Barney M Davis Reservoir is a Reservoir located in Nueces County, TX. Starting in the Barney M Davis Reservoir has a total surface area of 1.7 miles. The Barney M Davis Reservoir has an elevation of 23 feet. Find maps, fishing guides and recreation info at Guidesly.

About Barney M Davis Reservoir, TX

Barney M Davis Reservoir is an off-channel reservoir and a cultural feature of Nueces County in Texas. It has approximately 1,091 acres of surface area and a capacity of 6,600 acre-feet. It is 12-14 miles away from the southeast of Corpus Christi, near Peary Place. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s first marine fisheries hatchery, The CCA Marine Development Center, is also located within the Barney M Davis Power Plant.

The water body comes pumped from the arm of the Gulf of Mexico called Laguna Madre and is used for non-contact cooling of its corresponding power plant’s condensers and power generation units. The water is then returned to Oso Bay. The facility uses traveling drum screens to keep both fish and debris away from entering the piping systems. The plant is owned by Central Power and Light Company and has provided electricity to the areas of central Texas since 1974. 

With a power plant nearby, the threat of fishery impingements is inevitably high, especially with sea turtles as the primary concern as they are now tagged as endangered. There are also cases of fish, shellfish, and debris impingement in the area because of several factors, such as dissolved oxygen concentration. Therefore, the facility itself monitors and tries to minimize the impact of these possible situations through its established conservation plan.

All About Fishing in Barney M Davis Reservoir, TX

With the CCA Marine Development Center just within the vicinity of the reservoir, you may expect an abundance of red drum when fishing, as the center releases 25 million to 30 million of these species annually in Texas waters as part of their hatchery operations. The reservoir is an ideal nursery of these species as its water comes from Laguna de Madre, which is one of only five hyper-saline estuaries in the world. The center also releases around 3 million to 5 million spotted sea trout as well so those are also ones to watch out for. Aside from red rum and sea trout, anglers have also reported catching ladyfish and hybrid striped sea bass.

Popular and ideal fishing techniques used here are baitcasting, fly fishing, and spinning. Fishing in Texas waters always requires a fishing license that can be bought for around $5-$68 depending on the license type you will need. This requirement applies to all Texan residents and non-residents, except for children under 16 years old and people born before January 1, 1931, who can fish for free. However, for every first Saturday in June every year, Texans celebrate “Free Fishing Day” wherein anyone could fish for the day even without a license. 

You should inquire about the local rules and regulations regarding sportfishing in the area by reaching out to the Department of Natural Resources for Fishing Regulations for a stress and hassle-free experience. You may also want to bring a topological map of the reservoir found in the United States Geological Service (USGS) area map of Oso Creek. For your convenience, there are plenty of fishing charters and guides nearby to assist anglers. 

Fishing Seasonality

Although Corpus Christi typically has a subtropical climate, with long hot summers and short mild winters, anglers can fish with no problem all year round. In Texas, the Red Snapper Season runs throughout the entire year. These seasonal fishing periods are only applicable to private and licensed anglers and for-hire fishing charters, though. The best fishing times in the reservoir are around 5 AM to 8 AM, and around 1 PM. You may have a generous supply of hybrid striped bass during July, red drum during September, and sea trout in December.

Fishing Seasonality

Although Corpus Christi typically has a subtropical climate, with long hot summers and short mild winters, anglers can fish with no problem all year round. In Texas, the Red Snapper Season runs throughout the entire year. These seasonal fishing periods are only applicable to private and licensed anglers and for-hire fishing charters, though. The best fishing times in the reservoir are around 5 AM to 8 AM, and around 1 PM. You may have a generous supply of hybrid striped bass during July, red drum during September, and sea trout in December.

All About Fishing in Barney M Davis Reservoir, TX

With the CCA Marine Development Center just within the vicinity of the reservoir, you may expect an abundance of red drum when fishing, as the center releases 25 million to 30 million of these species annually in Texas waters as part of their hatchery operations. The reservoir is an ideal nursery of these species as its water comes from Laguna de Madre, which is one of only five hyper-saline estuaries in the world. The center also releases around 3 million to 5 million spotted sea trout as well so those are also ones to watch out for. Aside from red rum and sea trout, anglers have also reported catching ladyfish and hybrid striped sea bass.

Popular and ideal fishing techniques used here are baitcasting, fly fishing, and spinning. Fishing in Texas waters always requires a fishing license that can be bought for around $5-$68 depending on the license type you will need. This requirement applies to all Texan residents and non-residents, except for children under 16 years old and people born before January 1, 1931, who can fish for free. However, for every first Saturday in June every year, Texans celebrate “Free Fishing Day” wherein anyone could fish for the day even without a license. 

You should inquire about the local rules and regulations regarding sportfishing in the area by reaching out to the Department of Natural Resources for Fishing Regulations for a stress and hassle-free experience. You may also want to bring a topological map of the reservoir found in the United States Geological Service (USGS) area map of Oso Creek. For your convenience, there are plenty of fishing charters and guides nearby to assist anglers.