To start the holiday season, waterbodies all over the state participate in the monthly Texas winter traditions of rainbow trout filling. Beginning the week of Thanksgiving, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department ( TPWD ) will stock thousands of rainbow trout to give anglers a chance to catch one of these illustrious fish.
A rainbow trout can be reeled in without the use of a lot of cutting-edge hunting gear. They can be caught using hand-tied flies on a fly rod or easy, light tackle. To keep trout new, anglers should keep a variety of baits and lures close by as well as ice. Fishermen can easily find recipes for rainbow trout online because they are a delightful and alluring fish.
From November 22 through March 1, TPWD intends to share 343 331 rainbow fish in Texas. Fishermen are encouraged to keep up with their daily case limit of five fish because they are able to succeed in most places of Texas after wintertime due to the warm water temperatures. On the Guadalupe River, which flows upstream of Canyon Lake and is frequently great enough for rainbow trout to live year-round, there are exceptions. This section of the Guadalupe River is regarded as the southern salmon supply in North America and ranks among the top 100 channels in the country.
Anglers frequently go rainbow trout hunting on Texas rivers and streams. Rainbow trout are also stocked by TPWD in the Brazos River river of Possum Kingdom Lake, sections of the Frio and South Llano river, and the Clear Fork of a Trinity River in addition to the Guadalupe River flowing downstream from Canyon Lake.
Although there are many places in Texas where fish boots take place, TPWD’s Neighborhood Fishing system offers a special opportunity for people and new anglers to reel in fish in and around major cities. 18 Neighborhood Fishing Lakes are managed by TPWD across the state in the majority of major metropolitan areas, including Amarillo, Austin, the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, Houston, San Angelo. San Antonio, and Wichita Falls. Family members of all ages can enjoy a fun and relaxing time hunting and connecting in nature thanks to the abundance of amenities provided by these lakes, which are usually stocked with rainbow trout during the winter. Numerous nearby city and county garden ponds are additional filling areas.
Additionally, anglers you use a Texas State Park’s banks, dock, or pier to enjoy complementary fishing without obtaining permission. People planning to visit a park is advised to reserve their evening pass in advance by TPWD. Time passes can be reserved over the telephone by calling ( 512 ) 389- 8900 or online through the TPWD website.
According to Carl Kittel, chairman of the TPWD Rainbow Trout Program, TWD shares catchable-sized bass during the winter to provide special spring fishing opportunities across Texas. Rainbow trout are great to take home and eat because they prefer cool water and can be caught using a variety of baits and lures, including worms as well as commercially available pastes. They also like corn and spinners in addition to flies. For more than 40 years, fishermen have enjoyed our spring rainbow trout system.
Young people under the age of 17 are not required to have a hunting license in Texas, but adults may have one that has been approved for saltwater fishing. TPWD’s attempts to offer excellent fishing opportunities for both current and future generations are directly supported by money from the sale of fishing certificates and saltwater fishing endorsements.
No more than two wires may be used by an angler fish in a Community Fishing Lake as well as from the wharf, pier, or waterway inside of Texas State Park. With the exception of areas of the Guadalupe River where specific restrictions are in consequence, the provincial bag restrict is five trout with no minimum length restriction.
Due to inclement weather or other unavoidable instances, the dates and locations are subject to change. Before you go hunting, make sure to check the 2023–24 Trout Stocking Schedule online to ensure the stocking date, review angling regulations, and find out more about angling for winter trout.
