Colder weather means we’ll start stocking tasty, ready-to-catch rainbow trout from Thanksgiving weekend through early March. The stocking schedule is now online and will be updated throughout the season, with over 100 waterways receiving rainbows.

If you’d like to take children fishing, or perhaps slip out for a little angling yourself, check out Neighborhood Fishin' locations. These urban park ponds will be stocked with rainbows and have convenient restrooms and picnic tables nearby. Neighborhood Fishin’ spots are perfect for teaching children the ageless tradition of angling.

Flounder: From Nov. 1 to Dec. 14 the daily bag limit for flounder is reduced to 2 fish. You may only use a pole and line to catch flounder from Nov. 1-30. These temporary changes occur every year to accommodate flounder spawning season in the Gulf.

Oysters: New season dates and times, the list of open and closed areas, and other regulations can be found online. 

Bass: Changes to simplify largemouth bass regulations are being considered. Input on these proposed changes is welcome.  Please contact Dave Terre, Chief of Inland Fisheries Management and Research, at dave.terre@tpwd.texas.gov or (512) 389-4855.

A list of all new regulations for this year that affect both salt and freshwater anglers is in the Outdoor Annual, along with bag-and-length limits for saltwater and freshwater species. 

When it’s cold, most fish just want to nap. So if you want to angle for bass or catfish in winter, try fishing in power plant lakes. These reservoirs stay warm all year because their water is used to cool electric generating plants. 

These 7 power plant lakes are the current favorites of our Inland Fisheries field staff: 

• Fayette Reservoir – NW of Houston
• Lake Welsh – E of Dallas
• Martin Creek Lake – S of Longview
• Brandy Branch Reservoir – E of Longview 
• Lake Bastrop – E of Austin
• Braunig Lake – SE of San Antonio
• Calaveras Lake – SE of San Antonio

This magazine article will fill you in on what to expect at these winter wonderlands.

If you’ve contemplated turning your lake or pond into a fishing spot, we encourage you to do so. We can’t stock your water with fish, but this magazine article will help you learn how to do it yourself. It explains how to match your pond characteristics with fish species, keep the fish population at healthy levels, control aquatic plants and recognize factors that might hurt fishing quality.

We’ve got a full list of resources about construction and management, including links to find your county agent, who can advise you.   

The official Texas state fish, Guadalupe bass, has been restored to the South Llano River. This marks the success of a conservation project that was launched in 2010. Guadalupe bass are threatened by habitat loss and interbreeding with non-native smallmouth bass, challenges that are hard to address. But this success on the South Llano River demonstrates what can be achieved by a passionate network of partners.

To celebrate, we’ve partnered with the Llano River Watershed Alliance and Bass Pro Shops for an angler prize giveaway. From now until Dec. 31, 2018, any angler who catches a tagged Guadalupe bass from the South Llano River will receive their choice of prizes from an assortment of fly fishing gear donated by Bass Pro Shops. Find more information about the giveaway online. Then celebrate with us by fishing for Guadalupe bass on the South Llano River.

Angler Isaac Avery of Longview caught a 197 pound, 7.39 foot alligator gar in the Brazos River while bow fishing on Sept. 9. Avery beat the previous water body record by more than 4 pounds.

We’ve confirmed that the alligator gar was 60 years old when she was caught, and is one of the oldest fish we’ve ever documented. The year she was born there was a major flood, confirming that the fish we come across that are over 50 were typically spawned in a time of flooding.

As big as this gar was, other Texas rivers and lakes hold trophy alligator gar that are even bigger. You can search the current records on our Fish Records and Awards page. To learn more about alligator gar, including videos, range maps and magazine articles, visit our website.