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Fishing Lakes In East Texas

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Guide to fishing in East TX

By AA-Fishing Staff Writers

Fishing for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, spotted bass, channel catfish, flathead catfish, blue catfish, black crappie, white crappie, bluegill, hybrid sunfish, longear sunfish, redbreast sunfish, redear sunfish, tilapia, warmouth, white bass, yellow bass, striped bass, hybrid striped bass, aligator gar, bowfin, chain pickerel, longnose gar and spotted gar at lakes in East Texas.
  • B A Steinhagen Lake, TX
  • Caddo Lake, TX
  • Cedar Creek Reservoir, TX
  • Cooper Lake, TX
  • Lake Bob Sandlin, TX
  • Lake Conroe, TX
  • Lake Fork, TX
  • Lake Houston, TX
  • Lake Limestone, TX
  • Lake Livingston, TX
  • Lake O the Pines, TX
  • Lake Palestine, TX
  • Lake Ray Hubbard, TX
  • Lake Somerville, TX
  • Lake Tawakoni, TX
  • Lake Texana, TX
  • Lake Texoma, TX
  • Lavon Lake, TX
  • Martin Creek Lake, TX
  • Navarro Mills Lake, TX
  • Pat Mayse Lake, TX
  • Ray Roberts Lake
  • Richland Chambers Lake, TX
  • Sam Rayburn Reservoir, TX
  • Toledo Bend Reservoir, TX
  • Wright Patman Lake, TX

The purpose of this page is to share basic information about the best fishing lakes in the eastern part of the state, and the species found in each lake.

East Texas is home to a number of exceptional fishing lakes that attract anglers from all over. One such lake is Sam Rayburn Reservoir, a sprawling body of water known for its abundance of largemouth bass. Anglers can also find crappie, catfish, and sunfish in its waters. Toledo Bend Reservoir, located on the Texas-Louisiana border, is another popular destination. This lake offers a diverse range of fish species, including bass, crappie, catfish, and bream. Caddo Lake, with its picturesque cypress trees and abundant vegetation, is famous for its trophy-sized largemouth bass, as well as catfish and crappie.

In addition to East Texas, the state is also blessed with numerous warm water lakes. Lake Fork, often referred to as the "bass capital of Texas," is renowned for its trophy-sized largemouth bass. This lake consistently produces record-breaking catches and attracts professional anglers from around the world. Other warm water lakes like Lake Conroe, Lake Livingston, and Lake Amistad offer excellent fishing opportunities for bass, catfish, crappie, and sunfish.

For those seeking colder waters and a different fishing experience, Texas has several lakes where cold water species thrive. Possum Kingdom Lake, located in the Palo Pinto Mountains, is known for its excellent striped bass fishing. Anglers can also find white bass, catfish, and smallmouth bass in its waters. Canyon Lake, nestled in the scenic Texas Hill Country, provides opportunities for trout fishing, as well as bass, catfish, and sunfish.

Overall, Texas offers a diverse range of fishing experiences across its lakes. From East Texas with its bass-rich reservoirs to warm water lakes teeming with various species, and even cold water lakes hosting different fish like striped bass and trout, anglers have plenty of options to satisfy their fishing desires.

Major East Texas Lakes & Species

East Texas major lakes and fish chart

Lake & Fish Chart For Eastern Texas

This chart shows the major fishing waters in East Texas, cross referencing these waters with the major types of fishing to be found in each of the lakes or impoundments.

For a more complete list of fish species in East Texas, see the list below, which also includes state records.

East Texas Fishing Lake Sizes & Locations

B A Steinhagen Lake is a 10,700-acre lake in the southeast part of the state, 8 miles southwest of Jasper.

Bois d'Arc Lake is a 16,640-acre lake in northeast TX, northeast of Bonham - (scheduled to open in 2022).

Caddo Lake is a 27,000-acre lake on the eastern border of the state, at Uncertain.

Cedar Creek Lake (Cedar Creek Reservoir) is a 32,500-acre lake in the east-central part of the state, at Kemp.

Cooper Lake (Jim Chapman Lake) is a 19,000-acre lake in the northeast part of the state, at Cooper.

Ellison Creek Reservoir (aka: Lone Star Lake) is a 1,500-acre lake in the northeast part of the state, at Lone Star.

Fayette County Reservoir is a 920-acre lake in the southeast part of the state, 5 miles east of La Grange.

Gibbons Creek Reservoir is a 2,770-acre lake in the southeast part of the state, 20 miles east of College Station.

Lake Athens is a 1,799-acre lake in the northeast part of the state, 5 miles east of Athens.

Lake Bob Sandlin is a 9,000-acre lake in the northeast part of the state, at Rocky Mound.

Lake Conroe is a 20,000-acre lake in the southeast part of the state, at Conroe.

Lake Fork (Lake Fork Reservoir) is a 27,000-acre lake in the north-central part of the state, at Emory.

Lake Gilmer is a 1,010-acre lake in the northeast part of the state, at the town of Gilmer.

Lake Jacksonville is a 1,320-acre lake in the eastern part of the state, at the city of Jacksonville.

Lake Houston is an 11,800-acre lake in the southeast part of the state, at Houston.

Lake Limestone is a 12,500-acre lake in the east-central part of the state, at Jewett.

Lake Livingston is a 90,000-acre lake in the southeast part of the state, at Livingston.

Lake Murvaul is a 3,400-acre lake in the eastern part of the state, 15 miles southwest of Carthage.

Lake Nacogdoches is a 2,212-acre lake in east TX, 10 miles west of the city of Nacogdoches.

Lake Naconiche is a 690-acre lake in the eastern part of the state, 8 miles southwest of Garrison.

Lake O the Pines is a 17,000-acre lake in the east-central part of the state, at Ore City.

Lake Palestine is a 25,500-acre lake in the east-central part of the state, at Coffee City.

Lake Ray Hubbard is a 23,000-acre lake in the northeast part of the state, at Garland.

Lake Somerville is a 11,500-acre lake in the southeast part of the state, at Somerville.

Lake Striker is a 1,860-acre lake in the eastern part of the state, 6 miles east of Summerfield.

Lake Tawakoni is a 38,000-acre lake in the northeast part of the state, at Greenville.

Lake Texana is a 9,700-acre lake in the south-central part of the state, at Edna.

Lake Texoma is a 93,000-acre lake on the northern border of the state, at Denison.

Lake Tyler is two lakes covering 5,000 acres in eastern TX, on the eastern outskirts of Whitehouse.

Lavon Lake (Lake Lavon) is a 21,400-acre lake in the northeast part of the state, at McKinney.

Martin Creek Lake is a 5,000-acre lake in the east-central part of the state, at Tatum.

Navarro Mills Lake is a 5,000-acre lake in the east-central part of the state, at Navarro Mills.

Pat Mayse Lake (Pat Mayse Reservoir) is a 5,900-acre lake in the northeast part of the state, at Powderly.

Richland Chambers Reservoir (Richland Chambers Lake) is a 41,000-acre lake in the east-central part of the state, at Corsicana.

Sam Rayburn Reservoir (Lake Sam Rayburn, Sam Rayburn Lake) is a 115,000-acre lake in the east-central part of the state, at Broaddus.

Toledo Bend Reservoir (Toledo Bend Lake) is a 185,000-acre lake on the texas-Louisiana border east of San Augustine.

Wright Patman Lake is a 19,000-acre lake in the northeast corner of the state, at Texarkana.

Click here for a list of popular marinas on fishing lakes in East Texas.

See lists of lakes in West Texas, or and Central Texas.

Select A Fish Species

Fish Species & State Records in East Texas

Primary fish species residing in West Texas Lakes

Click images for fishing tips and details about each species.

Fishing for bass in East Texas

Largemouth Bass

Largemouth bass

World record: 22 lbs 4 oz

State Record: 18.18 lbs

Smallmouth Bass

Smallmouth bass

World record: 11 lbs 15 oz

State Record: 7.93 lbs

Spotted Bass

Spotted bass

World record: 9 lbs 8 oz

State Record: 5.56 lbs

Fishing for catfish in East Texas

Channel Catfish

Channel catfish

World record: 58 lbs 0 oz

State Record: 36.5 lbs

Flathead Catfish

Flathead catfish

World record: 123 lbs 9 oz

State Record: 98.5 lbs

Blue Catfish

Blue catfish

World record: 143 lbs 0 oz

State Record: 121.5 lbs

Fishing for crappie in East Texas

Black Crappie

Black crappie

World record: 6 lbs 0 oz

State Record: 3.92 lbs

White Crappie

White crappie

World record: 5 lbs 3 oz

State Record: 4.56 lbs

Fishing for panfish in East Texas

Bluegill

Bluegill

World record: 4 lbs 12 oz

State Record: 2.02 lbs

Hybrid Sunfish

Hybrid sunfish

World record: N/A

State Record: 1.73 lbs

Longear Sunfish

Longear sunfish

World record: 1.75 lbs

State Record: 0.84 lbs

Redbreast Sunfish

Redbreast sunfish

World record: 2 lbs 0 oz

State Record: 1.63 lbs

Redear Sunfish

Redear sunfish

World record: 5.4 lbs

State Record: 2.99 lbs

Tilapia

Tilapia

World record: 9.6 lbs

State Record: 7.75 lbs

Warmouth

Warmouth

World record: 2.4 lbs

State Record: 1.30 lbs

White Bass

White Bass

World record: 6.8 lbs

State Record: 5.56 lbs

Yellow Bass

Yellow bass

World record: 2 lbs 15 oz

State Record: 3.46 lbs

Fishing for striped bass in East Texas

Striped Bass

Striper

World record: 81 lbs 14 oz

State Record: 53.0 lbs

Hybrid Striped Bass

Hybrid Striped Bass

US record: 27 lbs 5 oz

State Record: 19.66 lbs

Fishing for other species in East Texas

Alligator Gar

Alligator gar

World record: 279.0 lbs*

State Record: 279.0 lbs

Bowfin

Bowfin

World record: 21 lbs 8 oz

State Record: 17.65 lbs

Chain Pickerel

Chain pickerel

World record: 9 lbs 6 oz

State Record: 4.75 lbs

Longnose Gar

Longnose gar

World record: 50 lbs 5 oz

State Record: 50.31 lbs

Spotted Gar

Spotted gar

World record: 9 lbs 12 oz

State Record: 9.81 lbs

Campgrounds & RV Parks Nearby Lakes In East TX

Each major lake in the eastern third of Texas is featured in this website with an entire page dedicated to everything you need to know about that lake. On those pages are lists of camping facilities at, or nearby, each lake. Begin your search by clicking here:

Pick A Lake

Click here for a Texas Fishing License.

East TX Map - Fishing & Camping Areas

Pick A Lake

East TX Fishing Video

Contact Information

Texas Parks & Wildlife
Fisheries Management Offices
11810 FM 848
Tyler, Texas 75707
903 566-1615

 

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Information about fishing lakes in East Texas

Fishing on quality lakes in Eastern TX.