Texas fishing reports
479 reports for Texas — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Texas lakes ease into fall, with warm water still in play
Gauge readings near the Texas coast show water still running warm this week. USGS gauge 0821150305 reported 82°F and USGS gauge 08211200 reported 81°F, with flow of 67.9 cfs at the second site. That is summer-level warmth heading into mid-October, so fish will likely stay tied to early and late light before the cool fronts arrive. North Texas Catfish Guide described a late-summer grind on Eagle Mountain Lake, with hot water, little wind and a light, ghost-like bite where fish barely touch the bait. The same report notes first signs of fall. Tactical Bassin (blog) pointed to shallow jig, soft jerkbait and topwater tactics for October bass, and Wired 2 Fish noted that crappie turn aggressive almost overnight once the first cool front passes.
Fall Texas coast redfish pattern builds on warm water
Water along the Galveston to Corpus stretch is still summer-warm, with NOAA CO-OPS station 8771450 reading 83.8°F, station 8771341 at 82°F and station 8772471 at 82.4°F early this morning. That is well above what fall fish prefer, which keeps the bite concentrated around dawn and dusk and around moving water. Redfish are the species to plan around. With a new moon in play, tidal movement is stronger than average, and the fall flounder and mullet movement described by Saltwater Sportsman for the Gulf Coast means bait is funneling out of the back bays right now. Redfish typically stage where that bait exits, so drain mouths and channel edges deserve the first casts.
Hill Country lakes settle into early fall pattern
Gauge readings across the Austin area show warm, steady water as the new moon arrives. USGS gauge 08105891 reports 82°F, gauge 08155500 reads 72°F with flow near 20 cfs, and gauge 08170990 shows 70°F with no measurable flow. Gauge 08158000 is moving 455 cfs but gives no temperature. That spread of 70 to 82°F points to fish that are comfortable in the shallows and not yet pushed deep by cold. None of our sources reported on trout, steelhead or bluegill for these lakes this week, so we are not calling a species bite. Tactical Bassin's fall coverage does stress that shallow structure such as dock pilings, laydown trees and rocks is where fish tend to sit this time of year.
Fall bass transition builds on East Texas reservoirs
Per Lake Fork Trophy Bass, October is the start of fall on Texas lakes, with cooling weather and quality fish to be caught. They note hunting season pulls many anglers off the water, so pressure drops. Tactical Bassin points to jigs, soft jerkbaits and topwater around hard structure like dock pilings, laydowns and rocks as the fall Largemouth Bass pattern, and B.A.S.S. News notes fish leaving deep summer haunts as the water cools.
Redfish and snook window opens as Laguna Madre stays warm
Water in the Lower Laguna Madre area is running warm, with NOAA CO-OPS station 8775237 reading 83.1°F and station 8779770 at 84.4°F on the afternoon of October 11. That is still summer-range water for mid-October, which keeps inshore fish comfortable and feeding through the day. Per Saltwater Sportsman, the fall mullet run is on across the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, with mullet pouring out of bays and estuaries from September into November. Redfish typically key on that baitfish movement along shorelines and passes. Coastal Angler Magazine's October roundup also notes snook taking live bait, a reminder that warm fall water keeps them active where they are present.
Warm Texas Gulf water sets up a fall redfish and snook window
Water temperatures along the Texas coast are still summer-like, with NOAA CO-OPS station 8771450 reading 83.3°F and stations 8771341 and 8772471 both at 82.9°F. That is warm for mid October, and it means fish are not yet pushed into a full cold-weather pattern. Texas Fish & Game Magazine is already pointing anglers toward fall-oriented tactics, including a piece on spinnerbaits for speckled trout, a reminder that shallow marsh edges are worth fishing as bait moves. Saltwater Sportsman describes the fall mullet run, with baitfish pouring out of bays, rivers and estuaries along the Gulf, and that bait movement is what redfish key on this time of year. Expect redfish to follow mullet along shorelines and out of the back bays. We would treat redfish as Active, not Hot.
Hill Country lakes settle into early fall pattern
Gauge readings across the Austin area show a clear split between tailwater and warmer shallow water. USGS gauge 08155500 reports 72°F water with flow at 18.5 cfs, while gauge 08170990 reads 70°F with no measurable flow. USGS gauge 08105891 sits warmer at 84°F. Fall bass tactics are the strongest angle in the current intel. Tactical Bassin (blog) points to jigs, soft jerkbaits and topwater around hard structure like dock pilings, laydowns and rocks, and calls the shallow bite overlooked this month.
East Texas bass settle into early fall patterns
Fall is taking hold across Texas bass country, and Lake Fork Trophy Bass calls October a great month to be on the water, with cooling weather and quality fish to be caught. Hunting season is pulling anglers off the lake, so boat traffic should stay light. Tactical Bassin points to the shallows this month, with jigs, soft jerkbaits and topwater working for October bass. Regional gauge readings show water temperatures between 80 and 83°F on the nearby lower river systems.
Lower Laguna Madre redfish ride a warm, new-moon tide
Water in the Lower Laguna Madre area is running warm. NOAA CO-OPS station 8775237 read 82.2°F and station 8779770 read 83.8°F around midday local time, which keeps the inshore system in a summer-like state even though it is mid-October. Warm water holds baitfish active and keeps redfish feeding through the day instead of only at dawn. Texas Fish & Game Magazine is running a piece on spinnerbaits for speckled trout, a reminder that moving lures are worth a look this fall. Saltwater Sportsman notes the fall mullet run is under way along the Gulf Coast from September into November, and mullet movement is a reliable cue for where redfish will stack up.
Warm bay water and a fall baitfish push set the pace
Galveston-Corpus water is still running warm for mid-October. Our NOAA CO-OPS readings from early this morning show 84.2°F at station 8771450, with 81.3°F at station 8771341 and 81.5°F at station 8772471. That is summer-like water for the second week of October, so fish are not yet on a full winter pattern. Saltwater Sportsman notes that the fall baitfish migration is under way, with fish pouring out of rivers, bays and estuaries along the Gulf, and that movement is what draws predators to the passes and shorelines. The New Moon this weekend means dark nights and small tidal swings tied to the lunar phase, so the tide windows below are the best way to plan a trip.
New moon fall transition sets up Hill Country shoreline bites
Water across the Hill Country is in the low 70s, a clear step down from summer. USGS gauge 08155500 read 72°F this morning, gauge 08170990 showed 70°F, and the shallower gauge 08105891 sat at 79°F. That spread tells us the larger, deeper water is cooling while shallow, slow-moving water still holds summer warmth. Per Tactical Bassin, fall fish relate to hard structure like dock pilings, laydown trees and rocks, and shallow jig and topwater presentations stay effective through October. A New Moon today means dark nights and a strong early-morning window.
Texas catfish and bass shift as October cools the water
Warm water is still the story across South Texas this week. A USGS gauge 0821150305 reads 84°F and a second, USGS gauge 08211200, reads 81°F with flow near 76 cfs, so fish are not yet in a full fall pattern. North Texas Catfish Guide described the late-summer grind on Eagle Mountain Lake as hot water, little wind and a tiny, hard-to-detect bite where hooksets had to be dialed in. The same report noted a lot of small catfish mixed in with better keepers. Texas Fish & Game Magazine also has TPWD fishing rule proposals in the news, so check current state regulations before harvesting anything.