Excellent
Largemouth bass
Sam Rayburn's most popular gamefish and a true year-round fishery.
Live lake level: 67.1% full · 155.00 ft · measured Sep 7, 2026
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Texas Defined Fishing · Piney Woods
Sam Rayburn Reservoir Fishing Guide
A 114,500-acre Angelina River reservoir in the East Texas Piney Woods where enormous scale, vegetation, timber, creek channels and public access support excellent year-round largemouth bass, crappie and catfish fisheries.
114,500 acres80 ft max depthVerified August 13, 2026
At a glance
What makes Sam Rayburn Reservoir different.
Sam Rayburn is a scale-and-habitat lake. TPWD rates largemouth bass, crappie and catfish excellent, while the Corps and multiple public-land managers create a much broader access footprint than a typical developed reservoir.
- Surface area
- 114,500 acres
- Maximum depth
- 80 ft
- Impounded
- 1965
- Counties
- Angelina, Jasper, Nacogdoches, Sabine, San Augustine
- Waterway
- Angelina River
- Conservation pool
- 164.4 ft msl
- Normal fluctuation
- About 7 feet annually
- Water clarity
- Clearer lower lake; more off-color upper lake
- Controlling authority
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Cover & structure
What the water looks like to a fish.
Submerged aquatic vegetation, standing timber and flooded terrestrial vegetation form the core habitat system.
Hydrilla is prominent, with coontail, pondweed and other native plants adding diversity.
Lower-lake fish often relate to vegetation edges, flats, humps and creek channels in comparatively clear water.
Upper-lake timber, brush, laydowns and channels become more important as vegetation thins; water-level swings can substantially change habitat availability.
Fish this lake
The targets that define Sam Rayburn Reservoir.
Excellent
Crappie
An excellent year-round fishery built around vegetation, brush and creek-channel transitions.
Excellent
Catfish
TPWD rates the reservoir's catfish opportunity excellent and year-round.
Fair
White bass
Numbers are more limited than the reservoir's primary fisheries, but spring can still produce good opportunities.
Good
Sunfish
Bluegill and redear are abundant enough to create a strong youth and beginning-angler option.
Quick answers
Plan the trip faster.
What is Sam Rayburn Reservoir best known for?
Sam Rayburn is a scale-and-habitat lake. TPWD rates largemouth bass, crappie and catfish excellent, while the Corps and multiple public-land managers create a much broader access footprint than a typical developed reservoir.
How large is Sam Rayburn Reservoir?
Sam Rayburn Reservoir covers 114,500 acres and reaches a published maximum depth of 80 feet.
Where should I check Sam Rayburn Reservoir fishing rules?
Use the current Texas Parks & Wildlife Department rules before harvesting fish; this guide avoids freezing changeable bag limits into evergreen copy.
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Source transparency
Core facts and durable fishing patterns were checked against official sources on August 13, 2026. Water levels, closures, access, regulations and current fishing activity can change.