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Lake Livingston Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Lake Livingston: a 90,000-acre Trinity River reservoir that TPWD rates for white bass and blue catfish.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Lake level
129.27 ft -1.73 vs pool
Air / High
78 / 78 F
Wind
SSW 3 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 08066190, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Tap a marker for today's tip
Friday
23
October 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.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Lake Livingston offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. The gauge reads 129.27 ft, 1.73 ft below pool, easing 0.38 over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind SSW around 3 mph, steady pressure near 1018 hPa and a high of 78. Water sits around 74 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:58 AM-11:58 AM and 10:25 PM-12:25 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Striped bassExcellent

Use electronics to find shad schools in open water, and watch for birds working over bait.

Largemouth bassGood

The main feeding season after the spawn: work moving baits along weed edges, points and wood, and follow up with a soft plastic where a fish swirls.

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Spawning season from late May into summer: Iowa DNR suggests drifting bait under a float along riprap and snags where males guard nests in cavities.

CrappieFair

Early in this band crappie are spawning in protected coves; afterward they move to docks, brush piles and standing timber near deeper water.

White bassFair

Summer and early fall schooling season over open water; follow the shad, and try live bait on the bottom at night.

Hybrid striped bassFair

Look for shad on flats with timber near creek channels and on windblown points; cast jigs and swimbaits where fish break the surface.

Tomorrow: Similar at 80 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

Texas requires a fishing licence from age 17, from $30.00 for residents. What a Texas licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing largemouth bass here? Check the size and bag limits with TPWD before you keep anything. The season dates for Texas, read off the agency, are on the Texas seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from Livingston Res nr Goodrich, TX.

Water level, last 30 days

USGS gauge 08066190. Conservation pool is 131 ft.

129.24129.94130.63pool 131129.27 ft09/2310/0310/1310/23

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp78 F
High / Low78 / 56 F
WindSSW 3-7 mph
Pressure1018.3 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:28 / 18:40
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~74 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Lake Livingston this week

The best day on Lake Livingston this week looks like Monday Oct 26, at 5 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Monday, Oct 26 β€” excellent at 5/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
9:58 AM-11:58 AM and 10:25 PM-12:25 AM
Minor period
4:19 AM-5:19 AM
Sun
07:28 to 18:40
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Partly cloudy, 7 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

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

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: the spring pre-spawn and the fall feed

A warm-water sunfish of lakes, reservoirs, ponds and slow river backwaters that holds tight to cover: weeds, logs, rock ledges and docks. In Texas, TPWD surveys rank it "by far" the freshwater fish anglers most want to catch. The main feeding season after the spawn: work moving baits along weed edges, points and wood, and follow up with a soft plastic where a fish swirls.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: the spring spawn; summer around docks, brush and the thermocline

Two slab-sided panfish, the white crappie and the black crappie, that gather around submerged timber, brush piles, docks and bridge pilings in lakes, reservoirs and slow river backwaters. Texas Parks and Wildlife counts crappie as the state's most popular panfish. Early in this band crappie are spawning in protected coves; afterward they move to docks, brush piles and standing timber near deeper water.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Year-round, best at dusk and after dark

Three big catfish share most of the country's rivers and reservoirs: the channel catfish, the most widespread; the blue catfish, the largest; and the flathead, which hunts live fish. All feed mostly on or near the bottom. Spawning season from late May into summer: Iowa DNR suggests drifting bait under a float along riprap and snags where males guard nests in cavities.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: the spring run up the tributaries, then summer surface schools

A silvery temperate bass of rivers and large reservoirs, also called sand bass, that schools in open water after shad and runs up tributaries to spawn in early spring. Summer and early fall schooling season over open water; follow the shad, and try live bait on the bottom at night.

Hybrid striped bass illustration

Hybrid striped bass

Best: the spring shad spawn and fall; summer at dawn and dusk

A hatchery cross of striped bass and white bass, also called wiper or palmetto bass, stocked by state agencies into reservoirs and rivers as a sport fish that also eats gizzard shad. Schools roam open water after shad. Look for shad on flats with timber near creek channels and on windblown points; cast jigs and swimbaits where fish break the surface.

Striped bass illustration

Striped bass

Best: spring and fall inland; on the coast, during the seasonal migrations

The largest of the temperate basses, a sea-run fish of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts that now also lives in reservoirs across much of the country after hatchery stocking. Inland, it follows schools of shad and herring through open water. Use electronics to find shad schools in open water, and watch for birds working over bait.

When to come: the Lake Livingston 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
Hybrid striped bass
Striped bass
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 74 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~74 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 Lake Livingston today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Largemouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 78 F, wind to 6 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 79 F, wind to 7 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Largemouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 77 F, wind to 7 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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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

Texas fishing license. Lake rule: blue and channel catfish 50 a day combined, no more than 5 of them 30 inches or longer, no minimum length. Statewide rules for the rest: largemouth 14-inch minimum within 5 black bass; white bass 10 inches, 25 a day; striped and hybrid bass 18 inches, 5 combined; crappie 10 inches, 25. A fish consumption advisory is in effect.

Access

TPWD counts six public boat ramps plus private marinas, including the Cauthan, Riverside, Blanchard and Point Blank public ramps, Wolf Creek Park and Lake Livingston State Park (3 ramps, fishing pier, 2 cleaning stations). Park improvements cause temporary campsite closures through December 2026.

About this water

A 90,000-acre Trinity River Authority reservoir (TPWD figure), impounded in 1969, in Polk, San Jacinto, Trinity and Walker counties, Texas.

Fishing Lake Livingston: the full guide

A big river reservoir

TPWD lists Lake Livingston at 90,000 acres with a maximum depth of 77 feet, on the Trinity River in Polk, San Jacinto, Trinity and Walker counties. It was impounded in 1969, is controlled by the Trinity River Authority, and its dam lies west of Livingston, 50 miles north of Houston. Normal clarity is moderately to highly turbid, and zebra mussels are present, so boats and receptacles must be drained when leaving.

White bass and catfish

TPWD calls Livingston a notable white bass fishery, with plentiful fish that grow to large sizes, most readily caught in early spring in the creeks that feed the lake. Its catfish fishery is dominated by blue catfish, and channel and blue catfish bite most of the year over the main river channel and in tributaries and creeks. Largemouth bass, striped bass and crappie are less abundant; largemouth are caught most often in the bays and creeks from the Kickapoo/Penwaugh area north, best in spring and fall.

Striped and hybrid bass

TPWD's stocking record shows hybrid striped bass (sunshine bass) stocked in 2024, 2025 and 2026, and striped bass in most years since 2010. For striped bass, TPWD suggests trolling or vertical jigging spoons or live shad around the US 190 bridge.

Below the dam

Texas rules make it a violation to leave unattended or anchor a boat, barge or fishing platform in the Trinity River below Livingston Dam, in the area from 1,000 feet to 1,500 feet downstream of the dam, for more than 10 hours in any 24 without moving at least 100 feet, or for five or more consecutive days.

Common questions

What are the catfish limits at Livingston?

Fifty blue and channel catfish a day combined, with no more than 5 of 30 inches or longer and no minimum length, under the lake's special rule.

When is white bass fishing easiest?

TPWD says white bass are most readily caught in early spring in the many creeks that feed the lake.

Is the lake low?

Compare the USGS level on this page with the 131-ft conservation pool; TPWD says the lake normally fluctuates 1 to 2 feet a year, and the state park warned of very low water at its ramp in August 2026.

Is fishing good at Lake Livingston right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Lake Conroe35 miLake Houston56 miLake Nacogdoches62 miSam Rayburn Reservoir64 miNeches River70 miLake Limestone80 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 08066190 β€” Livingston Res nr Goodrich, TX
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 19:30 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 30.7625, -95.1522 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 8, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 8, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.