Lake Arlington Fishing - Guide, Hotspots, and Advice

Lake Arlington is a perfect fishing spot if you are looking for some of the best bass, crappie, and catfish in Texas. The lake has over 20 miles of shoreline and shallow water, making it perfect for beginners to expert fishermen. 

Lake Arlington fishing offers a fun day out catching fish such as largemouth bass, white bass, flathead catfish, and channel catfish. These species are all caught by using artificial lures or live bait, such as worms, cut bait and crankbaits. 

So grab your rod & reel because we're going fishing!

I have listed all the things you need to know about getting started when fishing lake Arlington.

Lake Arlington

Lake Arlington is a reservoir lake located in Arlington, Texas. Located between Fort Worth and Dallas.

Lake Arlington is a large lake and offers various fishing activities. The lake is 20 miles away from the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and about a 20-minute drive to Downtown Dallas. 

Lake Arlington has a depth of 4 to 51 feet, with an average lake level of about 550 feet above mean sea level. The lake covers roughly 1,939 acres in size, and the shoreline is over 20 miles long.

There are also various parks surrounding the lake that you can fish from or even rent boats from.   

Lake Arlington Fishing

Fish can be caught at any time during the year, although from April to September is the most popular time for fishing and when the fish will bite the most.

At lake Arlington can, you can fish for different species such as: 

• Largemouth Bass: The lake's largemouth bass catches range from 3 to 12 pounds in size and are excellent sport fish because of their big size and an aggressive bite. Lake Arlington has Florida species that make them highly sought after by some lake fishermen because of the large sizes of largemouth bass species. The largest recorded Largemouth bass caught at Arlington was 13.38 pounds by Richard Holland on 4th February 1994.
• White Bass: The lake is home to many white bass species. The average size of white bass in Lake Arlington is about 1.25 pounds, but lake anglers have caught fish that grow up to the lake record of 1.65 pounds. In addition, Lake Arlington has a lake record for the largest white bass caught by Britton Morse, with a weight of 1.65 pounds and a length of 16.5cm. This fish was caught on April 3rd, 2005, using a curly tail as bait in the lake's south arm region, which is located in lake Arlington's southeast corner.
• Channel Catfish: Lake Arlington has a large Channel catfish population. These fish are the lake's best catch because of their weight and size. They can grow up to 13 pounds and 30.5cm in length and love to bite and put up a good fight. You'll find the channel cats mostly at night time or during the early evening hours when they feed aggressively on bait fish, such as shad or cut bait.

Lake Arlington Fishing Hot Spots

Bass like a lake with a mix of vegetation, woody cover in the lake's main channels, and rocky outcroppings.

Largemouth bass are usually caught around lake cover such as lily pads or sunken trees. In the spring, you can catch bass as they move into shallow water to spawn.

White bass love being in the open water near woody cover or any submerged vegetation to use for shelter and hiding from predators while feeding on small baitfish or plankton. Channel

Catfish are caught in vegetation beds and feed on small baitfish including, shad.

Best Fishing Tackle for Lake Arlington

Lake Arlington fishing attracts thousands of fishermen every year. To be able to fish all day long, you need good equipment. Here is what I recommend when fishing at Lake Arlington

Baits & Lures

Many artificial lures work great on Lake Arlington. 

Lures that produce good results include Spinnerbaits, crankbaits, jigs, and rigs presenting a soft plastic. I love to use a Texas-rigged Senko for catching largemouth and have had great success in the past.

Live bait is a good bait to use, especially when fishing for catfish on lake Arlington. Shrimp, cut bait, worms, and small fish works extremely well.

Rods and Reels

I highly recommend using a 12- to 18-pound braided line with a medium fishing rod and reel for the best results when fishing for catfish.

For Largemouth bass, I recommend a good bass rod and a good high-quality compatible bass reel.

Lake Arlington Fishing License Requirements

All lake goers must have a valid Texas fishing license before fishing on Lake Arlington.

If you are over 17 years of age and fishing at Lake Arlington, then it is required that you possess a Texas state fishing license.

You can purchase your fishing license at:  https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/licenses/fishing-licenses-stamps-tags-packages/fishing-licenses-and-packages

Also, check your Texas Fishing License requirements before going lake fishing to avoid any fines or penalties.