Catching your own bait in Texas: crayfish, shad and more

Fish do not eat bait from a store. They eat what lives in their own water: shad, minnows, crayfish, insects. Collecting some of that yourself can be satisfying and cheap, and it can put you in touch with what a lake or creek is actually feeding on. It also comes with real rules in Texas, because moving live animals from one water to another is one of the ways invasive species spread. This guide covers what TPWD says, with the date we read each page, and how to think about it.

The license and what you may use

TPWD's general fishing regulations say anyone who takes or tries to take fish, mussels, clams, crayfish or other aquatic life in Texas public waters must have a current Texas fishing license with the right endorsement: freshwater for inland waters, saltwater for coastal waters. The page refers you to the license fee page for exceptions. That covers collecting bait animals such as crayfish.

TPWD's Legal Devices page (valid Sept. 1, 2026 through Aug. 31, 2027) sets out how you may collect. The ones that matter for bait:

The Legal Devices page does not list insects such as grasshoppers or hellgrammites (the larvae of dobsonflies), and TPWD's pages we read do not address collecting them. Picking up insects by hand on private land with the owner's permission is a separate question from collecting from public waters; on public land, check the land manager's rules, and call TPWD if you are not sure.

Moving live bait: the part people miss

TPWD's page on exotic aquatic species is blunt about bait. It says personally caught live bait can be used in the water body where it was caught, that live fish, including personally caught bait, cannot be transported from the water body where the fish were caught, and that commercially purchased bait, once it has touched public water, can only be used as bait on that same water body. Anyone leaving or approaching public fresh water must drain all water from their vessels and on-board receptacles, including live wells. For certain Red River waters TPWD adds that nongame fish collected there may be used as live bait only on the water body where they were collected, to stop bighead and silver carp from spreading.

In practice that means: use what you catch where you caught it, do not carry it to the next lake, and do not dump leftovers in a different water. TPWD's page is about fish; it does not spell out crayfish or insects, so treat the same caution as the right default and ask TPWD if you plan to move them. Violators of the rules on harmful plants and mussels attached to a vessel or trailer are subject to a fine of $25 to $500.

Shad: the forage that is also the bait

TPWD says gizzard shad provide forage for most game species and that they are most abundant in large rivers and reservoirs. It says cut gizzard shad are a common bait for other fish, but the species rarely bites a hook. Threadfin shad, TPWD says, have been introduced as forage fish in many reservoirs, are often used as bait, are quite temperature sensitive, and have had die-offs reported at temperatures below 45°F. You tell the two apart by the jaw: TPWD says the upper jaw of a gizzard shad projects well beyond the lower jaw, while a threadfin's does not. Shad are usually collected with a cast net. If you plan to collect shad in large amounts, check TPWD's current rules first.

Crayfish, hellgrammites and grasshoppers: matching what fish eat

TPWD says adult largemouth bass feed almost exclusively on other fish and large invertebrates such as crayfish. Young bass eat zooplankton and insect larvae, and become active predators at about two inches. That is a good reason crayfish and shad work in a bass lake, and it is also why it helps to look at what is in your own water before you choose bait.

Is your own bait better than store bait? We could not find a study that compares the two, so we do not claim it. What we can say is that fresh local bait is what the fish are already used to, and that it costs you time instead of money.

Ethics and the fish you hook

This summarizes what TPWD's pages say on the dates shown, not legal advice. Rules change every license year; TPWD's Outdoor Annual and your local TPWD office decide what applies to you.

For more reading, we suggest these articles

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