Texas fishing reports
494 reports for Texas — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Post-spawn bass shift to offshore structure on Hill Country lakes
The Colorado River at the Hill Country corridor is flowing at 244 cfs (USGS gauge 08158000, May 31), and the Highland Lakes are settling into the post-spawn transition that defines early summer fishing here. Direct angler reports for Lakes Travis, LBJ, and Buchanan are limited this cycle, but regional technique intel is consistent: Tactical Bassin reports that post-spawn bass are responding well to chatterbaits, neko rigs, and drop-shots worked around isolated offshore structure, as fish recover and scatter from shallow spawning beds. At nearby Canyon Lake — a comparable Hill Country impoundment — My Canyon Lake Fishing confirms conditions remain "ideal for boating and fishing," with multiple ramps open and lake levels running eight feet higher than this time last year. Lone Star Outdoor News notes a record-setting year statewide for Texas anglers. The full moon this weekend typically concentrates surface feeding into dawn and dusk windows. No water temperature reading is available from the gauge at this writing.
Blue catfish on the feed at Eagle Mountain Lake as June opens strong
North Texas Catfish Guide reports Eagle Mountain Lake sitting at near-full pool with significant fresh water inflows, conditions the operation calls 'perfect' for activating fish. Blue catfish and channel catfish are on the move and feeding aggressively, with the guide noting trips come together fast once anglers lock onto schools. A comparable June window in 2024 produced limits of channel cats and blue catfish on most trips, with white bass also running the main lake. Tonight's full moon adds a natural feeding trigger that should keep catfish active through the overnight hours and into dawn. USGS gauge 08211200 is reading 68.5 cfs this morning, signaling low, stable flows typical for this time of year across many Texas river systems. Water temperature data was unavailable from the gauge. Lone Star Outdoor News notes 2026 is shaping up as a record year for Texas anglers overall.
Whiting hot and redfish active as Laguna Madre hits full summer stride
Whiting are running 'extremely' strong along South Texas coastal waters right now, per Lone Star Outdoor News, making this a prime window to stock the cooler for a fish fry. Water temps along the lower Gulf reached 80°F at NOAA buoy 42043 in mid-May, and the Laguna Madre has only warmed further since. TexasFishingTips (YT) logged back-to-back Baffin Bay and Laguna Madre area reports with Capt. Kevin Navid through late May, a reliable signal of sustained guide-season activity in the corridor. Redfish remain a flats focus, with Salt Strong recently covering how to locate big school fish by reading surface slicks — a technique increasingly critical as summer heat scatters the bite. Tonight's full moon sets up the strongest tidal exchanges of the month through the Laguna passes, a window worth planning around for trout and reds on channel edges. The federal red snapper season opened May 22, per Lone Star Outdoor News, giving offshore-capable boats another target worth the run.
Post-spawn bass push offshore as East Texas reservoirs hit June transition
LakeForkGuy (YT) is reporting the most aggressive post-spawn crappie bite of the year across East Texas timber waters, and with late May's Full Moon peaking overhead, that pattern should hold into early June. Lake Fork Trophy Bass confirmed bass were still spawning through April on nearby Lake Fork, with the lake running about three feet below normal pool. That low-water condition is worth verifying on neighboring Toledo Bend and Sam Rayburn before trailering. By late May, the spawn has wrapped on both reservoirs and most bass are pushing toward summer offshore haunts. Tactical Bassin's post-spawn breakdown identifies chatterbaits, neko rigs, and dropshots over isolated offshore structure as the top bass producers heading into June. The Sabine River is running at 2,670 cfs per USGS gauge 08030500, a moderate inflow that should not affect main-basin water clarity. No water temperature readings are available from our gauges today.
Post-spawn bass and crappie on the move across the Highland Lakes
Conditions across the Hill Country reservoir chain are running eight feet above year-ago levels, per My Canyon Lake Fishing, with WORD confirming ideal boating and fishing conditions through this week. The post-spawn transition is in full swing across Lake Travis, Lake LBJ, and Lake Buchanan heading into June, with a Full Moon pushing bass toward offshore structure. The Colorado River below Travis is moving at 928 cfs (USGS gauge 08158000) with no temperature reading available this cycle. Tactical Bassin reports that targeting isolated offshore structure and drifting wind-blown flats with chatterbaits and finesse rigs, including neko and dropshot presentations, produced multiple quality bass in a recent post-spawn session, a pattern well-suited to the limestone structure of the Highland Lakes chain. LakeForkGuy describes post-spawn as 'the most aggressive crappie bite of the year,' a window that typically holds on brush-pile-rich impoundments like Buchanan and LBJ well into early June.
Galveston Bay lights up for speckled trout as red snapper season opens offshore
Water temps at 84°F per NOAA buoy 42035 signal a fully transitioned late-spring bite along the upper Texas Gulf Coast. The Galveston Daily News Reel Report is calling bay conditions "really, really good" heading into June. Speckled trout are showing well across Galveston Bay, with one angler logging solid catches between storm cells over the holiday weekend. Offshore, Lone Star Outdoor News confirmed the federal red snapper season opened May 22, and charter captains who had been eagerly anticipating the start are now running to structure. In the surf, Lone Star Outdoor News also notes whiting are "running extremely" well right now, a fast-action species with excellent table appeal. Seas are calm at 1.6 feet with light winds, making both bay and offshore runs comfortable. Tonight's full moon will drive hard tidal current through bay passes and cuts, which is the key to timing your inshore windows this weekend.
Eagle Mountain blue catfish running hot as Texas lakes enter peak June window
North Texas Catfish Guide reports blue catfish limits coming easy on Eagle Mountain Lake near Fort Worth, with multiple 30-pound-plus fish landed per trip this spring. The charter credits a full lake and fresh inflows for pushing fish into an active, fast-feeding mode, which they call one of the best setups of the year. Channel catfish are tracking well on the same water. On the river side, USGS gauge 08211200 registered 113 cfs as of May 31, signaling moderate, stable flow in a south-central Texas drainage. Post-spawn bass are transitioning to offshore summer structure across the state, with Tactical Bassin noting that chatterbaits, drop shots, and Neko rigs are producing around isolated humps and submerged cover. LakeForkGuy is flagging what they call the most aggressive post-spawn crappie bite of the year, making it a strong secondary target. Tonight's Full Moon should extend nocturnal catfish feeding into the overnight hours, a prime window for anglers who can get out after dark.
Specks and Black Drum Firing in Galveston Bay as Red Snapper Season Opens
Water temps touching 81°F at NOAA buoy 42035 signal prime late-May conditions along the Texas Gulf Coast. The Galveston Daily News Reel Report puts it in concrete terms: Duain Cagle and his son Chris loaded up on quality black drum and speckled trout in upper Galveston Bay this Memorial Day weekend, working live shrimp under popping corks. Further south, Capt. Reanna Yaklin has been keeping a full schedule on Baffin Bay, per the same outlet. Lone Star Outdoor News is calling whiting a standout species right now, dubbing it an ideal time for a beach fish fry, and also confirms the federal red snapper season opened May 22 for anglers ready to run offshore. Texas Fish & Game Magazine highlights productive marsh edge action for redfish, flounder, and specks for those willing to work the spartina shorelines at first light. The waxing gibbous moon and warming coastal waters stack multiple strong inshore bites heading into the week.
Post-spawn bass transition underway on East Texas reservoirs
The Lake Fork Trophy Bass guide service reported clients catching "a lot of big bass" through April as the spawn reached full swing, with fish running about 3 feet below pool on a reservoir the guide described as "in great shape." By late May, Toledo Bend and Sam Rayburn are in the post-spawn transition: largemouth bass have cleared the beds and are recovering, a phase that per Wired 2 Fish splits the fish between aggressive shad chasers and finesse-oriented shallow loners. LakeForkGuy (YT) is calling this "the most aggressive crappie bite of the year" using post-spawn tactics, a promising signal for the timber-rich structure on these East Texas reservoirs. The Neches River, which feeds Sam Rayburn's watershed, is running at 2,060 cfs (USGS gauge 08030500), a moderate and stable flow that keeps water clarity in check. No gauge temperature is available, but late-May surface temps on East Texas lakes typically settle in the mid-to-upper 70s. A waxing gibbous moon sharpens feeding windows at dawn and dusk.
Speckled trout and black drum headline a strong Galveston Bay late-May bite
Over Memorial Day weekend, Duain Cagle and his son Chris landed solid black drum and speckled trout fishing live shrimp under popping corks in upper Galveston Bay, per the Galveston Daily News Reel Report. It is a strong sign the inshore bite is humming as late May shifts toward summer. Baffin Bay is drawing attention as well, with Capt. Reanna Yaklin reportedly spending considerable time on the water there, according to the same source. Along marsh edges, Texas Fish & Game Magazine describes anglers working spartina-grass shorelines at first light for redfish, flounder, and specks: a classic late-May pattern on the upper Texas coast. Offshore, the federal red snapper season opened May 22, per Lone Star Outdoor News, giving Gulf-capable boats a fresh target. Current readings from buoy 42035 show calm conditions: 1.6-foot swells and light winds, a favorable window before summer afternoon weather builds.
Post-spawn bass and crappie transitioning at Toledo Bend and Sam Rayburn
With East Texas bass completing their spawn cycle in late May, the Sabine River gauge (USGS 08030500) reads a moderate 1,860 cfs, signaling stable inflow into Toledo Bend as water levels settle. Lake Fork Trophy Bass reported a full spawn push underway in April, with multiple 10-plus-pound fish landed in March and April across East Texas impoundments. By now, bass are transitioning to post-spawn recovery mode. Per Wired 2 Fish's post-spawn analysis, expect a mixed picture: shallow fry-guarding males and deeper females actively gorging on baitfish before summer heat compresses the bite window. LakeForkGuy called this stretch 'the most aggressive crappie bite of the year' for post-spawn anglers, with brush piles and standing timber the go-to targets. No water temperature reading was available from the local gauges; typical late-May surface temps on East Texas reservoirs run in the upper 70s to low 80s°F, which keeps bass and crappie active before the real summer slowdown sets in.
Post-spawn bass active on Hill Country lakes as Memorial Day arrives
My Canyon Lake Fishing reports that Canyon Lake, situated in the broader central Texas hill country corridor, is sitting 58.6% full, eight feet higher than this time last year, with boat ramps open and conditions described as ideal for fishing and recreation. The Colorado River feeding Lake Travis logged 372 cfs at USGS gauge 08158000 early Monday, a steady moderate flow for late May. Direct on-water intel for Lakes Travis, LBJ, and Buchanan is limited in the available feeds this week, with no current state-agency reports on hand. That noted, late May is a well-established transition point on these reservoirs. Wired 2 Fish covers the post-spawn bass dynamic: some fish are now aggressively feeding on shad and bream beds while others remain shallow and spooky after leaving the nest. Dawn and dusk low-light windows are when the biters commit to surface presentations; midday fish call for a finesse approach.