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Choke Canyon Reservoir Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

South Texas' brush-country giant: big bass, bigger alligators and boom-cycle magic.

1/5
Tough. Pick your battles.Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.
Lake level
191.82 ft -28.68 vs pool
Air / High
99 / 100 F
Wind
S 8 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 08206900, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

1/5Tough. Pick your battles.Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.

Choke Canyon Reservoir locks in another hot, bright day: the fish know the drill and so should you. The gauge reads 191.82 ft, 28.68 ft below pool, easing 0.19 over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind S around 8 mph, rising pressure near 1010 hPa and a high of 100. Water sits around 84 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Catfish (blue, channel)Fair

Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Largemouth bassSlow

Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

White bassSlow

Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

CrappieSlow

Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Tomorrow: Similar at 98 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Choke Canyon Res nr Three Rivers, TX.

Water level, last 30 days

USGS gauge 08206900. Conservation pool is 220.5 ft.

196.83206.16215.48pool 220.5191.82 ft08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp99 F
High / Low100 / 79 F
WindS 8-9 mph
Pressure1010.0 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain17% cloud, 5%
Sunrise / Sunset07:13 / 19:51
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~84 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Overcast, 100/79 F, wind 18 mph, rain 5%

Slow. 100 F: be on the water at dawn and off by mid-morning, or fish after dark.

Species guide

The species that matter on Choke Canyon Reservoir: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: Mar-May run

River-run spawners and open-water schoolers. Fast limits when you find them. Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

When to come: the Choke Canyon Reservoir calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Largemouth bass
Crappie
Catfish (blue, channel)
White bass
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 84 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Choke Canyon Reservoir today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 103 F, wind to 17 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 103 F, wind to 18 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 101 F, wind to 14 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Texas requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Bass 14-inch/5. Cats liberal: check TPWD. Alligators: keep distance, no feeding.

Access

Calliham Unit and South Shore ramps (state park fees).

About this water

25,700 acres on the Frio River, Live Oak/McMullen counties, TX. Impounded 1982.

Fishing Choke Canyon Reservoir: the full guide

The brush lake

Choke Canyon floods Frio River brush country: when water years cooperate, it produces double-digit largemouth in flooded huisache like a smaller Falcon. Catfish thrive in the fertile water, the birding is world-class, and the alligators are genuinely numerous: keep stringers out of the water. Watch the level trend: rising Choke is a Texas big-bass telegram.

Brush-country heavyweights

Choke's largemouth grow on flooded mesquite and huisache: flip the standing brush at 8-15 ft when water holds, throw big worms down the creek channels in drought. The lake produces 13-plus ShareLunkers in its high-water cycles: South Texas genetics plus cover equals giants.

Catfish country

Between bass cycles, Choke's blue and channel cats never miss: juglines across the flats, cut bait on the river channel, rod-and-reel drifting in the wind. The alligator population is real and large: net fish with awareness and skip the stringer swim.

Common questions

Does drought kill Choke Canyon?

It compresses it: fish concentrate on channel structure and the bite can actually improve. Refill years flood new brush and detonate the spawn classes: the boom-bust is the lake's engine.

The alligator gar frontier

Choke's Frio River arm holds South Texas' accessible alligator-gar fishery: fish past six feet patrol the shallow backwaters, taken (and mostly released) on cut carp under floats with heavy leaders. It is the lake's frontier program: primitive, patient fishing for a prehistoric apex that peaks in the summer heat everyone else avoids.

How is bank access at Choke Canyon?

Good by Texas standards: the state park's two units offer shoreline, piers, and cleaning stations. Winter bank crappie fishing off the Calliham point is a local staple.

Is fishing good at Choke Canyon Reservoir right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Tough. Pick your battles. Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.

Nearby waters

Braunig Lake53 miCalaveras Lake55 miRockport82 miMedina Lake83 miPort Aransas88 miCorpus Christi91 mi
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