Best places to fish in cold weather

Story from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Freshwater

Power plant lakes – These offer good fishing in colder weather months, especially for catfish and bass. Power generation warms the water and provides current, which makes the fish more active. Read more on power plant lake fishing in Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine.

Bass hotspots – Lake Fork (east of Dallas-Fort Worth and near Emory) is famous for largemouth bass, especially in February. The Colorado River, east of Austin, is also a great river fishery. Warmer winter days can produce good numbers of largemouth and Guadalupe bass.

Top trout fishing locations – The Canyon Tailrace on the Guadalupe River below Canyon Lake is well known for incredible river fishing. Neighborhood Fishin’ lakes are stocked every two weeks with rainbow trout. To find a stocked waterbody near you, visit the rainbow trout stocking schedule.

Saltwater

Winter fishing along the coast can be epic! The wind is usually calmer and water clarity peaks, making sight fishing better. The Lower Laguna Madre is the place to go.

Brazos Santiago Pass – Located between the jetties, this is a deep-water area frequently overlooked in the winter. On calm days, you’ll find schools of reds and southern flounder within the channel.

The Flats – If you overlook the flats in the winter, you’ll be missing out! Deep passes, like those between the causeways, hold fish all winter long. In fact, most any flat over three feet deep will hold fish unless the water becomes frigid.

Artificial Reefs – Red snapper, the most sought after offshore game fish in Texas Gulf waters, thrive around artificial reef sites. There are 11 reef sites with accessible nearshore fishing opportunities where snapper harvest is open year-round.

Best cold weather fish