Requirements for Federal, State & Border Waters
Requirements for Federal Waters and State Tidal Waters
Recreational anglers must have a Texas fishing license and saltwater endorsement to:
- Possess in state water any fish taken in federal waters
- Possess fish on a vessel in the tidal waters of Texas (see Fishing in Federal Waters)
- Possess fish on a vessel in the tidal waters of Texas
Requirements for Border Waters
All fish landed in Texas must comply with Texas bag and length limits. No exceptions.
Texas-Arkansas
In Arkansas waters of the Red River, requirements of that state apply.
Texas-Oklahoma
- In Oklahoma waters of the Red River, requirements of that state apply.
- A person may fish in Texas or Oklahoma waters on Lake Texoma only with the appropriate license from Texas or Oklahoma, unless the person possesses a Lake Texoma fishing license.
- A person must have a valid Texas fishing license to fish from the Texas bank from Denison Dam
to Shawnee Creek (south of the line between border markers 1 and 2 on the map illustration). GPS coordinates are as follows: Marker 1(Lat 33.81892, Long -96.56806), Marker 2 (Lat 33.81986, Long -96.5556). An Oklahoma fishing license is required to wade-fish or fish from a boat in these waters.
- An Oklahoma resident 65 years of age or older is exempt from fishing license requirements in Texas, including on Lake Texoma.
- The upstream boundary of Lake Texoma is at Latitude 33°54.426’; Longitude -96°59.114’.
Texas-Louisiana
Residents of either state, who are properly licensed in their state (or are exempt because of age), or persons who hold valid non-resident fishing licenses issued by either state may fish in any portion of the lakes and rivers forming a common boundary between Louisiana and Texas inland from a line across Sabine Pass between Texas Point and Louisiana Point. Fish landed in Texas must adhere to the Texas bag and length limits.
Texas-Mexico
Border States Include Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, Coahuila, Chihuahua
A recreational fishing license or Permiso de Pesca Deportiva [managed by the Mexican federal agency CONAPESCA (Comisión Nacional de Acuacultura y Pesca)] is required to fish in Mexican waters. Recreational anglers can buy permits for a single day, week, month or year.