I can't tell you what the fishy odor is... it could be the craw fish. About craw fish being common in Texas, some people would say no. But, I grew up in Southeast Texas (orange area) and we had what we called, "craw fish houses" all over our yard. They were vertical tunnels on top of the ground, made from little balls of mud. Do you have anything like that around?

We also used to joke that if you dug down three feet you would hit water. It was kind of true, because as a kid I would put a stick down into the crawfish houses and it would come out wet and muddy. I have to say that I never actually SAW one,though.

You know people like to eat those things, don't you? lol You could always go catch your dinner in the back yard. Yuk, I personally am not a fan.

Yes... we do have those muddy tunnel things in our yard. Well at least I know what those are now. Hopefully the fishy smell is the craw fish then. (I am a bit disgusted that they are in our yard, I guess I'm relieved they're way out back!)

They are called mud bugs for a reason!
If you don't have a septic system, I would not worry. Invite your friends over for crawfish boil!

Find out what it is.

I had a similar situation and the fishy odor turned out be be a natural gas line leak.

Yeah. You shouldn't be able to smell crawfish that live in your yard.

What marilyn c says makes sense. It won't cost you anything to call the gas company and tell them you think there is a leak somewhere. Better safe than sorry.

And, if you keep knocking the craw fish houses down over and over again, eventually they will stop building. At least, that is what happened where I grew up. If you have children, it is kind of neat for them to see it, though. Even though as adults we prefer not to deal with it. I'm with ya there. I am far more squeamish as a grown woman than I was as a kid. lol

Good luck!!!

If you do have a septic tank you have a serious problem with it.

We had mud bugs in our drainage ditch in Pilot Point (north of Denton). Didn't seem to be a problem in the yard though. They just stayed put.

No, we don't have a septic tank... but I'll call the gas company to check for a leak- thank you.

When we decided to stop using pesticides over the entire yard and only spot treating and stopped using chemical fertilizers is when the problem of the crawfish developed. At one point when I mowed - I was only mowing crawfish mounds. One day when I put some ant killer granules out and noticed that afterwards the crawfish were gone in that area. Now I walk around after a rain with a bag of ant killer and knock over the mounds and sprinkle a small amount of the ant killer in the holes. I am sure I look like a crazy person but the dried dirt mounds were ruining my mower and I didn't want to just put it all over the entire yard. The first few times each year it takes forever but after that only 2 or 3 will pop up after a rain and then I treat those few. They multiply like rabbits....

When I lived in LaMarque the property was next to a drainage ditch. The yard was full of them. I caught them and ate them. Very tasty things. Have you priced them yet this year?? $3.69 per pound!!

The fishy smell could be the area that is staying wet, mold, mildew, etc. Is that area wet most of the time, DUH!, there are crawfish there aren't there?
Tally HO!

My husband goes to Pappadeaux and orders the crawfish platter ---- he loves it.

...what beachplant said....

I grew up in a suburb south of Houston...we had a large back yard and crawfish tunnels all over. As kids, we used to fish for them with hot dogs just for the heck of it. :-)
It used to be my job to go flip the mounds over so Dad could mow without hitting them. If you do that continually, they eventually go away. I've also heard that dropping mothballs in the holes works, but I've never tried that (nor would I at this point).

Ground water and underground streams are not uncommon in south Texas, particularly if you live somewhere with clay/"gumbo" soil. Where I used to live, if you dug up a tree in a certain part of the yard before summer, the hole would partially fill with water (and before someone asks...we were not near the city water or sewage lines).

wow. I learn something new about TX every day!