Texas Fish Possession Limits: Species Bag Limits and Penalties

In Texas, your fish possession limit is generally twice the daily bag limit for that species, so if you can keep five per day, you can have ten on hand at any one time. Flounder are the big exception — the possession limit matches the daily bag of five. Red drum and spotted seatrout each allow six in possession plus two oversized fish taken under annual tags, and individual lakes and bays can set tighter numbers that override the statewide defaults.¹

What Counts As Possession

A possession limit caps the total number of a given species you can have at one time, whether the fish are on a stringer, in a livewell, in a cooler, on ice at camp, or in your vehicle. It doesn’t matter whether you caught them all in one trip or spread the catch over several days.¹

The limit stops applying once the fish are “finally processed” at your home — fully cleaned and stored. That distinction matters on multi-day trips. If you catch a daily limit, drive home, process the fish, and head back out, you’re starting fresh. If you keep yesterday’s catch whole in camp and limit out again today, you can easily be over the possession cap.¹

You can give fish to another person, but they have to travel with a Wildlife Resource Document listing your name, your license number, the recipient’s name, the species and count, and where the fish were caught. That document stays with the fish until the recipient gets them home and processes them.¹

Freshwater Possession Limits by Species

Bass

Largemouth, smallmouth, Alabama, Guadalupe, and spotted bass share a combined daily bag of five, so your possession limit is ten in any combination. Largemouth and smallmouth must be at least 14 inches. Spotted, Guadalupe, and Alabama bass have no minimum length.²

Catfish

Channel and blue catfish, including hybrids, carry a combined daily bag of 25 with no minimum length. No more than ten of those 25 can be 20 inches or longer. The statewide possession limit is 50.¹ Specific lakes tighten this. Lake Palestine allows only five catfish of 20 inches or longer and caps possession at 25.³

White Bass

White bass have a daily bag of 25 with a 10-inch minimum, and a possession limit of 50.²

Crappie

White crappie, black crappie, and their hybrids follow the same statewide numbers: 25 per day, 10-inch minimum, 50 in possession. Lake Texoma raises the daily bag to 37 while keeping possession at 50, and some East Texas lakes drop the minimum length to zero during winter months.¹

Saltwater Possession Limits by Species

Red Drum

Red drum have a daily bag of three fish between 20 and 28 inches, with a possession limit of six. You also get two tags per license year — a Red Drum Tag and a Bonus Red Drum Tag — that each allow you to keep one red drum over 28 inches. Fish taken under a tag don’t count against your daily bag or possession limit, but the tag has to be filled out and attached to the fish before you leave the water.⁴

Spotted Seatrout

Spotted seatrout have a daily bag of three fish in a 15- to 20-inch slot, with a possession limit of six. Two annual tags, the Spotted Seatrout Tag and Bonus Spotted Seatrout Tag, each let you keep one trout over 28 inches in addition to the regular bag.⁵ The tags are a separate allowance, not a way to keep fish outside the slot on your regular three-fish bag.

Flounder

Flounder are the main exception to the “double the daily bag” rule. The daily bag is five fish at 15 inches or longer, and the possession limit is also five, not ten.¹ Flounder also have a closed season from November 1 through December 14, when the bag drops to zero.⁶

Sheepshead

Sheepshead follow the standard pattern: a daily bag of five at a 15-inch minimum, with a possession limit of ten.⁷

Water-Specific Rules and Prohibited Species

Statewide numbers are only the baseline. Individual lakes, rivers, and bays can set tighter bag and possession limits, different slot lengths, or seasonal closures to manage local populations. The Lake Palestine catfish rule and the winter crappie adjustments on some East Texas lakes are two examples. Community fishing lakes — smaller urban waters stocked by TPWD — often have reduced limits of their own, and certain species may be catch-and-release only. Always check the regulations for the specific water you plan to fish.

Some species cannot be possessed at all. Paddlefish, shovelnose sturgeon, and sawfish are classified as threatened or endangered, and taking, killing, or disturbing them is illegal anywhere in the state.⁸

Penalties for Going Over

Exceeding a possession limit is a criminal offense, not a warning. A first bag, possession, or size-limit violation is typically a Class C Parks and Wildlife Code misdemeanor with fines of $25 to $500.⁹ Some violations start at Class B, with fines of $200 to $2,000 and up to six months in jail. Repeat convictions escalate to Class A ($500 to $4,000 and up to a year in jail), and certain third or subsequent offenses rise to felony level with fines up to $10,000.¹⁰

Courts can also order restitution for the value of illegally taken fish, and TPWD can suspend or revoke your fishing license for up to five years.⁹

Checking the Current Numbers

Texas Parks and Wildlife publishes the Outdoor Annual each year with the complete statewide and water-specific regulations. It’s free on the TPWD website and through the department’s mobile app, which is handy when you want to confirm a rule from the dock or the bank. Regulations shift as management strategies change, so treat last year’s limits as a starting point and verify before you fish.²

1
Legal Information Institute. 31 Texas Admin Code 57.981 – Bag, Possession, and Length Limits
2
Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Freshwater Bag and Length Limits
3
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Palestine Fishing Regulations
4
Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Drum Bag and Length Limits
5
Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Seatrout Bag and Length Limits
6
Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Flounder Bag and Length Limits
7
Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Sheepshead Bag and Length Limits
8
Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. General Fishing Regulations
9
Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Laws, Penalties and Restitution
10
State of Texas. Texas Parks and Wildlife Code 66.012 – Penalties