Lake Fork water level & fishing regulations
Last checked against TPWD: Oct 17, 2026
Regulation year: 2026–27
Regulation year: 2026–27
Lake level
398.24 ft
Daily average elevation, ft above mean sea level · Oct 17, 2026 · 80.5% full · -0.20 ft in 7 days
Daily level, last 31 days
Source: Texas Water Development Board, Water Data for Texas ↗ (best estimates; TWDB makes no warranties)
Live USGS 08018800: 398.21 ft (NGVD 1929) · Oct 18, 2026, 1:30 AM CT (provisional)
Water temperature
This USGS gauge doesn't measure water temperature.
License
Texas fishing license with freshwater endorsement — see TPWD for who needs one.
Buy on TPWD ↗Official link · we never sell licenses
Exceptions at Lake Fork
TPWD lists Fork (Hopkins, Rains, Wood) in its exceptions table with these codes. Wording is TPWD's:
- Bass8For largemouth bass, SLL = 16-24 inches. Bass 16 inches and less or 24 inches or greater in length may be retained. Only 1 bass 24 inches or greater may be retained. Daily bag limit for all species of black bass is 5 bass in any combination.
- Crpie2For black and white crappie caught from DEC. 1 through the last day of FEB., there is no MLL, daily bag = 25 in any combination, and all crappie caught must be retained. March-November, MLL = 10 inches. Year-round daily bag = 25 in any combination.
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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