Best Times & Seasons to Catch Texas Largemouth Bass (Guide)

Texas offers some of the best bass fishing in the world and gives anglers their best chance of catching a personal best double-digit bass. Knowing the best time of year to fish these rich waters can lead to more and bigger bass caught.

The best time to fish in Texas for bass is February through May and September through November but great fishing is available year-round. Fish early mornings and late afternoons until dusk for the best bass fishing.

Texas is a great area for largemouth bass because of the warmer water. The warmer water allows their metabolism to be at a high level all throughout the year, helping them grow much more than largemouth bass in the northern parts of the country. Find out the peak fishing times in Texas with this handy guide.

Best Time to Fish for Bass in Texas

Largemouth bass are available year-round in Texas, but there are certain times that are better than others. Since there is no closed season for largemouth bass, you are able to fish for spawning bass if you would like.

When the bass are spawning, they will be in shallow water, on their beds. Male bass will be extremely defensive of their beds, and will rarely leave them until the eggs hatch, but female bass will be roaming around feeding.

This makes spring one of the best times to fish Texas for largemouth bass, but mid-fall is also a good time to target largemouth bass as well. The fall is so good because most fish will be looking to stock up on food before winter, bass included. During the fall, fish may move into deeper water, but won’t usually stop biting until the winter.

Check out this helpful guide to the best times to catch snapper in Texas. You may also be interested in this article on the fishing for Texas redfish in the best times.            

Texas Bass Fishing: By Region

North

There aren’t a whole lot of options in northern Texas for bass fishing, but there are a few. The main one being Lake Meredith.

Most bass will be active from spring through mid-fall, slowing down as the water gets colder. The water gets colder faster than the other parts of Texas, so booking a trip here in the winter isn’t a great option, but it is still possible to get fish during this time.

South

On the south end of Texas, the main largemouth bass fishery is Falcon Lake, which is a reservoir located on the Rio Grande River, on the Texas/Mexico border. Falcon Lake is a great option year-round for fishing as the water never gets very cold, unlike the more northern parts of Texas.

When fishing Falcon Lake, you’ll want to fish near lots of structure and weeds as the sun can be extremely harsh that far south. The best season again is the spring, you just can’t beat the quality of fishing right before bass start to spawn. The worst season in this area would be the middle of summer.

The reason for this is that the water will get too hot and push the bass into cover that is unfishable. The winter is also a season that is not very good, but there are still bass available to catch in the area.
East

The main area to fish for largemouth bass in east Texas is Lake Fork. Lake Fork is known for having huge bass and plenty of them. There are plenty of other options for fishing in this area, and the same things will apply to those lakes as well.

Springtime is the best time to fish in this area because of the annual bass spawn. This will make females hard to catch if they are on their beds, but fishing is still great for males and females who haven’t spawned yet.

Fish will be roaming in the shallows, generally near docks, trees, or weeds. During the winter, fish will move into deeper water and become less active.

West

The west side of Texas is also a pretty dry area, like the north side. There aren’t a lot of options when it comes to large lakes, but there are a couple of smaller lakes that can produce bass.

The best season in this area matches the previous two areas, with spring being the best and winter being the worst.

Recommended Bass Fishing Guides in Texas

These Texas-based charters have earned great reviews from anglers and will offer you a tremendous service. The captains are knowledgeable, friendly, and are sure to put you on fish. By clicking the links below, you will be taken to the charter’s respective profile on Fishing Booker where you can read reviews, learn more about the charter, view photos, and book online at the best rate.

Recommended Fishing Charters/Guides	Location
JDR Fishing Adventures	Alba, TX
Reel Livin Guide Service	Gordonville, TX
Tracking Texas Trophies	Sulphur Springs, TX
Central Texas Fishing Guide	Austin, TX
Lake Fork Guide Service	Alba, TX
Live Action Fishing – Dallas	Dallas, TX
Lake Livingston Texas Guide Services	Livingston, TX
Hill Country Bass Coach	Leander, TX
Dw’s Guide Service	Pottsboro, TX
Morefishing Guide Service	Grand Prairie, TX
Big Dawg Outfitters – Lake Sam Rayburn	Etoile, TX

Best Time of Year for Texas Bass Fishing

When thinking about what time of day is best, you need to take into account the season as well. During the spring and summer, the water will be warmer, and the bass will be around cover more than usual to get away from the hot sun.

As for the winter and fall, the bass will usually only be under cover in the afternoon, or sometimes in the morning if the sun is out and it’s a hot day. 

Spring

During the spring, largemouth bass will begin their annual spawning cycle. Females will stay on their beds until they are done spawning and males will usually be roaming not too far away from those beds. When fishing for largemouth in the spring, you should try shallow water with cover and the drop-offs just outside of those areas.

The best times to fish during the spring would be in the morning, this is because the water hasn’t gotten warm enough to push fish underneath heavy cover, but they will still be near cover, making it harder for them to see you.

Summer

During the summer, everything starts to warm up a lot more, making the fish’s metabolism go into overdrive and increasing the activity of those fish in the area by a lot.

During the summer, you can expect to find bass roaming in shallow water during the morning and either moving out deep or under cover during the day to hide from the sun.

The evening is also a good time to fish for largemouth in the summer, the water will begin to cool down and fish will start to come out of cover and into shallower water, making them much easier to locate.

Night fishing in the summer is also a viable option because of how hot the water gets during the day, so sometimes fish will be more active during the cooler hours of the night.

Fall 

The fall is also a great time for bass fishing in Texas. The fish will start to stock up on food and put on weight for the cold of winter. The best time of day in the fall depends on the weather, if it’s a warmer day then the morning will be productive, but if it’s a colder day you might want to try during the afternoon. 

Winter

The best time of day to fish for largemouth in the winter is during the afternoon. This is when the water will be the warmest, making the fish more active. Bass fishing in the winter in Texas isn’t great, but there can still be productive days. You should try to find fish in deeper water, usually near structure or reefs.

Night fishing for Largemouth Bass in Texas

Fishing at night is a somewhat popular way to catch bass in Texas. Fishing at night gives anglers a unique way to catch bass.

When fishing at night, you can expect a lot more activity from the fish, especially if it’s a full moon, this is because of the extra light given by the full moon. You can try fishing near structure, but most fish will be roaming around shallow, open water in search of food.

Night fishing is usually the best in the summer, when it’s much hotter during the day than other seasons, but night fishing for largemouth can still produce fish in spring and fall as well. When fishing at night, you should be well equipped with lights to make the experience as snag-free as possible.

Impacts of Storms & Hurricanes

Storms are something that are unavoidable, at some point during your fishing career, you’ll have to fish during a storm. Not all hope is lost though, a lot of fish can be caught in the rain.

The main reason for fish to become inactive during a storm is either the wind, air pressure, or the sound and light from thunder and lightning. If there is lightning, you shouldn’t be on the water, it’s important to catch fish but even more important to stay safe.

This is especially true for tropical storms and hurricanes that go through the south and east sides of Texas. Those kinds of storms are much more powerful than normal storms and can send tons of wind, lightning, and rain your way, which can quickly overwhelm you if you aren’t safe about it.

Booking a Charter or Guide for Largemouth Bass

Some of the bodies of water in Texas can be very intimidating, some are both very big and very complex lakes.

This makes booking a guide a great way to have a good fishing day without having all of the stress of finding the spots and trying dozens of different baits. The guides will know the lakes in their area very well and will be able to put you on fish most of the time.

Most guides in the area will target largemouth with plastics, spinnerbaits, bass jigs, or even sometimes live bait. Guides are very useful on larger lakes as well, they can pinpoint fish on these larger lakes and save you a ton of time that would’ve been spent scouring the lake for different spots.