Each year, the Inland and Coastal Fisheries division of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) stock approximately 40 million fish in public lakes, ponds, and saltwater bays. Many of these fish are produced in the state's three saltwater and five freshwater hatcheries.
Their rainbow trout stocking schedule, usually Thanksgiving to the first week in March, is something that most anglers look forward to since Rainbow Trout are not common to Texas waterways.
Harvest regulations have a 5-trout bag limit, but no minimum length limit. There is a two-pole limit if an angler is fishing from a community fishing lake, a dock, pier, or jetty within a Texas State Park.
All anglers need a valid fishing license that includes a freshwater fishing endorsement. Anglers under 17 years of age are not required to have a license. Licenses and endorsements are not required when fishing within a Texas State Park.
Most trout stocking occurs between the hours of 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. Some of the stocking dates and locations in the Brazos River Basin include:
Upper Basin (City, Location and Date)
- Abilene: Cal Young Park Lake and Elm Creek Buffalo Wallow 12/11/2024, 1/7/2025, 2/19/2025
- Cleburne: Byron Stewart Park Lake, 12/9/2024
- Graford: Possum Kingdom Tailrace, 12/6/2024, 12/20/2024, 1/3/2025, 1/17/2025, 1/30/2025, 2/18/2025, 2/28/2025
- Hale Center: Caudle, 12/8/2024
- Levelland: Breshears Lake and Lobo Lake, 12/2/2024
- Lubbock: McCullough, 12/10/2024, 2/4/2025
- Seymour: Seymour Pond North, 12/5/2024, 1/7/2025, 2/23/2025
- Weatherford: Holland Lake Park, 12/11/2024, 1/6/2025, 2/3/2025
Central Basin (City, Location and Date)
- Belton: Nolan Creek, 12/12/2024, 12/28/2024
- Caldwell: Davidson Creek Pond #1, 12/18/2024, 1/14/2025
- Centerville: Fort Boggy State Park, 12/12/2024, 2/23/2025
- College Station: Central Park Pond #1, 11/27/2024, 12/13/2024, 12/27/2024, 1/10/2025 1/24/2025, 2/7/2025, 2/21/2025, 3/7/2025 and Cy Miller Pond, 1/22/2025
- Copperas Cove: Copperas Cove City, 3/2/2025
- Glen Rose: Glen Rose Town Lake, 12/3/2024, 1/8/2025 and Paluxy River at Dinosaur Valley State Park, 12/5/2024
- Harker Heights: Carl Levin City Park Pond, 12/11/2024, 1/26/2025
- McGregor: Amsler Park, 12/5/2024, 1/22/2025
- Meridian: Meridian State Park, 1/8/2025
- Temple: Temple Lion's Park Lake, 12/15/2024, 2/23/2025
- Waco: Buena Vista Park Lake, 11/27/2024, 12/13/2024, 12/27/2024, 1/10/2025 1/24/2025, 2/7/2025, 2/21/2025, 3/7/2025
Lower Basin (City, Location and Date)
- Brushy Creek: Southern Cross Pond, 2/6/2025
- Georgetown: Blue Hole Park Lake, 1/8/2025
- Hearne: Hearne Eastside Park Pond [59], 12/18/2024, 1/30/2025
- Hutto: Adam Orgain Park Pond, 2/2/2025
- Kosse: Kosse City Park Pond, 12/5/2024
- Mexia: Springfield, 1/27/2025
- Round Rock: Shirley McDonald Park Pond, 2/6/2025
- Somerville: Bluebonnet Park Lake, 12/19/2024
- West Columbia: First Capitol Park Pond, 1/16/2025
For the full list of dates and locations and number of trout being released, go here. TPWD also regularly stocks catfish and Rainbow Trout to neighborhood fishing holes throughout the state. Those locations can be found here.