TPWD Says Catfish Stocking Is Returning To Texas Neighborhood Fishin’ Holes

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Get ready to spend the rest of spring all of summer and part of fall fishing for your favorite kind of fish. Catfish fishing is returning with help from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and their neighborhood fishing program. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) has begun re-stocking neighborhood fishing lakes across the Lone Star State.

The program provides friends and families a fun and learning opportunity to participate in an old Texas tradition of catfish fishing. While the catfish stocking does not apply to every city in Texas there are 18 neighborhood fishing lakes that will be stocked regularly from the end of April through the 1st of November 2022.

The cities that will be stocked with catfish will include the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Amarillo, college town, San Angelo, Waco, and Wichita Falls. These cities will have their neighborhood fishing lakes stocked with channel catfish. However, Abilene’s Cal Young Park Lake was recently stocked with rainbow trout. The TPWD says they will not be restocking any fish in any lake during the month of August due to the heat.

One thing to keep in mind even that the TPWD doesn’t stock catfish in and around the Abilene area on a “regular basis.” The fact still remains, Abilene’s fishing holes like Lake Abilene, Nelson Park, Cal Young Park, Kirby Lake, and Fort Phantom Lake all have a healthy stock of catfish.

If you would like to try your hand at fishing for catfish, the TPWD offers these suggestions. Catfish prefer strong-smelling baits. Try using things like raw chicken livers, raw shrimp, stinkbait, cut-up hot dogs, and even nightcrawlers (those are the big fat worms that you find in your grandma or mom’s garden). More fishing tips in the video below.

Adult Fishing Licenses Start Around $11 Dollars for a One Day Pass

Furthermore, fishing for catfish is best done in the evening hours when the catfish are feeding and more active. Most importantly, remember to get your fishing license. Kids under 17 years of age fish for free however, adult licenses start as low as $11 for a one-day all-water pass. Many licenses can be purchased at department stores like Wal-Mart or most sporting goods stores.

Source: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department