Conroe Courier June 8, 2023

Alligators, snakes and monster-sized fish all can be found in Lake Conroe’s waters. 

Some Montgomery County residents have speculated that bull sharks are swimming around the man-made lake, which officials have said is false. 

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While the lake has a little bit of everything, the bull shark is not a species that can be found, said Niki Harbison-Ragan, fisheries biologist for the Texas Parks and Wildlife. 

“If there’s a bull shark, it’s because somebody caught one at the coast and put it in there,” Harbison-Ragan said. “We have never seen one.” 

However, there are other “creatures” visitors can find at the lake: 

The American Alligator

The American Alligator is common in swamps, rivers, bayous and marshes of the southern U.S., including the eastern third of Texas, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

Alligators are also found in the northern parts of the lake, closer to the Sam Houston National Forest, Harbison-Ragan said. 

The alligators tend to stay away from the open water, especially where there’s a lot of people, she said. 

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As human populations in Texas continue to expand, there have been an increased number of encounters between people and alligators, the agency’s website states.

Alligators have been known to prey on pets and must be treated with caution. Alligators can be surprisingly quick on land and are capable of running quickly over short distances.

Formerly an endangered species, the alligator is now a protected game animal in Texas. Special permits are required to hunt, raise, or possess alligators.

Aquatic Snakes

There are several aquatic snakes that hang around the lake, including nerodia, broad-banded, yellow-bellied and water moccasin water snakes, Harbison-Ragan said. 

Most of these snakes are non-venomous, excluding the water moccasin — also known as cottonmouths, the Texas Parks and Wildlife’s website states. Cottonmouths can be dark brown, olive-brown, olive green or almost solid black. They are marked with wide, dark bands, which are more distinct in some individuals than in others.

Snakes do not prey on humans and they will not chase you, in fact they usually retreat or escape if given the opportunity. People are asked not to kill any snake, even venomous types.

To read more on how to avoid them, visit tpwd.texas.gov. 

Bass, crappie and catfish

Bass, crappie and catfish are just some of the fish that can be found in the lake’s waters.

Largemouth bass are the most sought after species in Lake Conroe, the Texas Parks and Wildlife’s website states. In 1998, the biggest largemouth bass ever collected by TPWD in an electrofishing survey was taken from beneath a boat dock and weighed in at 14.1 pounds. The standing lake record caught in 2009 by angler Ricky Bearden weighed 15.93 pounds.

Catfish are the most abundant inside the lake, the agency’s website states. In 2018, a Texas Parks and Wildlife biologist caught a 42-inch blue catfish during a survey of the lake. In 2016, the same team photographed a 52-inch beast.

Bluegill on Lake Conroe grow to enormous sizes as well, with some anglers reported to have caught 12-inch bluegills.  

For more information on fish in the lake, visit the Texas Parks and Wildlife website. 

michael.d.garcia@houstonchronicle.comÂ