Buffalo & Carp
Smallmouth buffalo · Bigmouth buffalo · Common carp
Common carp has no bag or minimum length limit. Buffalo are not listed among statewide species with bag/length limits. Grass carp are regulated as a potentially harmful exotic fish and are not included in these simple harvest rules.
Official lake regulations ↗
Habitat on Sam Rayburn
TPWD Sam Rayburn records document common carp, smallmouth and bigmouth buffalo; grass carp also appears in historical bowfishing records.
Fishing approach
These are not bass or sunfish. Verify identification carefully, particularly before deciding whether to eat a buffalo.
Lake fishing guide ↗SMALLMOUTH BUFFALO: DO NOT EAT for everyone. Other buffalo species and common carp are not specifically named in Advisory 51; that does not establish safety.
Official consumption guidance ↗Species within this group
Smallmouth Buffalo
Harvest: No statewide daily bag or minimum length listed.
Eating guidance: DO NOT EAT — everyone, all sizes.
Buffalo are native suckers, not carp; correct species identification matters for the advisory.
Bigmouth Buffalo
Harvest: No statewide daily bag or minimum length listed.
Eating guidance: Not listed in DSHS Advisory 51. That does not establish that the fish is safe to eat.
Different species from smallmouth buffalo; the smallmouth-specific advisory should not be applied to every buffalo.
Common Carp
Harvest: No daily bag or minimum length.
Eating guidance: Not listed in DSHS Advisory 51. That does not establish that the fish is safe to eat.
Common carp is distinct from native buffalo species.
Individual lake profiles
Choose the species for its own identification, harvest rules and eating guidance on this lake.
Smallmouth Buffalo
Ictiobus bubalusNo statewide minimum · No statewide limit daily
Bigmouth Buffalo
Ictiobus cyprinellusNo statewide minimum · No statewide limit daily
Common Carp
Cyprinus carpioNo statewide minimum · No statewide limit daily
Source & occurrence note
TPWD Sam Rayburn lake guide and historical water-body records. Records establish occurrence, not current abundance.