Intro to Texas Fishing: Home to the Texas Rig and More
Published: Wednesday, January 26th, 2022| Updated on: Wednesday, January 26th, 2022
With bountiful lakes and a beautiful coastline, Texas is one of the top fishing destinations in the United States. Texas is a world-renowned location for bass fishing, and undoubtedly has some of the nations’ largest. League City’s Clear Lake is one of the more popular bass fishing destinations in the state, known to be packed with boats on most weekends. If saltwater fishing is what you’re looking for, East Bay, North Padre Island, and South Padre Island are all beautiful, angler-friendly locations just begging you to book a fishing charter. The Padre Islands are some of the more spectacular places on the gulf coast, where inshore surfcasting and offshore deep-sea fishing both yield worthwhile results. The open water of the gulf is where you’re able to hook some fish that put up more of a fight like Wahoo, Amberjack, and Mahi-Mahi. East Bay is a better location for Redfish and Black Drum, thanks to the plentiful oyster beds that feed the fish who call the bay home, helping them to tip the scales in true Texas fashion during the height of the season. One of the best places in America to hook an Alligator Gar or giant Blue Catfish, the Lone Star State is home to some of the biggest and best freshwater fish. If the open water is what you’re after, coastal Texas, just shy of 370 miles long is home to an abundance of prize-winning fish and has yet to fall short of any angler’s highest hopes. Ranging from Tarpon to Spotted Sea Trout, the gulf coast of Texas is a prime location for so many offshore fishing favorites.
Texas Map of Places to Fish
About Fishing in Texas
The world record for the state fish, the Guadalupe Bass, is held by a Texan who caught the nearly 4-pound behemoth in Texas’ own Lake Travis. Lake Travis is one of the best freshwater fishing locations in the state but still doesn’t come close to breaking the list of top 10 Texas fishing spots. Lake Fork, Lake Texacoma, and the Sam Rayburn Reservoir are all among the top 5 Bass fishing locations. Other than Bass, Catfish are another prized freshwater target. Channel Catfishes are best for eating and the hulking blues are for bragging rights. There are around 7,000 lakes in Texas, most promising Catfish, Bass, and Crappie, but saltwater fishing is still a largely popular activity for residents and visitors alike. Fishing season never ends in Texas, but the best time to hook the wildly popular Largemouth Bass is during the early spring and fall months when the temperature is best for the big ones. Soft plastics and topwater lures are the best for targeting the bigger Bass, though not as effective as live baitfish. Off the coast, inshore fishing is outstanding during the fall and winter months, where targets like Black Drum, Redfish, Sea Trout, and Flounder are all biting. Black Drum and Flounder are found towards the bottom of the ocean where bottom fishing techniques would be most effective, while fly fishing is a better strategy for catching Sea Trout that feed on topwater insects instead of mollusks and crustaceans.
Everything Else About Texas Fishing
Fishing in Texas is a key part of the state’s culture, so it’s rare you come across a Texas native that doesn’t know their way around a rod and reel. Fishing is so popular in Texas, that in fact, the state has its own plastic worm setup, commonly referred to as the Texas Rig. The Texas Rig is a weedless rig used when casting plastic worms into areas of dense vegetation, one of the most popular habitats for freshwater Bass. In 1949, the soft plastic worm was invented by Nick Creme, founder of Creme Lure Company. When he realized the potential in his bass-attracting invention of the plastic worm, Creme began mass-producing these lures he had dubbed the “wiggle worm” and mailing them to customers all from his home in Ohio. He then expanded to a lure production plant in Akron, later relocating to Texas where fishing, and now the wiggle worm, was much more popular. Soon after, Creme’s lures were used by decorated anglers, helping many to win competitions. When they weren’t catching trophy-winning fish, these anglers were snagging hooks and losing their lures on underwater plants or anything that could grab a hold of the hooks used to rig Creme's wiggle worms. Creme then began to work with professional fishermen and those who frequently made recreational use of his wiggle worm to create a weedless setup, delivering to the world the famous Texas Rig, now used nationwide to target Bass. No matter what kind of lure or bait is at the end of your line, a Texas fishing license is strictly required unless you’re under 17, or fishing on your own land. Use this link to get your Texas fishing license today so you aren't fined for getting caught with what you caught!
Top fishes in Texas
