HOUSTON — It’s the most wonderful time of the year for anglers of as the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department begins stocking thousands of rainbow trout in Houston-area ponds and lakes.
Houston-area ponds, lakes and rivers will be stocked with more than 45,000 trout at more than 30 locations.
For urban and suburban families in major cities, Neighborhood Fishin’ lakes offer some of the best opportunities to catch rainbow trout this winter.
TPWD manages 18 Neighborhood Fishin’ lakes statewide in most major urban centers, including Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio.
These lakes are stocked with rainbow trout every two weeks and offer plenty of amenities so that family members of all ages can enjoy a fun and relaxing day fishing and connecting in nature.
Families looking to spend a day or weekend exploring a Texas State Park can add fishing to their list of activities, as more than 15 state parks throughout the state will receive periodic stockings of rainbow trout this winter.
Many state parks offer excellent fishing amenities such as fishing piers and shoreline access, cleaning stations, and equipment rentals for tackle and kayaks or canoes. As a bonus, state parks are the only locations in Texas that anglers can fish for free without a fishing license.
Other stocking locations include dozens of local city and county managed park ponds, the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center casting pond, and several rivers including the Frio, South Llano and Guadalupe rivers and the Clear Fork of the Trinity River.
Rainbow trout can be caught on a variety of baits and lures. Depending on an angler’s experience level and interest, they can be caught using simple, light tackle or on hand-tied flies using a fly rod.
Other tips to consider when trout fishing include arriving early to stocking sites on stocking days, maintaining a safe and courteous distance from fellow anglers, keeping an array of baits and lures nearby and having ice available when harvesting trout to keep fish fresh.
TPWD will be stocking a total of 334,088 rainbow trout in Texas from Nov. 25 through the beginning of March.
Because rainbow trout are unable to survive in Texas after the winter, anglers are encouraged to keep up to their daily bag limit of five trout. Rainbow trout are an attractive, tasty fish found on many restaurant menus, and anglers can easily find recipes to prepare these fish online.
In Texas, children under 17 fish for free, but a fishing license with a freshwater fishing endorsement is required for adults in the family. An angler fishing in a Community Fishing Lake or from a dock, pier or jetty within a Texas State Park may use no more than two poles.
The statewide bag limit is five trout, except on parts of the Guadalupe River where special limits are in effect.
Stocking dates and locations are subject to change due to inclement weather or other unforeseen circumstances.
Be sure to check the 2020-21 Trout Stocking Schedule online before you go fishing to confirm the stocking date, check fishing regulations and to find other winter trout stocking program angling tips.
2020-21 Trout Stocking Schedule for Southeast Texas
Harris County
Houston
Bane Park Lake
1,070 trout
1/15/2021
Eisenhower Park Pond
1,200 trout
1/12/2021
Kickerillo-Mischer
1,070 trout
1/15/2021
Mary Jo Peckham Park
3,160 trout
12/04/2020, 12/11/2020, 12/23/2020, 1/8/2021, 1/22/2021, 2/5/2021, 2/19/2021, 3/5/2021
Sheldon State Park Children's #1
700 trout
1/6/2021
Tom Bass III
5,000 trout
1/6/2021
Meyer Park Pond
1,070 trout
1/15/2021
Pasadena
Burke-Crenshaw Lake
2,400 trout
12/04/2020, 12/11/2020, 12/23/2020, 1/8/2021, 1/22/2021, 2/5/2021, 2/19/2021, 3/5/2021
Spring
Beaver Pond - Cypress Creek Park
2,000 trout
12/16/2020, 1/13/2021
Dennis Johnston Park
1,430 trout
1/15/2021
Hart Pundt Lake
1,430 trout
1/15/2021
Herman Little Pond
1,896 trout
12/04/2020, 12/11/2020, 12/23/2020, 1/8/2021, 1/22/2021, 2/5/2021, 2/19/2021, 3/5/2021
Tomball
Burroughs Park
1,430 trout
1/14/2021
Baytown
Evergreen Pond 2
500 trout
12/9/2020
Deer Park
Dow Park Pool
200 trout
1/29/2021
Fort Bend County
Missouri City
American Legion Park Pond
3,600 trout
12/17/2020, 1/20/2021, 2/18/2021
Blue Ridge Park Pond
700 trout
1/7/2021
Kitty Hollow Lake
1,000 trout
1/5/2021
Missouri City C.P.L.
1,896 trout
12/04/2020, 12/11/2020, 12/23/2020, 1/8/2021, 1/22/2021, 2/5/2021, 2/19/2021, 3/5/2021
Richmond
Jones Creek Ranch Park
1,000 trout
1/5/2021
Rosenberg
Bates Allen Park 2
1,000 trout
1/5/2021
Seabourne Creek Park
1,300 trout
2/14/2021
Sugar Land
Eldridge Park Pond
700 trout
1/20/2021
Kendleton
King Kennedy Memorial Park
1,000 trout
1/5/2021
Meadows Place
Mark McGrath Park Pond
1,100 trout
12/8/2020
Galveston County
Friendswood
Lake Friendswood
1,500 trout
2/4/2021
Texas City
Carver Park Lake
500 trout
1/27/2021
Brazoria County
West Columbia
First Capitol Park Pond
500 trout
12/9/2020
Pearland
Independence Retention Pond
728 trout
1/17/2021
Montgomery County
Conroe
Carl Barton Jr. Park Pond
2,625 trout
1/6/2021, 2/4/2021
Chambers County
Cove
Mont Belvieu City Park
1,500 trout
1/31/2021
