Lake Texoma Fishing Rules

Lake Texoma has established minimum length requirements for most fish.Fishing image by Antonio Oquias from Fotolia.com

Lake Texoma is an 89,000-acre lake on the Texas-Oklahoma border, approximately 120 miles south of Oklahoma City and 75 miles north of Dallas. This popular southwestern vacation destination has nearby campgrounds, resorts, restaurants, marinas and family activities such as golfing, hiking and fishing. Visitors wishing to fish in Lake Texoma must abide by the rules and regulations that have been established by both Oklahoma and Texas.

Proper Licensure

Fishing in Lake Texoma must be done with a valid state license. Lake Texoma is partly in Texas but approximately 66 percent of the lake is in Oklahoma. Anglers with a fishing license from Texas may fish only in the Texas portion of the lake; those with an Oklahoma license may fish only in the Oklahoma portion. However, Lake Texoma offers another option—buy a special Lake Texoma fishing license to fish the entire lake. The Lake Texoma fishing license is valid from the date it is issued until Dec. 31 and allows the individual to fish either the Oklahoma or Texas portion without buying a fishing license in the other state. The 2010 rate for a Lake Texoma fishing license is $12.

Those fishing in Lake Texoma must adhere to length and bag limits. White bass have a bag limit of 25 per day, with no length limit. Hybrid striped bass and striped bass have no length limit and a bag limit of 10 fish per day with a maximum possession of 20 fish; no more than 2 fish 20 inches or longer may be kept daily. Walleye have a bag limit of 5 per day with a minimum length of 18 inches. Channel catfish and blue catfish have a bag limit of 15 fish per day, a minimum length of 12 inches; only 1 blue catfish exceeding 30 inches in length may be kept each day. Flathead catfish have a bag limit of 5 fish per day with a minimum length of 20 inches. White and black crappie have a combined bag limit of 37 fish, a possession limit of 50 and a minimum length of 10 inches.

It is against the law to take fish from public waters which do not meet the area’s minimum length limit or to take more than the bag/possession limit established for specific species of fish. Additionally, it is unlawful for anyone to release fish into public waters which have a device attached or implanted for monitoring or tracking its location. It is against Texas law to allow bait fish or edible fish taken from Lake Texoma to die for any intention other than using the fish as bait or eating the fish.