Stocking

• According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife website, the last fish stocking in Houston Lake occurred in 1998, with over 63,000 fingerling-size palmetto bass, which are a hybrid of striped and white bass. Fry-sized Florida largemouth bass and fingerling-sized striped bass were last stocked in Lake Houston in 1990, with respective stockings of 306,965 and 122, 879 each. Channel catfish were last stocked in 1972 and 1973, with respective stockings of 35,000 and 132,724 each.
  
  

Lake Records

• As of June 30, 2010, the most recent lake record at Lake Houston was for a palmetto bass caught on April 19, 2010 that weighed 9.2 pounds. A 2.76 pound white bass, a 7.75 pound blue tilapia and a 5.75 pound channel catfish also hold 2010 records in Lake Houston, with respective catches on January 23rd, January 31st, and April 3rd. The longest standing lake record on Lake Houston was a 9.71 pound bowfin caught on June 7, 1992.
  
  

Catching White Bass and Catfish in Lake Houston

• In Lake Houston, catfish and white bass were ranked as “good” angling opportunities compared to other species in the lake that are only ranked “fair,” such as crappie, largemouth bass and bluegill. To catch white bass on Lake Houston, the Texas Parks and Wildlife website recommends using jigs and spoons in spring in the river channels of the lake, while catfish can be caught with stink baits and live shad on a trotline or rod and reel used along the lake's channels.
  
  

Daily Limits

• In the state of Texas, freshwater daily limits are set at five per day for smallmouth or largemouth bass, flathead catfish, spotted or Guadalupe bass, striped or hybrid bass, walleye and trout, which includes rainbow and brown trout and their hybrids. Fish species with 25-per-day limits include white bass, channel or blue catfish and their hybrids, and white or black crappies and their hybrids. Saugeye and alligator gar have respective per-day limits of three and one each, while paddlefish are prohibited.
  
  

Size Restrictions

• Largemouth and smallmouth bass must be at least 14 inches, while white bass and white and black crappie must be 10 inches long each. Channel and blue catfish must be a minimum of 12 inches each, and flathead catfish, striped bass and saugeye each have 18 inch minimums.
  
  

Fishing Licenses

• Texas residents of age 17 years or older who were born after September 1, 1930 must obtain fishing licenses to fish on Lake Houston. There are special rules for mentally disabled and mentally retarded residents. All non-residents of age 17 years or older must obtain fishing licenses, except for Oklahoma residents of age 65 years or older and Louisiana residents of age 64 or over who have a Louisiana fishing license. Licenses are available online in various packages at the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.