Fishing in Urban Houston, Texas: Warmwater Angling Fun

Texas is famous for its warmwater fishing opportunities, especially for the hallowed largemouth bass. Anglers will travel to the famous lakes of Conroe, Sam Rayburn, Lake Fork, Falcon and more for a shot at trophy-quality bass. Massive crappie, catfish, carp, and more also call Texas home, along with the dozens of popular saltwater species found in the region. However, urban Houston and its immediate surrounding towns are not exactly world-famous for legendary fishing. Still, for those visting or living the in the area, fear not-there are plenty of places to drop a fishing line and hook into some quality fishing, even in the urban (sometimes suburban) jungle of Houston, Texas! Just make sure to get your Texas fishing license before heading out!

Bane Park Lake, near the US 290 and West Little Fork Road (intersection with North Gressner) is one urban spot to get your fishing on in Houston, It is a pretty small park pond, but it offers several species to target, including your usual warmwater mixture. It also receives a rainbow trout plant from the Fish and Wildlife department. While I realize the sporting value of rainbow trout, especially for new anglers, it seems a little odd to stock them in humid, hot Houston.

McGovern Lake, near Rice University, in Houston, is another urban locale for some good fishing. It is a larger body of water than Bane, and probably offers better fishing.

Herman Brown Park Pond, off I-10 East at Mercury Drive, is another urban locale for public fishing. It also receives a trout stocking during the year. Hopefully, not all the fish go to the birds and the anglers; I'm sure any big, smart largemouth hiding in that park pond loves a little rainbow trout snack every so often. Don't forget to look into the many community and semi-private corporate park ponds throughout Houston. Jump onto Google Maps and look at your area for the nearest body of water. Walk, bike, drive or jog over and find out what the access is like and if fishing is allowed. Talk to the neighbors, they may very well let you in and give you some fishing tips too! (just make sure you catch and release!)

Finally, don't forget the Buffalo Bayou in Houston, Texas. It winds its way throughout most of the city, with public parks and walking trails all over it, making access very easy. Catfish, gar, bass, carp and more may be found all over the bayou. It generally runs pretty muddy, so use high visibility lures or stinky bait (chicken livers, etc) here for best results.

Katy, Texas, is right outside of Houston, just a little ways west. I drove through there, doing some fishing "reconnaissance" and also talked to several locals that regularly fish the area. A quick over view from Google Maps, Google Earth or Bing Maps really helps give a nice idea of how much water there is to fish. Granted, most of the ponds are community ponds, and you will need to know someone living there to get access. However, I have met many people from Katy, and they have been happy to let me fish there local ponds. It is a very friendly community, with great shopping at Academy and Bass Pro Shops, both located in this nice city. The ponds are known to hold lots of warmwater species, especially the ever popular largemouth bass. Also be sure to check the community of Woodlands, Texas, just north of Houston. It offers a load of ponds and small lakes, sure to please anglers looking for something outside of Houston.