Camp and fish year-round in temperate to subtropical weather along the Brazos River, which stretches more than 1,000 miles from headwaters northwest of Clovis, New Mexico, through 840 miles of Texas to the balmy Gulf of Mexico near Houston. At riverbanks and dammed lakes on the longest river in Texas, you’ll find more than 40 species of freshwater fish, including largemouth bass, catfish, crappie, rainbow trout, carp and sunfish. Visit the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department website for information on fishing licenses and length and catch limits. Fishing licenses are waived at some state parks.
Three state parks located at lakes along the Brazos have public campsites and access to fishing. Pier and shoreline fishing is free at Brazos Bend and Lake Mineral Wells state parks. Brazos Bend, which has six small lakes but allows no boating, is about 40 miles southwest of Houston. At Lake Mineral Wells, about 75 miles west of Dallas, you can rent rowboats or flat bottom boats with trolling motors. Visitor centers at the two parks participate in the state’s Angler Education program, which offers free loans of fishing equipment. Fish from shore or by boat at Possum Kingdom State Park, about 90 miles east of Abilene. The park at Possum Kingdom Lake also has cabins and public marinas.
Two jurisdictions share oversight of camping and fishing at Whitney Lake, about 30 miles south of Waco on the Brazos River. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers oversees primitive campsites and boat ramps at Walling Bend on the lake. The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department oversees camping and fishing access at Lake Whitney State Park. Droughts that periodically plague Texas can mean changes in fish populations, boat ramp access and campfire rules, so visit the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department website for current conditions when planning a visit.
About 90 miles southeast of Dallas, the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department operates two leased fishing areas along the Brazos. At the 120-acre Brazos River Nature Center North, primitive campsites are located on a bluff about 100 feet above the riverbank. Brazos River Nature Center South, a 53-acre site about 5 miles downstream, has no camping but does offer bank and wade fishing, along with picnic tables and restrooms on shore.
Several privately run campgrounds with tent camping, RV sites and fishing are open during summer months or year-round along the Brazos. While camping at Tres Rios Resort on the Brazos near Glen Rose, visit nearby Dinosaur Valley State Park to fish and follow dinosaur tracks along the Paluxy River, a tributary of the Brazos. Hillbilly Haven Campground near Weatherford offers guided canoe trips. Brazos River RV & Campgrounds near Millsap is home to the Brazos River Catfish Café, which the magazine “Texas Journey” called “arguably the state’s premier catfish eatery.” Brazos Hideaway near Graham has horseback riding trails and stables. Brazos River Adventurez near Cleburne offers guided bow-fishing tours.
