Lakes & rivers
Freshwater fishing
Bass, catfish, crappie, white bass, stocked trout, and the mighty alligator gar - with the size and bag limits for each, and the lakes that have their own rules.
Freshwater fish ->Outdoors / Fishing
Fishing in Texas, in plain English.
You can chase giant largemouth bass in a quiet lake, catch catfish off a riverbank, or wade a coastal flat for redfish and trout. With over a million acres of lakes and 367 miles of coast, there's water for everyone. The rules come in two parts - freshwater and saltwater - and this guide keeps them separate so it's easy.
Bays, surf & Gulf
Saltwater fishing
Redfish, speckled trout, flounder, snapper, and more. The coast uses a different license, a slot-and-tag system, and a state-vs-federal water line worth understanding.
Saltwater fish ->What changed lately
The rules that moved recently
- Spotted seatrout (2024): Limits tightened to a 15-20 inch slot and 3 fish per day after deadly winter freezes. This is the rule that changed most recently - confirm the exact inches before you keep one.
- Catfish (2021): Channel and blue catfish became 25 per day combined (only 10 of 20 inches or longer), with no minimum length, statewide.
- Flounder: There's a yearly closed season from November 1 to December 14 when you can't keep any flounder.
- Red snapper: The federal-water (offshore) season is reset every year by the federal government, so the dates move.
Texas state water reaches 9 nautical miles from shore.
State water - to 9 nautical miles
State water (out to 9 nm): Texas rules. Red snapper is open year-round, 4 per day, 15-inch minimum.
Federal water - past 9 nautical miles
Federal water (past 9 nm): federal rules. Red snapper is 2 per day, 16-inch minimum, only during the season that's set each year.
Out in the Gulf, Texas state waters extend 9 nautical miles from the beach - unusually far (most states only get 3; Texas and the Gulf side of Florida are the exceptions). Past 9 miles you're in federal water, where some rules differ. This matters most for red snapper.
The whole guide
Find your way around
Six short sections. Start anywhere - each one ends with the official TPWD link.
Get legal
The license, endorsements, and tags - and they differ for lakes vs. the coast.
Get set up ->Freshwater fish
Bass, catfish, crappie, trout, and alligator gar, with size and bag limits.
Lakes & rivers ->Saltwater fish
Redfish, trout, flounder, snapper, and more - the coast has its own rules.
Bays & Gulf ->How you can fish
Rods, trotlines, cast nets, bow fishing, gigging, and noodling.
Legal gear ->Where you can fish
Public waters, free fishing in state parks, and the coast.
Find water ->Rules & after the catch
Measuring, tags, reporting, recent changes, and Clean-Drain-Dry.
Know the rules ->Popular catches
What most people are after
Bass
Largemouth, smallmouth & other black bass
Largemouth are the giants people chase; Guadalupe bass is the official Texas state fish.
- Daily:
- 5 per day, in any combination of the five black bass.
- Size:
- 14-inch minimum for largemouth and smallmouth. No minimum for spotted, Guadalupe, and Alabama bass.
Catfish
Recently changedChannel & blue catfish
Found in nearly every lake and river in the state.
- Daily:
- 25 per day combined (channel and blue together), and no more than 10 may be 20 inches or longer.
- Size:
- No minimum length.
Other
Alligator gar
Texas has some of the best alligator gar fishing in the country, and it's managed carefully.
- Daily:
- 1 per day, anywhere in Texas.
- Size:
- No statewide size limit (some waters have special rules).
Drum
Red drum (redfish)
Tightly managed with a slot limit and a trophy tag.
- Daily:
- 3 per day.
- Size:
- 20 to 28 inch slot (keep only fish between those sizes).
Trout
Recently changedSpotted seatrout (speckled trout)
A coastal staple with a tight slot to protect breeding fish after hard winter freezes.
- Daily:
- 3 per day.
- Size:
- 15 to 20 inch slot.
Flatfish
Recently changedSouthern flounder
Great on the table, and the one you can also gig at night.
- Daily:
- 5 per day - except November 1 to December 14, when the season is closed and you can't keep any.
- Size:
- 15-inch minimum.
Snapper
Recently changedRed snapper
Different limits depending on whether you're in state or federal water.
- Daily:
- State waters: 4 per day, open year-round. Federal waters: 2 per day, during the federal season.
- Size:
- State waters: 15-inch minimum. Federal waters: 16-inch minimum.
Fishing words, translated
A few terms you'll see in the rules, in plain language.
Bag limit
The most of a fish you can legally keep in one day.
Redfish: 3 per day.
Slot limit
A size range - you can only keep fish between the two sizes; too small or too big goes back.
Redfish slot: 20-28 inches.
Total length
How Texas measures fish: nose (mouth closed) to the tip of the tail.
Measure before you keep.
Possession limit
The most you can have after more than one day - usually twice the daily bag.
Often 2x the daily limit.
Endorsement
An add-on to your license that says which water it covers.
Saltwater endorsement for the coast.
Game fish
Fish that can be taken only by pole and line (with a few catfish exceptions).
Bass and trout are game fish.
Nautical mile
A distance used at sea, a bit longer than a regular mile (about 1.15 miles).
State water ends at 9 nautical miles.
Descending device
A tool that returns a deep-caught fish to depth so it survives release.
Required when reef fishing.
Quick answers
The questions people ask most
Do I need a fishing license?
Yes, if you're 17 or older fishing public water. Kids under 17 fish free, and so does anyone inside a state park or on Free Fishing Day (first Saturday in June).
Freshwater or saltwater - which license do I buy?
Buy by where you'll fish. The all-water package (about $40 resident) covers both lakes and the coast.
How much is a license?
Resident: about $30 freshwater, $35 saltwater, $40 all-water. Confirm current prices on the official page before you buy.
How many bass can I keep?
5 total, with a 14-inch minimum for largemouth and smallmouth. Some lakes have special slot limits, so check your lake.
How many catfish?
25 channel and blue combined (only 10 of them 20 inches or longer); 5 flathead with an 18-inch minimum.
What's the redfish limit?
3 per day, in a 20-to-28-inch slot, plus one over 28 inches per year with your Red Drum Tag.
What's the speckled trout limit?
3 per day, in a 15-to-20-inch slot. This rule changed in 2024 - confirm the exact inches on the official page.
When is flounder closed?
Every year from November 1 to December 14, no flounder may be kept.
Can I catch catfish by hand (noodling)?
Yes - channel, blue, and flathead catfish, in freshwater only, with your bare hands.
Can I bow fish or gig?
Yes, for nongame fish like carp and gar. Flounder can also be taken by gig during the open flounder season.
Can I keep red snapper year-round?
Yes, in state waters out to 9 nautical miles (4 per day, 15-inch minimum). Federal water past 9 miles has a season set each year (2 per day, 16-inch minimum).
Do I need to report anything?
Yes - every alligator gar you keep, within 24 hours (except from Falcon Reservoir).
Official sources
Texas Parks & Wildlife is the authority on fishing rules; NOAA sets the offshore (federal) red snapper season. Texas Porch explains; they decide. Confirm limits before you keep a fish.
- Data vintage:
- Built on the 2025-2026 license year
- Last reviewed:
- June 15, 2026
- TPWD Outdoor Annual (official fishing regulations) - The source of truth for Texas fishing rules
- Fishing Licenses & Packages - License types, prices, and tags
- Freshwater Bag & Length Limits - Lake and river limits
- Saltwater Bag & Length Limits - Coastal and Gulf limits
Caution: Saltwater limits change often, and the federal red snapper season is set yearly. The Outdoor Annual and the species pages are the final word.
Spot something that needs a Texas check?
This first pass is built to be polished over time. Send the page name, county, parcel context if relevant, and the official source you are looking at.
Email Texas Porch.