Texas Fishing

Texas Fly Fishing: Big State, Bigger Fish, and Zero Patience for Excuses

Texas fly fishing suffers from a reputation problem. Most people hear “Texas” and think bass boats, spinning rods, and every angler within 50 miles fighting over the same reservoir. That’s a shame, because the Texas coast holds some of the finest saltwater fly fishing in the country, and the Texas Hill Country offers spring creek trout fishing that would make a European angler weep with envy. Don’t sleep on Texas.

The Texas Gulf Coast is the starting point for any serious saltwater fly fisher working this state. From the Laguna Madre — one of only two hypersaline lagoons in the world — to the vast flats of Matagorda Bay and the marshes around Rockport and Port O’Connor, the Texas coast offers sight fishing for redfish and speckled trout on a scale that rivals anything in the Southeast. Redfish on Texas fly fishing flats are not subtle. You’ll see their tails waving in the air, backs breaking the surface, pushing through shallow water that barely covers their fins. Put a crab or shrimp pattern in front of a tailing red on the Laguna Madre and hold on.

Speckled trout — specks, if you want to sound like you’ve been here before — are the unsung heroes of Texas saltwater fly fishing. They’re everywhere along the coast, they eat flies aggressively, and they give a respectable account of themselves on a 7-weight. In the cooler months, when the reds push out to deeper water, specks become the primary fly rod target and they rarely disappoint.

Inland, Texas fly fishing makes its best argument on the Guadalupe River below Canyon Lake, home of the southernmost wild trout fishery in the United States. Stocked rainbow trout hold in the cool spring-fed sections of the Guadalupe year-round, with the best fishing running from November through March when water temperatures stay favorable. The Guadalupe River Trout Unlimited chapter has fought hard for this fishery, and it shows. Dry fly fishing on the Guadalupe is legitimate, accessible, and exactly what you need when you can’t get to Montana.

Texas fly fishing rewards the angler who does their homework and ignores the conventional wisdom. This is a big state with a lot of water. Find your corner of it.

Target Species: Redfish, Speckled Trout, Flounder, Sheepshead, Rainbow Trout (Guadalupe), Largemouth Bass Best Seasons: Year-round coast | Redfish peak September–November | Guadalupe trout peak November–March Notable Waters: Laguna Madre, Matagorda Bay, Port O’Connor flats, Guadalupe River, Rockport/Aransas Bay