Texas Parks & Wildlife Restock Fishing Lakes Across State
Texas, get ready for an awesome fishing experience as catfish populations are getting a boost with help from the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD). The TPWD will be re-stocking neighborhood fishing lakes all across Texas.
Beginning on April 12, 2024, the TPWD will resume stocking thousands of catfish at 18 neighborhood fishing lakes, including San Angelo. There are five lakes in Dallas-Fort Worth, four in the Houston area, two in Austin and San Antonio, and one each in Amarillo, College Station, Waco, and Wichita Falls.
The program allows families and friends to participate in catfish fishing properly. While the stocking does not apply to every city in Texas, certain lakes will be stocked regularly from April through November of 2024.
Anglers can keep up to five catfish per day. Some parks offer cleaning tables to make it easy for families to clean their catch. Children under 17 fish for free. However, adults must all have a fishing license. Fishing licenses can be purchased for as little as $11 for “one-day, all-water” access.
To find stocked lakes, or sign up for email updates, visit www.neighborhoodfishing.org. Keep in mind that the TPWD doesn’t stock catfish in all area lakes on a “regular basis.” Instead, fishing holes are monitored to ensure that city, county, and area lakes all have a good healthy stock of catfish.
If you want to catch more catfish faster, here are some baits I've used that help:
- Raw chicken livers
- Raw shrimp
- Cut-up hotdog pieces
- Raw smokey bacon slice pieces
- Nightcrawler worms (found in flower and vegetable gardens)
Remember, take your fishing license. Happy fishing! Source: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
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Gallery Credit: Peter Richman