The holiday season is just around the corner and with it comes the annual Texas winter tradition of trout fishing at waterbodies across the state.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) will begin stocking thousands of rainbow trout Nov. 27, the day before Thanksgiving, in locations around the state.

Stocking is planned at Bridge Bob Pond at the Mineola Nature Preserve on Saturday, Feb. 8.

It doesn’t take a lot of sophisticated fishing equipment to reel in a rainbow trout. They can be caught using simple, light tackle or hand-tied flies on a fly rod. However, anglers should keep an array of baits and lures nearby as well as ice to keep trout fresh. Rainbow trout are also an attractive, tasty fish and anglers can easily find recipes online.

“TPWD stocks catchable-sized fish during winter months to create unique winter angling opportunities throughout Texas,” said Carl Kittel, TPWD rainbow trout program director. “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. Our winter rainbow trout program has been a favorite of anglers for over forty years.”

Texas does not require a fishing license for youth under the age of 17, but adults must have a fishing license with a freshwater fishing endorsement. Funds from the sale of fishing licenses and freshwater fishing endorsements directly support efforts by TPWD to provide great fishing opportunities for current and future generations.

The statewide bag limit is five trout with no minimum length limit, except on parts of the Guadalupe River where special limits are in effect.

Deliveries can be followed on the TPWD website, which notes that deliveries can be impacted by weather.