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United States · TX
Texas
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD)
Rules change by area and can change mid-season. We explain what the rules mean and always link you to the official source — we never copy a limit table and call it current.
Licences — what you need
- • Licences are sold as freshwater, saltwater or all-water packages, with freshwater and saltwater endorsement stamps — the package you buy decides which waters you are legal on.
- • A saltwater endorsement is required to fish the coast at all; keeping certain species (like red drum) involves tag elements on the licence.
- • Licence year runs September to August, not the calendar year.
How the rules are organized
- • Inland rules are organized mostly statewide by species, but a long list of individual reservoirs carry waterbody-specific exceptions (the famous 'waterbody exception' system) — the exception table is part of the rules, not a footnote.
- • Coastal rules are statewide by species with bay-system specifics; oyster reef and seagrass protections add gear and area rules in the bays.
Good to know — common mistakes
- • The waterbody exception system is the #1 Texas mistake: a lake can have entirely different rules for bass, catfish or crappie than the lake next door.
- • Red drum and spotted seatrout rules have tightened in recent years and differ by bay system after freeze events — the current guide, not memory, governs.
- • Community Fishing Lakes (small urban waters inside state parks and city lakes) have their own restricted rules despite their size.
- • Gigging flounder is a Texas tradition with its own season framework and a seasonal closure window that catches people out.
Official links
Fishing locations covered in this guide
This page is a plain-language summary, not the law. Regulations change — including in-season by official notice — and if anything here disagrees with the official source, the official source governs.
AnglerPlan is an information service, not a regulator. If anything here disagrees with an official source, the official source wins — and please tell us so we can fix it.