Lake Stephenson in Chambers County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  The Chambers County entry here is Lake Stephenson, in Texas. Salt water lies 3.5 miles off. At some 496 acres it is far too large to cover on foot in a day. There is roughly 3.7 miles of bank, more than one visit can cover properly. Ground here is low by Texas standards. For a base, Bolivar Peninsula sits 8.6 miles out. It is 34 miles to Pasadena, the nearest city. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Lake Stephenson

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Time trips to the tide table rather than the clock here. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Nearby survey and observation records mention silver mullet, flathead grey mullet, gizzard shad and threadfin shad. It is a record of sightings and surveys, so use it as a guide. Read Lake Stephenson before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 52°F to 83°F. Summer is the season to work around, not winter. The first and last hours carry the summer; the middle is slow. February into May fishes hardest as the water warms. The season on Lake Stephenson rarely departs from it. Warm spells bring fish up, cold snaps push them down.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Barramundi and estuary fish want hard-bodied lures and soft plastics worked around snags and drains. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Lake Surprise sits 2.2 miles off and takes the overflow. None of that is settled for Lake Stephenson in what we hold.