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As the weather may be changing and the temperatures may be getting colder, it's still a good time to go fishing at our local area lakes and fishing holes. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is currently planning to restock our lakes with rainbow trout for some Fall and Winter fishing fun.

While the rainbow trout seem to be the more active fish in cooler weather and colder waters, thus the scheduled stocking of the trout. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) will restock with catfish fish once again but that will not happen until mid-Spring of 2023.

Photo by: TPWD / Canva
Photo by: TPWD / Canva
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“TPWD stocks catchable-sized fish during winter months to create unique winter angling opportunities throughout Texas,” said Carl Kittel, TPWD Rainbow Trout Program Director. “Rainbow trout love cold water and can be caught on a variety of baits and lures (worms, commercially available pastes, corn, spinners, spoons, flies and more), and are great to take home and eat. Our winter rainbow trout program has been a favorite of anglers for over forty years.” Source: TPWD Press Release Nov. 17, 2022 

TPWD plans to stock 337,469 rainbow trout in Texas from November 23, 2022, through March 3, 2023. Because rainbow trout are unable to survive in Texas after winter, anglers are encouraged to keep up to their daily bag limit of five trout. Rainbow trout are an attractive, tasty fish and anglers can easily find recipes to prepare them online.

Adult Fishing Licenses Start Around $11 Dollars for a One Day Pass

More importantly, remember to get your fishing license. Kids under 17 years of age fish for free however, adult licenses start as low as $11 for a one-day all-water pass. Many licenses can be purchased at department stores like Wal-Mart or most sporting goods stores like Academy Sports.

The lakes around the Big Country that I'm aware of that get stocked from time to time, are Fort Phantom, Abilene State Park's Lake Abilene, Kirby Lake, and the lake at Nelson Park. Now, the video below offers advice and tips to help you to become a better fisher person. Source: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

LOOK: Here are the best lake towns to live in

Many of the included towns jump out at the casual observer as popular summer-rental spots--the Ozarks' Branson, Missouri, or Arizona's Lake Havasu--it might surprise you to dive deeper into some quality-of-life offerings beyond the beach and vacation homes. You'll likely pick up some knowledge from a wide range of Americana: one of the last remaining 1950s-style drive-ins in the Midwest; a Florida town that started as a Civil War veteran retirement area; an island boasting some of the country's top public schools and wealth-earners right in the middle of a lake between Seattle and Bellevue; and even a California town containing much more than Johnny Cash's prison blues.

Gallery Credit: Peter Richman