Fishing is good in Central Texas

Low water levels at some Central Texas reservoirs have seemed to improve anglers’ chances of catching fish.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department inland fisheries biologists conducting fish population surveys at Lakes Pat Cleburne and Mexia report particularly high numbers of quality channel catfish.

Lake Pat Cleburne is a 1,568-acre reservoir located approximately four miles southwest of the town of Cleburne. The sportfish assemblage at Pat Cleburne consists of largemouth bass, white bass, white crappie and three species of catfishes (channels, blues and flatheads).

Lake Mexia is a 1,009-acre reservoir located approximately six miles west of the town of Mexia. Mexia contains largemouth bass, white bass, white crappie and channel, blue and flathead catfish.

Like many larger reservoirs in the area, both these smaller reservoirs have been plagued with drought conditions for several years, and much of the reservoirs’ natural fish habitat, such as shoreline structure, aquatic vegetation, coves and points, has been dry for some time. This can frustrate some anglers as their “go-to” sites are unrecognizable or worse, no longer wet!