Texas plans to stock public waters, including the Trinity River, with hundreds of thousands of rainbow fish over the next few months, officials said.

Fishing for rainbow trout on Texas rivers and streams is popular among anglers and is an annual winter tradition for many, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

The department recently announced it plans to stock 342,373 rainbow trout in Texas between this week and March 9. The agency has stocked rainbow trout in waters throughout the state for more than four decades.

The trout will be put into the Guadalupe River downstream of Canyon Lake, the Brazos River downstream of Possum Kingdom Lake, portions of the Frio and South Llano rivers and in the Clear Fork of the Trinity River, according to a news release.

Because rainbow trout cannot survive most areas of Texas after winter due to warmer water temperatures, anglers are encouraged to keep up to their daily bag limit of five trout. (Exceptions exists within special trout management zones on the Guadalupe River downstream of Canyon Lake, which often remains cool enough for rainbow trout to survive year round.)

Rainbow trout fishing doesn’t require sophisticated equipment as they can be caught using simple, light tackle or hand-tied flies on a fly rod. It’s a good idea to keep an array of baits and lures handy as well as ice to keep the catches fresh, though.

“TPWD stocks catchable-sized fish during winter months to create unique winter angling opportunities throughout Texas,” Carl Kittel, rainbow trout program director at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, said in the release. “Rainbow trout love cold water and can be caught on a variety of baits and lures (worms, commercially available pastes, corn, spinners, spoons, flies and more), and are great to take home and eat.”

The department also has a Neighborhood Fishin’ program that helps provide experiences for families and new anglers to reel in a fish in and around major cities, including in Dallas-Fort Worth. The program’s lakes are frequently stocked with rainbow trout during the winter.

More information on the rainbow trout stocking and a schedule can be found on the agency’s website.

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