Choke Canyon Reservoir fishing: Largemouth Bass, Striped Bass, Blue Catfish

Target species: Largemouth Bass, Striped Bass, Blue Catfish, White Crappie, Channel Catfish, Bluegill

The reservoir

Choke Canyon Reservoir covers 19,876 acres in Texas, across 2 counties: McMullen and Live Oak. It is a reservoir: 91.4% of it is 40 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is 71.9 feet (21.9 m). Our records hold 11 species for this water.

Frio River channel, back end of Choke Canyon Reservoir - panoramio.jpg
KenB · CC BY-SA 3.0

Depth: down to 71.9 ft at the deepest measured point

Deepest measured point: 71.9 ft (21.9 m). 91.4% of the water is 40 feet or shallower. We hold 189 depth contours for this water, drawn from 493,918 soundings.

Picnic Sites Choke Canyon SP Texas 2024.jpg
Larry D. Moore · CC BY 4.0
  • 0–5 ft: 17.9% of the water
  • 5–10 ft: 15.6% of the water
  • 10–15 ft: 12.8% of the water
  • 15–20 ft: 10.1% of the water
  • 20–25 ft: 10.8% of the water
  • 25–30 ft: 10.2% of the water
  • 30–35 ft: 7.5% of the water
  • 35–40 ft: 6.5% of the water
  • 40–45 ft: 4.3% of the water
  • 45–50 ft: 2.7% of the water
  • 50–55 ft: 1.3% of the water
  • 55–60 ft: 0.3% of the water
  • 60–65 ft: 0.1% of the water

6 target fish, led by Largemouth Bass

  • Largemouth Bass — Feeding water: 65–85°F.
  • Striped Bass — Feeding water: 60–75°F.
  • Blue Catfish — Feeding water: 70–85°F.
  • White Crappie — Feeding water: 65–75°F.
  • Channel Catfish — Feeding water: 70–85°F.
  • Bluegill — Feeding water: 70–85°F.

Also recorded here: Rainbow Trout, White Bass, Common Carp, Fathead Minnow, Inland Silverside.

Stocking: 7,844,700 fish, 1981–2026

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department records list 7,844,700 fish released into this water from 1981 to 2026.

  • Channel Catfish: 499,427 in 1981–2026
  • Largemouth Bass: 309,083 in 2003–2005
  • Blue Catfish: 200,888 in 1982–1983
  • White Crappie: 181,674 in 1992
  • Striped Bass: 102,600 in 1983

4 more species on the stocking list.

What is hard here

Wind is the limit, not the fish: 19,876 acres of open water build a short steep chop, and there is no shelter in the middle.

Where this data comes from

  • Texas Water Development Board — Texas Water Development Board: depth contours: class A, a survey of the bottom, 2012.
  • EPA NLA — EPA National Lakes Assessment: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map, 2007.
  • Webster, K.E., McCullough, I.M., Soranno, P.A. LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0, EDI, doi:10.6073/pasta/64ddc4d04661d9aef4bd702dc5d8984f (CC BY 4.0); Cheruvelil et al. LAGOS-US LOCUS v1.0 (EDI) — LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0: Lake depth for 17,675 lakes in the conterminous U.S.: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.