Angling opportunities in Texas are as vast as the state itself, and some of the best require neither a boat nor a guide. Here are a handful of notable do-it-yourself spots from the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) Metroplex all the way down to the Coastal Bend.

South Llano River

The spring-fed South Llano River near Junction is what most people imagine when they hear the words “Texas Hill Country” stream.

There are bank fishing opportunities at South Llano River State Park , which is about a two-hour drive from both San Antonio and Austin. But the best way to fish the South Llano is by paddling it in a canoe or kayak.

South Llano River Canoes & Kayaks is the perfect place to make a family memory that will last forever. Because the river is spring-fed and slow-moving, it is a great place to float for folks of all levels of river experience. With a half-dozen public access points along 17 miles of river, you’ll be enjoying the sun and water in no time. Out on the water, try your luck fishing with ultralight spinning gear or a fly rod for perhaps the best Guadalupe bass fishery in the state, along with good numbers of largemouth bass and panfish.

Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area (LLELA)

Just 15 minutes from DFW International Airport and 30 minutes from downtown Dallas, LLELA is a step back into a pre-urban wonderland of wildflower-filled meadows, wetlands, and stately bottomland forest. About one mile of the Elm Fork of the Trinity River, the learning area is easily accessible from well-maintained trails, and the firm gravel and sand bottom is easy wading when flows from Lewisville Lake are below 500 cubic feet per second.

Largemouth bass, spotted bass, white bass, yellow bass, catfish, and a variety of sunfish provide good sport, and the shallows along the banks and over the sand flats provide some of the best opportunities anywhere in the state to sight-cast to smallmouth buffalo and common carp.

Rowlett Creek

On the eastern edge of Dallas, Rowlett Creek is a major tributary of Lake Ray Hubbard. Starting when the redbuds bloom sometime in March, or just a little before, and running through the latter part of April, it becomes what locals call a “white bass factory.” White bass are prolific lake dwellers that are closely related to striped bass. They provide great sport on ultralight spinning gear or light fly rods. Each spring, some magical combination of daylight hours and water temperature sends them up area creeks and rivers to spawn. Outside of the annual white bass run, the creek is an excellent carp fishery, with largemouth bass, channel catfish, and sunfish in good numbers.

Packery Channel Jetties

With 350 miles of Gulf Coastline, the Texas coast can be formidable for the DIY angler. Focusing on fishing in the Packery Channel jetties, between Mustang and Padre Islands in Corpus Christi, however, offer relatively easy access to every species an angler can catch from shore in Texas, and a few more that are exceedingly rare farther north.

There’s nothing like going out and experiencing the water firsthand in the epic battle between fish and man. Get ready to reel in redfish, black drum, spotted seatrout, flounder, sharks, mangrove snapper, kingfish, snook, and tarpon, depending on the season. You’ll be eating like a king after a day angling on the water.

Imagine looking out over the water and seeing schools of redfish glistening just below the surface. In Texas, you can make it a fishing trip you’ll be telling stories about for years.