The Texas Hook

So Much Water. So Many Fish.

by Louie Bond, Kirk McDonnell & Randy Brudnicki

Whether you seek black drum and redfish from the salty Gulf of Mexico, largemouth bass and catfish from a Texas lake, or Guadalupe bass (the state fish) from one of the Hill Country’s spring-fed rivers, you’ll find that wetting a hook in the Lone Star State rarely disappoints.

Texas has approximately 191,000 miles of streams, 15 major river basins, eight coastal basins, nearly 200 major reservoirs and more than 800 community fishing lakes, each offering something different for Texans who love to fish.

With 367 miles of coastline (a total of 3,300 miles of tidal shoreline) along the Gulf of Mexico, there’s plenty of room to get salty, too.

Wherever you fish in Texas, be sure to purchase the proper license first, either online at txfgsales.com or in person at retailers, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department offices or state parks. Find out more at tpwd.texas.gov/outdoor-annual.

Your fishing license fees go to on-the-ground conservation and fisheries efforts that help make Texas one of the best places in the country to fish. Fish stocking, fisheries management, habitat restoration, watershed conservation and regulation enforcement are just some of the initiatives funded in part by your license fees.

Hatcheries make up an important component of license-funded fisheries management at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, producing millions of fish each year for anglers. Hatchery-reared fish are used to establish new populations, enhance existing populations, support research efforts and maintain fisheries in small urban reservoirs where natural production will not meet anglers' needs.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department even helps you have a blast close to home by stocking channel catfish and rainbow trout into small local water bodies through the Neighborhood Fishin’ Program. Want to try it before you buy it? Enjoy free fishing in state parks, where no license is required.

Whether you’re already hooked or about to gulp the bait, TPWD is Texas fishing central.

Find more information here.