Locations

Fish species in Texas

406 species have two or more US observation records in Texas. Explore their habitats, families, and local records.

406 species have two or more US observation records in Texas. ITIS calls 256 of them native to the United States, 121 native to part of the country and introduced elsewhere, and 29 introduced.

Species: 406
Freshwater: 286
Saltwater: 172
Survey list: 106

1state

Texas in the United States.

Two counts, two questions. 406 is the number of species observed in Texas and filed with GBIF, which includes lakes, the coast, and museum records. 106 is the number the USGS stream survey caught, which samples flowing fresh water only. Neither is the other, so the site never adds them.

The statute

The official state fish of Texas

Guadalupe bass (freshwater)

Micropterus treculii · named 1989

tsl.texas.gov

Red drum (saltwater)

Sciaenops ocellatus · named 2011

A state fish is a statute, not a survey. It says which fish the legislature chose, not which fish is most common. The list above links each row to the state's own record.

Record fish

Texas state records

The heaviest fish of each species certified by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, freshwater; the agency lists rod-and-reel and fly-fishing records in one table, and each row names its tackle. Heaviest first. Every figure is the agency’s own.

Species	Weight	Length	Water	Date	Angler	Tackle
Catfish, Flathead	75 lb	60.00	Lake Fork	May 8, 2007	Joe Elam	DD22 lure 141/smokey-joe
Buffalo, Smallmouth	71.63 lb	44.50	Lady Bird Lake	Jun 10, 2024	Austin Anderson	Tiger Nuts
Catfish, Blue	61 lb	61.25	Lakewood	Mar 2, 2008	Roy Staton	beef kidney
Carp, Common	43.75 lb	42.00	Lady Bird Lake	Mar 28, 2009	K.C. Crawford	maize
Drum, Black	36.63 lb	42.50	Nueces River	Nov 17, 2009	Filip Spencer	gulp
Buffalo, Smallmouth	27.95 lb	34.25	Brazos River	Oct 15, 2024	Joan Swartz	Fly Rod, Hamon's Buffalo Getter
Buffalo, Black	27 lb	35.50	Whitney	Oct 28, 2019	Barry Osborn	Fly Rod, carp slayer
Buffalo, Black	26.6 lb	36.25	Granbury	Dec 18, 2016	Barry Osborn	Boilie
Carp, Common	26.1 lb	35.25	Granbury	Apr 9, 2023	Barry Osborn	Fly Rod, Carp Slayer Fly
Buffalo, Bigmouth	24.5 lb	35.25	Sulphur Creek	Sep 20, 2021	Tracy Deadman	Z-man Jackhammer
Catfish, Blue	22.9 lb	38.00	Lake Zebco	Jul 3, 2014	Bryan Smith	Fly Rod, wolly bugger
Catfish, Channel	16.8 lb	34.50	Lake Zebco	Jan 29, 2012	Michael Manziel	live sunfish
Drum, Freshwater	14.95 lb	29.00	Brazos Lake	Apr 22, 2022	Michael A. Fulton	Bluegill
Bowfin	11.69 lb	28.50	Big Cypress Bayou (Below Lake O' the Pines)	Mar 5, 2026	Christopher Neff	wacky worm
Bass, Largemouth bass x Smallmouth bass	11.07 lb	24.50	O. H. Ivie	Feb 22, 2022	Brady Stanford	Swimbait
Bass, Largemouth	10 lb	28.00	O. H. Ivie	Apr 30, 2010	Andy Ortega	plastic worm
Bass, Smallmouth	7.06 lb	22.75	Texoma	Jan 29, 2006	Jay Fuller	jig
Bass, Alabama	5.01 lb	22.00	Alan Henry	Dec 19, 2009	Danny Pool	plastic worm
Bass, Spotted	4.35 lb	19.25	Ray Roberts	May 3, 2019	Jose A. C. Vasquez	topwater minnow
Bass, Guadalupe X Smallmouth	3.9 lb	19.50	Lyndon B. Johnson	Apr 26, 2025	Frank Cruz IV	Shad
Crappie, White	3 lb	18.00	Hubbard Creek Reservoir	Mar 1, 2023	Michael Bacon	Crappie Jig Monkey Milk
Crappie, Black	2.93 lb	16.88	Texoma	Mar 13, 2014	Johnny Summers Jr.	Blue & Silver Rattletrap
Crappie, White	2.56 lb	16.00	Conroe	Feb 23, 2007	William Edney	Fly Rod,
Sunfish, Redbreast	1.75 lb	12.50	Wheeler Branch Reservoir	May 31, 2020	Cher Coen	finesse jig
Sunfish, Bluegill	1.36 lb	12.75	Dunlap	Jul 4, 2019	Doak May	worm
Sunfish, Other Hybrid	0.8 lb	11.00	Lady Bird Lake	Sep 30, 2018	Jamie Meaux	Fly Rod, crawfish briminator
Sunfish, Longear	0.72 lb	10.00	Lake Zebco	Oct 12, 2010	Taylor Musso	corn
Bass, Guadalupe	length record	19.25	Inks	May 26, 2024	Immanuel Barela	7" Swimbait
Bass, Guadalupe	length record	18.50	Blanco River	Aug 19, 2022	Charles Luton	Fly Rod, Hopper Fly
Bass, Hybrid Striped	length record	30.00	Proctor	Sep 3, 2017	Baylie DeViney	crankbait
Bass, Largemouth	length record	24.50	Lady Bird Lake	Sep 27, 2016	Nathan Wilson	Fly Rod, Game Changer/Bone
Bass, Smallmouth	length record	20.25	Grapevine Reservoir	Feb 28, 2023	Charles C. Henderson	Fly Rod, Hollow Fleye
Bass, Spotted	length record	16.13	Conroe	Mar 15, 2012	David Cook	Fly Rod, wolly bugger
Bass, Striped	length record	42.00	Brazos River	Jun 4, 2009	Todd Tran	gizzard shad
Bass, White	length record	21.50	San Marcos River	Mar 3, 2018	Jason R. Hennesey	Fly Rod, Hennesey's Tranny Clouser
Bass, White	length record	21.50	San Marcos River	Mar 3, 2018	Jason R. Hennesey	Fly Rod, Hennesey's Tranny Clouser
Cichlid, Rio Grande	length record	12.00	Travis	Sep 26, 2022	Michael Springer	Lipless Crankbait Lure
Cichlid, Rio Grande	length record	11.75	San Marcos River	Sep 27, 2015	Tyler Nash	Fly Rod, nymph
Drum, Red	length record	43.50	Fairfield	Apr 10, 2009	Donald Miller	Clatter shad
Drum, Red	length record	29.00	Fairfield	Aug 7, 2009	Larry Hartley	Fly Rod, snook fly-lime punch
Flounder, Southern	length record	17.90	Galveston Bay	Nov 14, 2022	Noah D. Ortega	Live Shrimp
Gar, Alligator	length record	89.00	Lake Corpus Christi	Mar 26, 2023	Manuel Vargas Jr.	9ft FTU Rod/ LX Avet Rapt
Gar, Longnose	length record	59.00	Sulphur River (Upstream of Wright Patman)	Aug 18, 2012	Ryan S. King	Fly Rod, gar streamer
Gar, Longnose	length record	59.00	Sulphur River (Upstream of Wright Patman)	Aug 18, 2012	Ryan S. King	Fly Rod, gar streamer
Seatrout, Spotted	length record	24.50	Oyster Creek	Jan 29, 2012	Adam T. Hawn	mirrodine XL
Sunfish, Bluegill	length record	11.75	Boerne City	Apr 28, 2016	Jason R. Hennesey	Fly Rod, Green popper
Sunfish, Green	length record	10.00	Little Blanco River	Sep 19, 2015	Marco N. Garcia	Fly Rod, black wullu bugger
Sunfish, Green	length record	10.00	Little Blanco River	Sep 19, 2015	Marco N. Garcia	Fly Rod, black wullu bugger
Sunfish, Longear	length record	10.00	Colorado River	Feb 18, 2018	Jason R. Hennesey	Fly Rod, Hennesey"s purple headed
Sunfish, Other Hybrid	length record	11.12	West Nueces River	Sep 27, 2022	Yesenia Flores	Jiglyf Jig
Sunfish, Redbreast	length record	11.25	Brazos River	Dec 6, 2025	Jamie Meaux	Fly Rod, J-Moe Briminator
Sunfish, Redear	length record	15.00	Lady Bird Lake	May 10, 2011	Daniel Laudermilk	worm
Sunfish, Redear	length record	12.50	San Marcos River	Aug 18, 2014	Molly H. Polk	Fly Rod, anderson slayer
Trout, Brown	length record	19.88	Guadalupe River	Jun 6, 2020	Jace Arnim Wheeler	Fly Rod, san juan worm fly
Trout, Brown	length record	19.88	Guadalupe River	Jun 6, 2020	Jace Arnim Wheeler	Fly Rod, san juan worm fly
Trout, Rainbow	length record	27.50	Guadalupe River	Feb 1, 2011	Stephen Watts	Fly Rod, wooly bugger
Trout, Rainbow	length record	27.50	Guadalupe River	Feb 1, 2011	Stephen Watts	Fly Rod, wooly bugger

Source: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. A row with no link is a name the site holds no species page for, which is usually a hybrid.

Most recorded

The fish of Texas

The species with the most observation records in the state. It is the closest the open data comes to naming the fish people meet.

Atlantic Croaker76,237 records

Micropogonias undulatusSciaenidaeNativeSaltBrackish

Spot73,182 records

Leiostomus xanthurusSciaenidaeNativeSaltBrackish

Pinfish72,489 records

Lagodon rhomboidesSparidaeNativeFreshSaltBrackish

Hardhead Catfish68,462 records

Ariopsis felisAriidaeNativeSaltBrackish

Bay Anchovy67,739 records

Anchoa mitchilliEngraulidaeNativeFreshSaltBrackish

Silver Perch64,377 records

Bairdiella chrysouraSciaenidaeNativeFreshSaltBrackish

Gulf Menhaden61,707 records

Brevoortia patronusClupeidaeNativeSalt

Sand Seatrout59,749 records

Cynoscion arenariusSciaenidaeNativeSaltBrackish

American Gizzard Shad59,086 records

Dorosoma cepedianumClupeidaeNative and introducedFreshSaltBrackish

Black Mullet56,780 records

Mugil cephalusMugilidaeNativeFreshSaltBrackish

Gafftopsail Catfish56,642 records

Bagre marinusAriidaeNativeSaltBrackish

Inland Silverside55,993 records

Menidia beryllinaAtherinopsidaeNative and introducedFreshSaltBrackish

Groups

Types of fish in Texas

Species

All 406 species, A–Z

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

Knobbed Porgy Calamus nodosus

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

V

W

Y

One record only

59 more with a single record

One observation can be a stray, an aquarium release, or a mis-keyed locality, so these are kept out of the count above and listed here instead. The first 40 are shown.