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Sam Rayburn Reservoir is 114,500-acre
multi-purpose reservoir that impounds the Angelina River (see
map). The
reservoir is the largest lake in Texas; it has 560 miles of
shoreline and cuts across five Texas counties (Angelina, Jasper,
Nacogdoches, Sabine, and San Augustine). According to
information found on the World Wide Web, surveys show this to be
one of the top bass lakes in Texas, if not the nation. The
trophy bass fishery at Rayburn attracts numerous bass fishing
tournaments to the lake throughout the year. The reservoir was
created by the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
in 1965 for the purposes of increased water supply for
agriculture, industry, and domestic use, regulating stream flow
and flood control, and water-based outdoor recreation. At normal
pool level, the lake level is about 164.04 feet above sea level
with a mean depth of 12 feet. One of the most recognized
recreational activities at Sam Rayburn, or “Big Sam” as it is
referred to locally, is fishing. The most featured species at
the reservoir is
largemouth bass
with fishing for
crappie
and
catfish
rated highly as well. Several agencies are involved in managing
the Sam Rayburn Reservoir and adjacent lands besides the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers; namely, the Neches River Authority of
Texas, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife
Department. There are almost 800 campsites at the lake managed
by the U.S. Forest Service in the Angelina National Forest and
at U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sites. Overall, there are 32
public launch ramps available at the lake.
Executive Summary
In December 1999, we were contacted by
the Inland Fisheries Division, Texas Parks and Wildlife
Department (TPWD) regarding the need for a Sam Rayburn Reservoir
angler survey. In particular, they were interested in knowing
more about the clientele that make use of Sam Rayburn Reservoir
for recreational fishing purposes as well as their linkages with
other recreation activities while at the reservoir. The sampling
frame for this study included all Sam Rayburn anglers who were
intercepted on the lake on regular creel sampling days by TPWD
personnel from January 1, 2001 to December 31, 2001. During each
intercept of fishing parties at the lake, a randomly selected
angler (the one with the most recent birthday) in each fishing
party was informed of the study, provided with an information
sheet about the project, and asked to cooperate in a follow-up
mail survey. For those anglers willing to participate, a name,
address, and phone number were collected. Effective response
rates ranged from 63% in the first quarter to 74% in the fourth
quarter. Overall, we mailed 696 questionnaires, 444
questionnaires were returned, and 20 were returned by the U.S.
Postal Service as being non-deliverable, for an overall
effective response rate of 66%.
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Most Sam Rayburn anglers
(41%) reported that they were from the three-digit ZIP
code area of Lufkin, TX. Other three digit ZIP code
areas reported by more than 10% of anglers included
Beaumont, TX (19%), Houston, TX (17%), and Galveston, TX
(11%). |
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When asked to name their
county of legal residence, the top three counties were
Angelina (17%), Harris (15%), and Jasper (11%). |
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A majority of anglers
reported they did not fish in ponds or stock tanks
(71%), rivers and streams (65%), or saltwater (61%). The
vast majority (98%) indicated they fished in lakes and
reservoirs in the previous 12 months. Considering their
total fishing across all fishing destinations, Rayburn
anglers fished an average of 59 days over the previous
12 months. |
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Rayburn anglers have been
fishing in freshwater for an average of 36 years. |
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A majority (64%) rated
themselves as “equally skilled” as “other freshwater
anglers in general”; one-third rated themselves as “more
skilled.” |
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A majority (52%) reported
they participated in one or more fishing tournaments in
the previous 12 months. They participated in an average
of 12 tournament events in this period. |
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A majority (62%) of
Rayburn anglers reported they were not members of any
fishing clubs and organizations. |
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A majority (60%) of
Rayburn anglers reported that black bass species was
their first preference. An additional 11% indicated that
largemouth bass was their first choice species. Most
(43%) indicated crappie was their second choice species
preference. |
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Overall, Rayburn anglers
reported they would need $3,812 on average to replace
their fishing rods, reels, and tackle; they would need
another $1,030 on average to replace their electronic
equipment. In addition, it is worth noting that it would
cost them over $20,000 on average to replace the boats,
motors, and trailers they own. |
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Rayburn anglers fished an
average of 37 days at Sam Rayburn during the previous 12
months. |
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Anglers have been fishing
at Sam Rayburn for 20 years on average; 61% have been
fishing 16 or more years at the reservoir. |
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The vast majority (91%)
of Rayburn anglers have fished at Sam Rayburn while a
tournament was in progress and they were not a
participant. Three-quarters of those who fished while a
tournament was in progress did not feel the tournament
negatively affected the quality of their fishing that
day. |
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Over two-thirds (68%) of
the anglers said they participated in one or more
fishing tournaments at Sam Rayburn during the previous
12 months. They participated in an average of four
tournaments during the same period. |
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Most (49%) anglers would
consider 10 lbs. a minimum size for a trophy largemouth
bass at Sam Rayburn. An additional 39% indicated they
would consider a minimum size of 7, 8, or 9 lbs. a
trophy at Sam Rayburn. |
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About 80% of the anglers
indicated the largest largemouth bass they ever caught
at Sam Rayburn exceeded what they considered trophy size
at Sam Rayburn. |
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Anglers were presented
with three management scenarios formulated by TPWD staff
and asked to rank them in order of preference. Most
(39%) anglers indicated a preference for 1) The current
Sam Rayburn Reservoir and statewide 14-inch minimum
length limit with a 5 fish daily bag, 2) A 16-inch
minimum length limit with a 5 fish daily bag, and 3) A
14-18 slot with a 5 fish daily bag. A second group (22%)
indicated a preference for 1) A 14-18 slot with a 5 fish
daily bag, 2) A 16-inch minimum length limit with a 5
fish daily bag, and 3) The current Sam Rayburn Reservoir
and statewide 14-inch minimum length limit with a 5 fish
daily bag. A third group (12%) indicated their first
preference for the status quo Sam Rayburn and statewide
minimum 14-inch minimum length limit with a 5 fish daily
bag with the slot limit proposal as their second choice. |
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A majority (64%) thought
the water level of Sam Rayburn over the previous five
years was “too low”; another 33% thought the water level
was “about right.” |
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Most anglers disagreed
with these two statements: “I feel that fluctuating
water levels at Sam Rayburn Reservoir help to increase
the number of fish there (55%)”, and “I feel that
fluctuating water levels at Sam Rayburn Reservoir help
to increase the size of fish there” (55%). Most (61%)
anglers agreed with the following statement: “I feel the
low water levels at Sam Rayburn Reservoir make it
difficult to access the lake for fishing purposes.” |
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The vast majority (87%)
of anglers indicated they did not fish specifically for
hybrid striped bass at Sam Rayburn during the previous
12 months. |
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When anglers were asked
to rate their overall satisfaction with their fishing
experiences at Sam Rayburn on a scale ranging from not
at all satisfied to extremely satisfied, a majority
(63%) indicated they were either extremely or very
satisfied. |
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The majority (96%) of
Rayburn anglers reported they targeted a particular
species of fish on the day they were intercepted by TPWD
creel clerks. The top three species that anglers
targeted as their first, second, or third choice were
black bass, catfish, and crappie. |
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The majority (82%) of
anglers did not participate in other outdoor
recreational activities during their stay in the area.
Of those anglers that did participate in another
activity, the top three activities listed were camping,
golf, and fishing other lakes. |
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Most trips to Sam Rayburn
Reservoir were one day in length (38%) with a mean of
almost three days. Most anglers (41%) spent one day
fishing on their trip with a mean of slightly over two
days. |
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The top three counties
where anglers stayed in the six-county area surrounding
Sam Rayburn were Angelina (36%), Jasper (27%), and San
Augustine (20%). The majority of anglers (53%) traveled
between 0 and 50 one-way miles to get to Sam Rayburn. |
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Using a scale ranging
from “not at all satisfied” to “extremely satisfied,”
most anglers (41%) reported they were “very satisfied”
with their trip; the next highest percentage (34%)
indicated they were only “moderately satisfied.” |
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The total annual
expenditures by local ($2,907,929) and non-local
($4,930,822) anglers in the Sam Rayburn reservoir study
area was $7,838,751. Most (78%) money spent in the
surrounding counties was spent on automobile
transportation, boat operation, lodging, restaurant
meals, and groceries. For non-local anglers, the
majority of the money spent was on lodging, groceries,
boat operation, automobile transportation, and
restaurant meals. |
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In terms of the economic
impact on the local economy surrounding Sam Rayburn, the
total expenditures of $4,930,822 by non-local anglers in
the area produced $7,765,272 of output as a consequence
of direct, indirect, and induced effects. The indirect
and induced impacts generated $2,834,450, or 37% of the
total effects, $1,051,666 of labor income, $1,722,509 of
value added, and 44.9 full time and part time jobs were
created in the local economy. |
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Direct expenditures
associated with tourism-related sectors amounted to
$4,385,752 and generated $2,387,186 of secondary
impacts. The total economic activities in
tourism-related sectors supported $651,302 of labor
income, $900,827 of value added, and 27.6 jobs in terms
of the secondary impacts. |
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The economic impacts on
the state of Texas economy were not estimated since the
number of out-of-state fishing participants in the
sample was of insufficient size for estimation purposes
(26 out-of-state anglers responded to the survey and
spent an estimated $767,225 in Texas). |
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Local anglers would be
willing to pay $94.16 above the total cost of their
entire trip; non-local anglers would be willing to pay
$201.16 above the total cost of their entire trip. This
resulted in a total willingness-to-pay above trip
expenditures or consumer surplus of $6,301,851 for the
recreational fishery. |
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The total economic value
of the Sam Rayburn Reservoir fishery was further
calculated by combining the total consumer surplus with
the overall expenditures for each market segment. The
resultant total annual economic value of recreational
fishing at Sam Rayburn Reservoir is $15,100,401. |
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When anglers were asked
to evaluate three alternative fishing locations, the
vast majority of anglers reported that Toledo Bend
Reservoir (86%) would be an acceptable substitute for
Sam Rayburn. A majority of anglers did not consider Lake
Fork (61%) or Lake Livingston (66%) to be acceptable
substitutes for Sam Rayburn. Approximately 5% of the
anglers indicated there were no other lakes that they
would consider a substitute. |
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