Central Texas · Bell, Coryell County
Belton Lake
Steep rocky bluffs and points; limited timber; almost no vegetation; crappie on isolated trees and brush in 5–20 ft; TPWD habitat-structure sites.
7-day bite outlook Lake fact sheet (PDF)
The water
- Size
- 12,385 acres
- Nearest town
- Belton
- Level
- 95.6% full, -1.54 ft vs. full pool (-0.04 ft this week) TWDB Nov 14
- TPWD lake page
- tpwd.texas.gov
TPWD ratings
- Bluegill
- Good (sunfish)
- Blue catfish
- Good (catfish)
- Crappie
- Fair
TPWD often rates catfish as one group and bluegill under "sunfish." These are TPWD's ratings, not ours.
Regulations
- Blue catfish
- 25 blue + channel combined; no more than 5 may be 20 in or longer, and only 1 may be 30 in or longer.
- Crappie
- Statewide rule: 25 a day, 10-inch minimum.
- Bluegill
- No bag or length limit on sunfish.
From TPWD's 2026–27 rules (valid through Aug 31, 2027). Rules change — confirm on TPWD before you keep fish. Statewide limits · Lake exceptions · This lake's TPWD rules
Eat-safe advisories
No Texas DSHS fish-consumption advisory is on file for this water in the DSHS advisory layer. That layer is DSHS's 2023 snapshot; always check the current list. DSHS advisories
Where they are this time of year
Side views of a typical Texas reservoir arm — bank, flat, ledge, creek channel — with this lake's kind of structure drawn in. Depths come from TPWD and Missouri Dept. of Conservation guidance; every lake is a little different.
TPWD has placed fish-habitat structures in this lake and publishes their GPS points. TPWD habitat structure map and GPS download
In the news
No recent news stories name this water. The news desk checks every hour.
Handyman & home repair — Huntsville to Austin, Hwy 105 to Hwy 290, into Austin and through Bastrop.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Number | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Catfish, Blue | 312,748 | Fingerling |
| 1998 | Catfish, Blue | 308,987 | Fingerling |
Source: TPWD stocking history (bluegill, blue catfish and crappie only).
Fishing reports
TPWD has put its weekly fishing reports on hold while it reworks them. This site picks them up automatically the week they return.
Outfitters near Belton
Handyman & home repair — Huntsville to Austin, Hwy 105 to Hwy 290, into Austin and through Bastrop.
Your bait shop, guide service or marina here →
Sources
- TPWD — Crappie brochure
- Missouri Dept. of Conservation — Bluegill fishing tips
- AFS 2016 — blue catfish movement, Milford Reservoir telemetry