Free Fishing Day: Saturday, June 7, 2025

On the first Saturday in June of each year, everyone can fish recreationally without licenses or endorsements. This opportunity exists so that more people can try fishing for the first time. If you already have your license, thank you for your support! Please consider inviting a friend or family member to join you.

Fishing in State Parks

Anglers can also enjoy free fishing all year at more than 70 state parks (park entry fees still apply). All other fishing regulations, such as length and bag limits, remain in effect. A fishing license and endorsement are not required if fishing on state park property or in waters completely enclosed by a state park. On man-made structures (docks, piers, jetties, etc.) within state parks, fishing is allowed by pole-and-line only, and each person is limited to two poles. Please check with the park before participating in any fishing activity and to confirm any additional regulations. Learn more about free fishing in state parks.

Fishing on Private Property

A fishing license is not required to fish on waters completely enclosed within private property.

Weekly Fishing Report Week of May 28, 2025

Sam Rayburn
GOOD. Water stained; 77 degrees; 0.45 feet above pool. The lake got almost to pool and heavy rain this week has caused it to rise again. Numbers of bass are shallow in the buckbrush, so flip plastics and jigs. Top water bite around pencil grass and reeds. Grass and pads are coming back slowly. Target bass on points and drains with crankbaits, or with jigs and Carolina rigs off ledges and structure. Crappie are slowly move out to brush and timber. White bass are schooling off points. Catfish move out to deeper water and creek channels cut bait doing good. Report by Captain Lynn Atkinson, Reel Um N Guide Service.

Toledo Bend
Water stained; 81 degrees; 0.61 feet below pool. Bass are good with the best bite in shallow water with topwaters, swim jigs and frogs. The midrange bite been good with crankbaits and Texas rigs in 12-18 feet. The storms and high winds have limited fishable areas on the main lake, but the weather forecast should improve this next week. Crappie fishing is fair in shallow brush piles and standing timber all with live bait is the best. Some lighted docks reported good catches this past week at night. The bream are starting to bed in 2-3 feet of water in flooded grass and bushes, but with higher water, lots of them are hard to get to. Best baits for bream are crickets. Report by Stephen Johnston, Johnston Fishing.

SALTWATER

Sabine Lake
FAIR. 78 degrees. Sabine Lake is fresh and very muddy. Focus fishing efforts in the Intracoastal Canal and Texaco Island basin in 8-40 feet of water with live shrimp on Carolina rig. Nice catches of trout in 30 feet of water. Redfish are good on points and drops with live shrimp on a popping cork. Sabine Channel is producing good catches of redfish near the jetties on rock piles and shell flats. Very few trout feed in the stained water. A few nice trout at the jetties on a popping cork with live shrimp early in the morning before 8 a.m. Limits of drum and a few sheepshead biting on jetty rock piles and rock breaks. Very nice flounder catches in Sabine Channel with a Carolina rig on the bottom while targeting drum primarily on sand and shell flats. Report by Captain Randy Foreman, Captain Randy’s Guide Service Sabine Lake.

Bolivar
GOOD. 78 degrees. This week will be windy and cloudy with lots of sun this weekend for great fishing! The tides and water levels will be changing from two tide days to three and four. This should produce awesome fishing activity with the weather changes expected. Another week of big 25 inch plus trout running in the surf. Chances of using your trout tag are high. Water levels are back and forth per normal with a lot of sargassum washing in. Redfish can be caught everywhere. There are more keeper speckled trout being caught along with sand trout, black drum, sheepshead and crabs caught along the jetty. The flounder are here for the spring but mostly 16-20 inch fish. The bigger stingrays and sharks are here and the real action is starting. We saw plenty of sharks while shrimping in the gulf. The surf is producing numbers of redfish and huge black drum, huge speckled trout and a lot of sharks along the whole peninsula with more activity towards Gilchrist and High Island. Anglers are using cut mullet, big menhaden or shad, and stingray chunks for bait this past week with awesome results. Report by Captain Shane Rilat, North Jetty Bait Camp.