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Neches River Fishing Report

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

An East Texas river followed by two Big Thicket National Preserve units from Town Bluff Dam to the saltwater barrier at Beaumont.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Flow
1,500 cfs
Air / High
59 / 87 F
Wind
N 2 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 08041000, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
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.

4/5Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Neches River lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. The river is running 1,500 cfs, steady over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind N around 2 mph, falling pressure near 1021 hPa and a high of 87. Water sits around 74 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:53 AM-11:53 AM and 10:20 PM-12:20 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Catfish (blue, channel)Excellent

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.

Tomorrow: Similar at 85 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 catfish (blue, channel) 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 Neches River at Evadale.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 08041000.

1,1491,3151,4811,500 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 108 years of October 23

At 1,500 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 08041000 (Neches River at Evadale) is at the 50th percentile for the date: normal. In half of the 108 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 1,485 cfs; the highest was 31,000 cfs and the lowest 160 cfs.

p10 323median 1,485p90 5,439

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 08041000; today’s reading is the latest instantaneous value. Classes follow the ones the USGS used on its WaterWatch maps (retired at the end of 2025): below 10th, much below normal; 10th–24th, below; 25th–75th, normal; 76th–90th, above; over 90th, much above.

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp59 F
High / Low87 / 49 F
WindN 2-5 mph
Pressure1021.2 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain1% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:24 / 18:36
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 Neches River this week

The best day on Neches River this week looks like Monday Oct 26, at 5 out of 5, against 4 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€” Good

Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Solunar majors
9:53 AM-11:53 AM and 10:20 PM-12:20 AM
Minor period
4:15 AM-5:15 AM
Sun
07:24 to 18:36
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Clear, 6 mph
Rain chance
0%

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

Species guide

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

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.

When to come: the Neches River 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
Catfish (blue, channel)
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 Neches River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at excellent. High of 85 F, wind to 6 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at excellent. High of 84 F, wind to 6 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at excellent. High of 83 F, wind to 6 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 (NPS: not needed under 17). Limits follow TPWD's current freshwater and coastal rules for the reach you fish; heed the Neches consumption advisory.

Access

McQueens Landing (County Road 150), Evadale ramp (US 96), Confluence launch (Four Oaks Ranch Road) and Saltwater Barrier ramp (Beaumont).

About this water

An East Texas river; Big Thicket National Preserve's two Neches corridor units cover 56 miles between Town Bluff Dam and the Beaumont Unit.

Fishing Neches River: the full guide

Through the Big Thicket

Two units of Big Thicket National Preserve follow the Neches. The Upper Neches River Corridor Unit runs 34 miles from just south of B.A. Steinhagen Lake at Town Bluff Dam to the Neches Bottom and Jack Gore Baygall Unit, in Jasper and Tyler counties. The Lower Neches River Corridor Unit runs 22 miles on to the Beaumont Unit, in Hardin and Jasper counties.

Fishing in the preserve

NPS says all the preserve's waterways allow fishing and recommends the Neches River, Village Creek, Turkey Creek and Pine Island Bayou, with good spots at boat launches and day-use areas in the Beaumont Unit. A Texas license is required, and NPS notes that children under 17 do not need one.

Fish consumption advisory

Because of dioxins and mercury, Texas health advice limits eating blue catfish over 30 inches, flathead catfish, gar, largemouth and spotted bass over 16 inches, and smallmouth buffalo from the Neches, with the strictest advice, up to do not eat, for women of childbearing age and children under 12. NPS relays the advisory from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Department of State Health Services.

Launches and flows

McQueens Landing on County Road 150 south of Steinhagen Lake serves the upper unit; the Evadale ramp on US 96 and the Confluence launch on Four Oaks Ranch Road serve the lower unit. The Saltwater Barrier ramp in Beaumont opens the Neches and Pine Island Bayou and starts the 4.8-mile Cooks Lake to Scatterman paddling trail. The USGS gauge at Evadale (08041000) reports flow below Town Bluff Dam.

Common questions

Can I fish in Big Thicket National Preserve?

Yes. NPS allows fishing in all the preserve's waters with a Texas license; anglers under 17 do not need one.

Is it safe to eat fish from the Neches?

Only within the Texas health advisory, which limits several species, including large bass and catfish, because of dioxins and mercury.

Where can I launch on the lower river?

NPS names the Evadale ramp on US 96, the Confluence launch on Four Oaks Ranch Road and the Saltwater Barrier ramp in Beaumont.

Is fishing good at Neches River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Nearby waters

Sabine Lake35 miSabine Pass45 miSam Rayburn Reservoir53 miCalcasieu Lake55 miLake Livingston70 miLake Houston70 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 08041000 β€” Neches River at Evadale
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 14:00 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 30.3500, -94.0700 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 5, 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 5, 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.