Bigmouth Buffalo
Ictiobus cyprinellus
No statewide daily bag or minimum length listed.
Identify your catch
A large, forward-facing mouth separates it from smallmouth buffalo.
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.
Fishing guidance describes documented approaches, not a promise of fish activity today.
Not listed in DSHS Advisory 51. That does not establish that the fish is safe to eat.
Harvest permission and eating restrictions are separate.
General species guide
A native sucker; feeds largely on small organisms suspended in the water.
General Bigmouth Buffalo profile →Sources & lake evidence
TPWD Sam Rayburn lake guide and historical water-body records. Records establish occurrence, not current abundance.
Lake harvest rules ↗Eating guidance ↗Lake habitat & fishing guide ↗Species identification ↗