Lady bird lake (Austin, TX)
Max Depth: 30ft
Size: 500 Acres
Impounded:1960
Biggest Known Carp: 43.75lbs (TX State Record)
Biggest Known Buffalo: 63lbs+
Lady Bird Lake (or "Town Lake") is located in the heart of Austin along the Colorado river. It is a world-class carp fishery and is known across the world as one of the United State's premier carp lakes. The TX state record common was caught from this lake, and the lake also holds giant buffalo and grass carp over 60lbs.
Lake Travis (travis county, tx)
Max Depth: 210ft
Size: 18,930 Acres
Impounded:1940
Lake Travis is an absolutely beautiful reservoir located on the Colorado River in Travis County, TX. The reservoir is a great all-around Texas fishery, with plenty of largemouth bass, crappie, and catfish present in the lake. However, a lesser known fact about the lake is that it is a premier US carp lake. If you've ever dreamed of catching big commons from a rocky Texas cliffside, Lake Travis is a must-visit.
Lake Somerville (Somerville, tx)
Max Depth: 38ft
Size: 11,460 Acres
Impounded:1967
While there certainly are carp in Lake Somerville, the lake really isn't known for producing monsters (lake record common is only 11lbs). However, Lake Somerville is hands-down one of the best lakes for smallmouth buffalo in Texas. The average catch is usually 15lbs-20lbs, so they aren't beasts, but they are PACKED in there. They also aren't pressured (next to no locals fish for buffs), so you can usually get away with using simple rigs and baits, although personally, we recommend corn on a hair rig. Also, if you prefer catfish, the lake record blue cat is over 90lbs.
Buffalo & Brays bayou (houston, tx)
When you think about downtown Houston, the 4th largest city in the United States, fishing probably doesn't cross your mind. It probably doesn't even cross your mind while crossing a bridge that spans one of Houston's many concrete-lined, man-made bayous. However, there are actually more species of fish swimming in those bayous than almost any other water in the state. Besides the natives (bass, catfish, crappie, gar, drum, etc), there are also several exotic (and yes, invasive) species that got there as a result of the many floods Houston has experienced over the years. These fish include common carp, grass carp, koi, and even armored catfish; a fish you'd normally find attached to an aquarium wall cleaning the algae off. Fly fishing is a popular method for pursuing the bayou's many grass carp, which local anglers have affectionately nicknamed "bayou bonefish".
Sam Rayburn Reservoir (zavalla, tx)
Max Depth: 80ft
Size: 114,500 Acres
Impounded:1965
Sam Rayburn is MASSIVE. Even by Texas standards. It's the largest reservoir that is completely within the state of Texas, and the second overall largest in the state. As a result, it also holds some of the largest carp, buffalo, and catfish in the state as well. The lake record carp is 29.75lbs, and the record smallmouth buffalo is over 80lbs! There have also been 240lb+ alligator gar caught from Rayburn, so it's safe to say that Sam Rayburn is definitely a Texas rough fisherman's paradise.
Lake bryan (bryan/College station, tx)
Max Depth: 45ft
Size: 829 Acres
Impounded:1974
Lake Bryan really doesn't have the best reputation when it comes to fishing. Sure, you can catch channel cats all day long, but you'll be lucky if even one is legal size. That being said, for carp anglers, Lake Bryan is a haven - sort of. The lake is absolutely full of carp, but similar to the catfish, the average catch is only 2lb-5lb. However, you can (at times) catch several carp in one evening session. And, as a bonus, the lake also contains mirror carp, which are a rare catch in Texas. You probably won't catch any monsters (even though the lake record common is 20.00lbs), but if you're in the B/CS area and want to get some carp fishing in, Lake Bryan isn't a bad choice.
Neches river (Tyler & hardin county, tx)
Your main targets in the Neches river would be buffalo, gar, drum, and catfish. Theoretically, there should be carp in the Neches; however, there is no official record carp for the Neches, and we've personally never caught a carp from the river. However, there are for sure 20lb+ buffalo in the Neches, and 50lb+ catfish. The drum also grow huge in the Neches, with some fish reaching 30lb+. The river also holds some of the largest alligator gar in the state.
Pedernales River (travis county, tx)
The Pedernales River has some beautiful scenery, and some beautiful carp as well. The commons in the Pedernales all seem to be a bright orange, almost koi-like color. The river is also home to grass carp, buffalo, river carpsuckers and gray redhorse, along with the usual native species. A great spot to fish the Pedernales is historic Reimer's Ranch, where you can also enjoy some scenic hiking and rockclimbing, if that's your thing.
Brazos River (brazos county, tx)
The muddy waters of the Brazos River aren't the easiest to fish. Strong currents, snags on the bottom, and muddy/unstable banks are just a few of the obstacles you may encounter while fishing the river. Finding access points that aren't terribly overfished can be a challenge, also. However, the rewards are there, waiting to be caught. Like most major Texas rivers, the Brazos holds huge carp (commons & grass), buffalo, drum, catfish, and gar. You'll need heavy tackle and at least 4oz+ weights to fight the current of the river. You'll also want to bring plenty of spare weights and hooks, because like any other river in Texas, you WILL get snagged several times while fishing the Brazos, especially if you're bank fishing.
Lake Austin (Austin, TX)
Max Depth: 75ft
Size: 1,599 acres
Impounded: 1939
Lake Austin is an unfortunate example of good intentions gone bad. It all started in 2011, when city officials decided to introduce Asian grass carp to Lake Austin to combat the Hydrilla problem in the lake (hydrilla is an invasive aquatic plant). Betweet 2011 and 2013, over 30,000 grass carp were pumped into Lake Austin. Unfortunately, after they ate all the hydrilla, they moved onto the other [native] plant species in the lake. Now, Lake Austin is bare of vegetation and overrun with grass carp. So, as a result, if you're looking to land your first grasser, Lake Austin is a safe bet.
Lake Bastrop (bastrop, Tx)
Max Depth: 60ft
Size: 906 acres
Impounded: 1964
Lake Bastrop is a beautiful example of the pine forests that populate the eastern side of our state. The lake contains 40lb+ carp and buffalo, and has two parks (north shore and south shore) that offer camping, kayak rentals and fishing piers.
Yegua Creek (Somerville, TX)
We have nothing but good things to say about this little creek hidden away near Somerville. It flows out of Lake Somerville, and offers some first class fishing for panfish, white bass, hybrid stripers, largemouth, and even crappie. However, the creek also offers some of the best carp fishing we've experienced in the Brazos valley area. We've caught as many as 5 commons in a single evening session, and we hardly ever blank. The carp are easy to spot in the slow-flowing, clear water, so sight-fishing is an effective method here. However, there is a $4 entry fee, since the creek is on state park property. On the bright side, a fishing license is not required so long as the entry fee is paid.
Little Brazos River (Brazos county, TX)
The scenery alone is almost enough to warrant a visit to the Little Brazos, but the bright green grass and bluebonnets along the banks aren't the only thing the river has to offer; It also happens to be an excellent fishery for carp, freshwater drum, gar, and bass. There are footpaths leading both upstream and down from the Highway 21 crossing between Bryan/College Station and Caldwell, and the downstream path leads all the way to where the Little Brazos flows into the Brazos River. Parts of the river are rather shallow, so the larger fish are consequently found in the many deep sections along the river. However, despite the river's size, 150lb+ alligator gar have been hauled out of the waters of the Little Brazos, most notably by Captian Bubba Bedre.