Choke Canyon Reservoir Fishing

With some of Texas’ best fishing for bass and catfish, Choke Canyon Reservoir is a prime fishing destination. Other gamefish species in the lake are white bass, crappie, gar, sunfish and others. The lake’s 130 miles of shoreline and 26,000 acres of water encompass a wide selection of rocky points and humps, brush and tree, aquatic vegetation, and deeps and shallows. Fishing from the banks is possible at several access points around the lake, and many of the banks with no path can be reach by boat. The largest fish can be caught in the spring. In summer and winter the fish usually dwell in the deeper waters, while spring and fall are the best times for fishing the shallow waters.

Summer bass fishing on Choke Canyon is for the very patient angler only. Try topwater baits very early or late in the day, or on cloudy days, near weedbeds. Use 20 lb line or heavier to keep from fraying your line in the thick cover. On days when the temperature is over 90 degrees, go deep using crankbaits, Texas-rigged worms, Carolina-rigged plastics, or jigging spoons, focusing on rocky shorelines, submerged roadbeds and flooded brush and main-lake points with lots of vegetation.

In fall, winter and spring, bass fishing is much easier and more successful, using spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, rattletraps, crankbaits, and unweighted soft plastics.

White bass can be found in the main Frio River channel during the cooler months as they prepare for the run upstream to spawn. Use live minnows, small rattletops, shad raps, spinnerbaits, grubs or any minnow-imitating artificials.  During warm weather, white bass school in the deep waters near the main reservoir’s northern shoreline. Use jigging spoons and small rattletops, trolled deep near points and humps.

Catfish in the reservoir are found in shallow areas of flooded vegetation. Blues like cheesebait and cutbait, while larger catfish prefer shad and bluegill. Trotline and juglines catch many big catfish in the creek channels.

Bowfishers will enjoy fishing for the harder-to-find alligator gar.

Choke Canyon Reservoir has special bag and size limits for some fish species.

Choke Canyon Reservoir Fish:

Choke Canyon Reservoir boat ramps:

The following boat ramps provide access to Choke Canyon Reservoir.

Choke Canyon Reservoir State Park Boat Ramp
Three Rivers, TX
Directions

Choke Canyon Reservoir State Park Boat Ramp
Three Rivers, TX
Directions

Choke Canyon Reservoir State Park Boat Ramp
Three Rivers, TX
Directions

Choke Canyon State Park Boat Ramp
Tilden, TX
Directions

Choke Canyon Reservoir, San Miguel Boat Ramp Access Boat Ramp
136-198 Recreation Road 8 Calliham, TX
Directions

Mason Point Boat Ramp
Tilden, TX
Directions

FM 99 Boat Ramp
Tilden, TX
Directions

James Daughtery Boat Ramp
Tilden, TX
Directions