
| Lepomis megalotis | 5.7 | 2.3 | 7.0 | 2.0 | ||
| Pimephales notatus | 34.0 | 9.0 | ||||
| Ictalurus melas | 5.3 | .5 | 29.0 | 49.0 | ||
| Notropis umbratilis | 4.7 | 9.0 | 1.0 | |||
| Notropis lutrensis | 20.6 | 26.0 | 25.0 | 14.0 | 1.0 | |
| Lepomis cyanellus | 1.0 | 1.9 | 34.0 | 49.0 | 100.0 |
Table 8.—Fish Taken in Nine Pools on Upper Beaver Creek (Progressing From Downstream to Upstream).
| Notropis umbratilis | Notropis lutrensis | Lepomis humilis | Lepomis cyanellus | Ictalurus melas | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pools: 1 | 5 adults | 4 adults 7 young | adults abundant | young abundant | 1 juvenile |
| 2 | 2 adults | 4 adults | 6 adults | young abundant | |
| 3 | 1 adult | 7 adults | 3 juveniles | 2 juveniles | |
| 4 | 4 adults | young abundant | young abundant | ||
| 5 | 2 adults | ||||
| 6 | 28 young | ||||
| 7 | |||||
| 8 | 1 adult | ||||
| 9 | 1 adult |
A series of collections similar to that on Crab Creek was carried out along 1½ miles of Beaver Creek on July 22, 1956. Nine pools were sampled (Table 8) of which number nine was the uppermost point where water was found (except for farm ponds). Mainly young of Lepomis cyanellus and Ictalurus melas were found in the uppermost stations, as on Crab Creek. Only adults of Notropis lutrensis and Notropis umbratilis were taken.
In another small intermittent tributary of Grouse Creek two collections (G-14 and G-15) were made. One was from several isolated pools near the source of the creek and the other was 1½ miles upstream from the mouth. The two stations were approximately four miles apart. Table 9 indicates approximate percentages of fish taken in five seine hauls at these stations.
Table 9.—Fishes Taken in a Tributary of Grouse Creek.
| Species | Upstream station | Downstream station |
|---|---|---|
| Ictalurus melas | 45% | |
| Lepomis humilis | 48% | 40% |
| Notropis lutrensis | 5% | 30% |
| Lepomis cyanellus | 2% | 20% |
| Fundulus notatus | 10% |
At two other stations, only Lepomis cyanellus was found. One of these stations consisted of several small spring-fed pools in a dry arroyo tributary to Little Beaver Creek. Around these small "oases" rushes and smartweeds grew and blackbirds were nesting in the rushes. Although green sunfish up to eight inches in length were common in the shallow pools, no other species was found. The second station (C-17) on the East Fork Big Caney River is of special interest. The pool was isolated, had dimensions of about 25×25 feet, and had an average depth of 15 inches. The water was foul; cows had been fed fodder in a sheltered area above the pool during the preceding winter and the entire bottom was covered to a depth of 6 inches to 1 foot with a detritus of decomposing fodder, cattle feces, and leaves. The water became almost inky in consistency when the bottom was stirred and its odor was offensive. A thick gray-green bloom lay on the surface. This bloom was full of bubbles indicating gases rising from the bottom muds. One hundred fifty-three green sunfish, all less than 5 inches in length, were taken in one seine-haul at this station.