Texas fishing reports
494 reports for Texas — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Blue catfish limits at Eagle Mountain; post-spawn bass in full transition
North Texas Catfish Guide reports Eagle Mountain Lake near Fort Worth is fishing at its best heading into Memorial Day weekend. With the lake nearly full and significant fresh water inflows pushing active fish into feeding mode, guide trips are producing limits of blue catfish — the guide notes multiple 30-pound-plus fish have been boated in recent weeks and expects conditions to improve further into June. Away from North Texas, Wired 2 Fish describes Texas bass mid-transition through the post-spawn: some fish are aggressively chasing shad and working bream beds, while others are shallow and spooky, favoring finesse presentations. LakeForkGuy signals this is shaping up as "the most aggressive crappie bite of the year" as post-spawn fish spread off structure. USGS gauge 08211200 reads 35.7 cfs, indicating low summer-lean flow on the monitored Texas drainage — typical of river systems entering the summer season.
Hill Country Bass Enter Post-Spawn Transition Ahead of Memorial Day Weekend
The Colorado River is running at 1,010 cfs per USGS gauge 08158000 as of Sunday evening, reflecting healthy late-spring flows in the Hill Country watershed heading into Memorial Day weekend. For broader regional context, My Canyon Lake Fishing reports that Canyon Lake sits at 886.46 feet (58.6% full), eight feet higher than this time last year, with boat ramps fully operational and conditions described as ideal for boating and fishing. Direct angler reports for Travis, LBJ, and Buchanan are sparse this cycle, but late May marks the classic post-spawn transition for largemouth and Guadalupe bass across the Hill Country chain. Striped bass remain a year-round draw on Lake Travis. Warming late-spring water should push catfish into predictable feeding patterns near creek channels. With the first-quarter moon overhead and Memorial Day boat traffic incoming, early-morning and evening windows will be the priority for anglers looking to avoid mid-lake congestion. Water temperatures were unavailable from gauges this cycle.
Reds and Specks Active on Gulf Flats as Snapper Season Opens
NOAA buoy 42035 logged Gulf water at 79°F on May 25, and the warmth is translating to solid action across the Coastal Bend. Texas Fish & Game Magazine describes redfish pushing wakes through flooded marsh in pre-dawn light, with speckled trout and flounder stacking on the same spartina grass edges where shrimp are snapping along the shoreline. In the backbays, Capt. Reanna Yaklin has been logging consistent time on Baffin Bay per the Galveston Daily News, signaling the premier wading flat is fishing well. Offshore, the federal red snapper season opened May 22 per Lone Star Outdoor News, giving crews willing to make the run a fresh target heading into the holiday weekend. Recent TexasFishingTips reports cover Port Aransas, Baffin Bay, Laguna Madre, and Rockport-Copano, confirming broad charter activity across the region. The Galveston Daily News notes Memorial Day weekend carries a 50/50 weather outlook, so monitor the marine forecast closely.
Hill Country bass in post-spawn mode as late-May topwater windows open
Colorado River flow at the Austin gauge (USGS 08158000) checked in at 249 cfs this morning, signaling stable conditions on the Highland Lakes chain. Direct bite reports for Travis, LBJ, and Buchanan are thin this cycle — TPWD paused its weekly fishing report format earlier this year per My Canyon Lake Fishing, leaving some intel gaps for the region. Nearby Hill Country lake levels are running well above year-ago marks: Canyon Lake currently sits 8 feet higher than the same date in 2025 and remains ideal for all water recreation, according to My Canyon Lake Fishing. With a first-quarter moon and late-May timing, largemouth bass are in post-spawn recovery mode across the shallows. Wired 2 Fish highlights that early-morning topwater presentations near grass, reeds, and docks produce strong reaction strikes as post-spawn fish linger near shallow cover. LakeForkGuy (YT) calls this window the most aggressive crappie bite of the year, with post-spawn fish stacking on brush and creek-channel transitions.
Texas Gulf Red Snapper Opens; Inshore Flats and Deep Rigs Both Delivering
The New Buccaneer returned to Galveston docks with an excellent offshore catch this past weekend, per Galveston Daily News — Reel Report, with federal red snapper season freshly opened as of May 22. Crews had to work around drifting seaweed and vessel traffic near the deep rigs, but fish were cooperative. NOAA buoy 42035 logged 79°F water and 3-foot seas on Sunday, comfortable conditions for both offshore runs and inshore bay work. Throughout the week of May 19 to 22, TexasFishingTips (YT) featured active captain reports from Baffin Bay, Laguna Madre, and the Rockport-Copano-Mesquite Bay corridor. Inshore, Texas Fish & Game Magazine describes light southeast breezes pushing shrimp along marsh grass edges, triggering redfish, speckled trout, and flounder on the flats. The 37th annual CCA STAR Tournament is now underway per Lone Star Outdoor News — Fishing, adding competitive pressure to an already busy holiday stretch, and Lone Star Outdoor News also notes this is shaping up as a record year for Texas anglers statewide.
Eagle Mountain blue cats on the feed as DFW lakes fill for summer
North Texas Catfish Guide reports Eagle Mountain Lake is nearly full, with fresh water pushing into the system and triggering what the guide calls "active, feeding fish." The late-May window is prime: blue catfish are moving and biting fast when found. The guide documented consistent limits through spring, with multiple 30-pound-plus blue cats per trip at the April peak. Channel catfish were also "biting like crazy" as the lake warmed toward summer, and white bass are spreading through the main lake basin per the same source. USGS gauge 08211200 logged 89.3 cfs on May 24, reflecting stable, moderate flow on a Texas freshwater system. Lone Star Outdoor News noted 2026 is shaping up as a record year for Texas anglers statewide. With Memorial Day weekend here and lake levels high, conditions are favorable for a strong late-May run on DFW-area lakes.
Redfish and Specks Working Marsh Edges Across the Lower Laguna Madre
Water temps measured at 80°F by NOAA buoy 42043 are holding inshore species in predictable feeding patterns along Lower Laguna Madre's marsh edges and shallow structure. Texas Fish & Game Magazine recently described the pre-dawn inshore scene: a light southeast breeze crossing spartina grass, shrimp snapping along the shoreline, and redfish pushing wakes through flooded marsh shallows. That is the exact window inshore anglers here plan their tides around. Speckled trout and flounder are sharing the same marsh-edge zone, per the same report. Salt Strong's technique coverage highlights black drum positioning tight to bridge pilings throughout the coast, where precise small-bait placement near the bottom draws consistent strikes. The CCA Texas STAR Tournament opened in May, per Lone Star Outdoor News, underscoring how seriously the inshore community treats this stretch. Federal red snapper season opened May 22, per Lone Star Outdoor News, for those with the range to run offshore.
East Texas bass enter post-spawn transition on Toledo Bend and Sam Rayburn
Late-May conditions on Toledo Bend and Sam Rayburn mark the post-spawn transition for largemouth bass across East Texas. Lake Fork Trophy Bass documented heavy spawning activity in April at the nearby Lake Fork fishery, with fish rushing the shallows and the lake sitting roughly 3 feet low; by late May, most fish have backed off beds and are shifting toward recovery and early summer staging. USGS gauge 08030500 on the Sabine River recorded a moderate 1,860 cfs early Sunday, indicating stable inflow without flood pressure. No water temperature readings were available from the gauge. Wired 2 Fish highlighted early-morning shallow topwater as a productive post-spawn tactic, with bass hugging grass edges and dock shadows during low-light windows. Catfish are building toward peak summer activity as water temperatures climb through late May and June. Crappie have largely wrapped their spawn at these latitudes.
Post-spawn bass and stripers roam Hill Country lakes ahead of Memorial Day
My Canyon Lake Fishing reports conditions at nearby Canyon Lake as 'ideal for boating, fishing, and lakeside recreation' through Memorial Day weekend, offering a useful regional read on the broader Hill Country lake corridor. The Colorado River at Austin registered 1,230 cfs (USGS gauge 08158000, recorded May 24), a healthy inflow that suggests stable lake levels on Travis through the holiday stretch. My Canyon Lake Fishing also noted that TPWD has paused its weekly statewide fishing reports while a new format is finalized, leaving anglers without official conditions data for now. Against that backdrop, late-May patterns on Travis, LBJ, and Buchanan typically see largemouth bass completing their post-spawn transition onto main-lake points and deeper ledges, stripers beginning to school along the thermocline, and channel catfish turning aggressive on warming nights. Lone Star Outdoor News reports this is shaping up as a record year for Texas anglers statewide.
Eagle Mountain blue cats on fire as North Texas lake rises to full pool
North Texas Catfish Guide is reporting exceptional blue catfish action on Eagle Mountain Lake near Fort Worth, with fresh inflows carrying the reservoir to nearly full pool. Per North Texas Catfish Guide, rising lake levels are triggering aggressive feeding: crews are landing limits of big blue catfish, with 30-plus-pound fish showing up on multiple trips through late May. Channel catfish are active alongside them in the main lake. LakeForkGuy's recent content points to a post-spawn crappie bite ramping up across Texas impoundments, described as among the most aggressive of the year. USGS gauge 08211200 recorded a flow of 157 cfs as of May 23, reflecting moderate freshwater movement in the system. With the First Quarter moon overhead and late-May metabolism on the rise, most freshwater species statewide are in an active pre-summer feeding mode. Early morning and late evening windows offer the best action on shallow presentations.
Highland Lakes Bass Active: Bluegill Spawn Triggers Topwater Window
The USGS gauge 08158000 recorded a Colorado River flow of 775 cfs on the evening of May 19, reflecting moderate flows through the Highland Lakes system. Direct on-the-water reports for Travis, LBJ, and Buchanan were absent from this cycle's intel feed, but the seasonal picture is clear: late May puts largemouth bass squarely in the post-spawn transition. Tactical Bassin (blog) reports the bluegill spawn is currently in full swing, drawing big largemouth into shallow heavy cover on topwater and frog presentations — a trigger that typically carries through Texas highland reservoirs at this time of year. Catfish, a mainstay of the Hill Country lake system, should be active along channel edges as late-spring water temperatures rise. Lone Star Outdoor News — Fishing reports that Texas waters yielded numerous new fishing records, reflecting healthy fish populations across the state. A waxing crescent moon on May 20 favors feeding activity at dawn and dusk transitions.
Red Snapper Season Opens as Redfish Bite Heats Up Along Texas Gulf Coast
Water temperatures hitting 80°F at NOAA buoy 42035 signal peak late-spring conditions along the Galveston-Corpus corridor. The headline: red snapper season has opened offshore, and the Galveston Daily News — Reel Report notes Galveston Party Boats' New Buccaneer returned with an excellent catch from the deep rigs — though crews dealt with drifting seaweed and heavy vessel traffic around the platforms. Inshore, redfish are drawing serious attention: the second leg of the Galveston Redfish Series ran May 9 with live video weigh-ins, and South Texas captains confirm the bite has been strong as air temps climb, per the same outlet. Coastal Angler Magazine flags May as an overlooked window for trophy speckled trout — those chasing a personal best still have a shot. The 37th annual CCA STAR Tournament begins Saturday, per Lone Star Outdoor News — Fishing, putting added pressure on bay slot reds. Wind has eased to around 13 mph per buoy 42035, giving inshore anglers a workable window after earlier rough conditions.