The Best Places To Go Fishing in the Houston Area
Lake Houston
Distance from Houston: 30.3 miles
Nearest city: New Caney, TX
County: Montgomery County
Size: 9,542 acres
Species: Crappie, Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass
You'll find Lake Houston in the northeastern end of the metro area, making it a super convenient stop for city dwellers. The lake was formed by the damming of the San Jacinto River and is a great spot for crappie and catfish. The fishery gets a lot of pressure from local anglers but remains a popular spot for those who can't get out further.
Species
Largemouth BassSeason
Spring (Spawn)
Technique
Texas Rigs (Pitch/Flip)
Structure
Docks
Forage
Crawfish
Lake Fayette
Distance from Houston: 97.7 miles
Nearest city: LaGrange, TX
County: Fayette County
Size: 2,402 acres
Species: Largemouth Bass, Catfish, and Sunfish
This small reservoir is located west, about 1.5 hours from Houston. People make the drive because it's considered a fantastic Largemouth bass fishery, producing consistently large and abundant fish for bass anglers.
The lake itself is considered a power plant cooling reservoir controlled by the Lower Colorado River Authority. The water there can have an elevated temperature, especially near the plant, and is fairly stained in clarity.
Species
Largemouth BassSeason
Summer
Technique
Crankbaits 13'+
Structure
Points
Forage
Shad
Water Temperature
84°
While a lot of folks are still chasing the shallow bite and mid-depth bite on Fayette I have recently been finding better schools of fish related to the upwind side of main lake points, in the 15-20ft depth zone. On our most recent outing, my wife and I boated 50+ fish with our best 5 going for just over 21lbs on my digital scale. Recently I have been finding large groups of smaller size class fish in these areas. The key has been moving around to find the larger class groups usually somewhere nearby. The Strike King 6XD bite has been fantastic on a medium retrieve with the Lew's BB1 Pro and 12lb Strike King Contra Fluorocarbon. I love throwing a 6XD on a Lew's KVD 7'10 GC, and my wife prefers the Lew's KVD GC 7'4" MH. Having a large selection of 6XD's to throw in varying colors and sound profiles is an absolute necessity to keep the bite going this time of year.
Highland Bayou
Distance from Houston: 37 miles
Nearest city: Texas City
County: Galveston
Size: 1,025 acres
Species: Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Drum
About a 45 minute drive from central Houston, the bayou provides a different flavor of fishing for those wanting to change it up from inland reservoirs. Conditions are highly variable, but the Highland Bayou is typically starts as freshwater supplied by overland precipitation. The rivers and marshes leave a large area to explore, especially if you have access to a kayak or shallow water vessel.
Species
DrumSeason
Summer
Technique
Swim Jigs
Structure
Submerged Vegetation
Water Temperature
77°
I put that on an 1/4 XPS Tungsten Offset Jighead
Sheldon Reservoir
Distance from Houston: 16.7 miles
Nearest city: Houston
County: Harris County
Size: 899 acres
Species: Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Panfish / Bluegill, Catfish
The proximity to the city means you'll have fun catching fish, but might not be in for a trophy fish. It gets used a lot so there's a lot of pressure, but it does make a very convenient stop for people living and working around Houston.
Try bank fishing near the Garrett Road crossing or at the public access pier at the northwest corner of the lake. The water is shallow with a max depth of 10 ft and full of vegetation like coontail, duckweed, hydrilla, and milfoil. But fishing by boat will open up additional possibilities to target crappie, catfish, and bass.
Species
Largemouth BassSeason
Summer
Technique
Frogs/Toads
Structure
Lily Pads
Water Temperature
86°
Caught them on frogs before sunrise and a little after until the sun got high.
Lake Conroe
Distance from Houston: 54 miles
Nearest city: Conroe
County: Walker and Montgomery Counties
Size: 19,796 acres
Species: Largemouth Bass, Catfish, and Sunfish
Conroe has become a bass fishing destination, because of the high volume of largemouth in the lake, and the opportunity catch a Texas giant. It's an easy 45 minute drive due north from metro Houston. Structure abounds in the lake for bass to thrive, including standing timber and four man-made reefs designed to make for optimal fishing habitat.
Species
Striped BassSeason
Spring (Spawn)
Technique
Crankbaits 0-6'
Structure
Docks
Forage
Shad
Large mouth bass fishing, but stumbled into this good sized hybrid. Throwing the frittside 5 Caught a couple largemouth as well throwing a shakey head and wacky rig
The Houston area has a lot options for quick weeknight fishing stops. Plus, if you're willing to drive a little bit, you'll find world class fisheries for targeting trophy bass not too far away.
Explore more areas with Omnia's database of fishing lakes and find fishing reports, hotbaits and more.
