Lady Bird Lake
Regulation year: 2026–27
Plain-English summary AI-written from the cited records
Lady Bird Lake is listed in the TPWD 2026-27 exceptions table with codes Bass7 and Carp1, and exception codes replace the statewide rule for the species they name 1. For largemouth bass, the slot limit is 14-21 inches, bass 14 inches and less or 21 inches or greater may be retained, only one bass 21 inches or greater may be retained, and the daily bag limit for all species of black bass is 5 bass in any combination 2. For common carp, only 1 carp 33 inches or greater may be retained each day, and there is no daily bag limit for carp less than 33 inches in length 3.
Generated from the official records on this page and machine-checked so it contains no number that isn't in them. The tables below and TPWD's text are authoritative.
USGS doesn't publish a live level for gauge 08157900 (Town (Lady Bird) Lk at Austin, TX) right now, so we don't show one.
This USGS gauge doesn't measure water temperature.
Texas fishing license with freshwater endorsement — see TPWD for who needs one.
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Exceptions at Lady Bird Lake
TPWD lists Lady Bird (Town) (Travis) in its exceptions table with these codes. Wording is TPWD's:
- Bass7For largemouth bass, SLL = 14-21 inches. Bass 14 inches and less or 21 inches or greater in length may be retained. Only one bass 21 inches or greater may be retained. Daily bag limit for all species of black bass is 5 bass in any combination.
- Carp1For common carp, only 1 carp 33 inches or greater may be retained each day. There is no daily bag limit for carp less than 33 inches in length.
Statewide limits (for anything the exceptions above don't cover)
| Species | Daily bag | Min length | Max length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | 5 fish for any combination of largemouth, smallmouth, Alabama, Guadalupe, and spotted bass. | 14 inches | — |
| Smallmouth bass | 5 fish for any combination of largemouth, smallmouth, Alabama, Guadalupe, and spotted bass. | 14 inches | — |
| Spotted, Guadalupe & Alabama bass | 5 fish for any combination of largemouth, smallmouth, Alabama, Guadalupe, and spotted bass. | None | — |
Striped & Hybrid Striped bass
| 5 in any combination | 18 inches | — |
| White bass | 25 | 10 inches | — |
| Yellow bass | No limit | None | — |
| Catfish: Channel, blue, their hybrids & subspecies | 25 (in any combination - only 10 can be 20 inches or greater in length) | No Limit | — |
| Catfish: Flathead | 5 | 18 inches | — |
| Crappie: White, black, their hybrids & subspecies | 25 (in any combination) | 10 inches | — |
Gar: Alligator
| 1 | None | — |
Paddlefish
| — | — | — |
| Saugeye | 5 (only 2 can be less than 16 inches in length) | None | — |
| Shad: Gizzard & threadfin | No limit; however, a person who collects shad for personal use and transports those fish from a public water body in a container or containers that total 30 gallons or more in volume will be required to get a Permit to Possess or Sell Nongame Fish Taken from Public Fresh Water . | None | — |
| Sunfish: various including bluegill, redear, green, warmouth & longear | No limit | None | — |
| Trout: Rainbow & brown | 5 in any combination | None | — |
| Walleye | 5 (only 2 can be less than 16 inches in length) | None | — |
TPWD Outdoor Annual 2026–27 · official source ↗ · checked Oct 17, 2026
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