Best Times & Seasons to Fish the Texas Gulf Coast (A Guide)
The Texas Coastline is an often overlooked fishing destination, but it can actually offer some of the best fishing in the United States throughout the year. Knowing the best time of year to fish these rich waters can make a huge difference.
The best time to fish along the Texas coast is from May through October for tarpon, speckled trout, snook, and black drum. Redfish are available year-round but fishing peaks September through December near Port Isabel & Galveston.
| Fish Species | Best Seasons to Fish Along Texas Coastline |
| Redfish | Spring & Summer offers the best redfish numbers; Fall is when the biggest bulls are caught. |
| King Mackerel | April through October is the best fishing window for kingfish in Texas coastal water. |
| Speckled Trout | May through August is the best. Dawn & dusk is the best time of day to fish. |
| Cobia | July through October is the prime cobia season in Texas waters. |
| Largemouth Bass | Spring and early fall are the two best fishing times for bass in these waters. |
Spanning over 600 miles, the Texas Gulf Coast is home to a wide variety of species and fishing opportunities. This area is well known for its beaches and spring break destinations, but the fishing in the area is great as well.
The gulf coast in Texas starts around South Padre Island and ends at the border of Louisiana, with plenty of salt and fresh water options for you to fish. The spots and species you will be fishing at stay consistent throughout the whole coast, but some areas are better for a certain species over others. Find out the peak fishing times in Texas with this handy guide. Check out this helpful guide to the best fishing times for Galveston waters. You may also be interested in this article on how good Galveston fishing is.
Best Time to Fish Texas Gulf Coast
When talking about the best time of year to go fish in this area, you need to take into account what species you will be targeting. In spring, you can find largemouth bass spawning in some of the freshwater lakes the area has to offer. In spring you can also find some redfish, speckled trout, and cobia.
During the summer, redfish and trout fishing starts to pick up and you can also find a wider variety of active fish in nearshore waters, including shark, mackerel, and black drum.
During the fall, you can find bull reds in the flats and much bigger bass in the lakes. If you’re looking to go in the winter, the fishing is still good, you can expect to find redfish, trout, and a few other species as well.
If you’re looking to catch as many fish as possible and not targeting a certain species, the best times to plan a trip would be from March through August. There are plenty of active species during this time and the only downside would be how busy it will be during these times.
Check out this helpful guide to the best times to catch bass in Texas. You may also be interested in this article on the fishing for Texas Gulf Coast in the best times.
Recommended Fishing Charters along the Texas Gulf Coast
These Texas Coastline-based charters have earned great reviews from anglers and will offer you a tremendous service. The captains are knowledgeable, friendly, and are sure to put you on fish. By clicking the links below, you will be taken to the charter’s respective profile on Fishing Booker where you can read reviews, learn more about the charter, view photos, and book online at the best rate.
| Recommended Fishing Charters | Type of Fishing Offered |
| Line Check Charters (Galveston) | Inshore & Nearshore |
| Always An Adventure Guide Service (Corpus Christi) | Inshore & Offshore |
| Grace Fishing Charter (Galveston) | Inshore & Offshore |
| Artificial Action Guide Service (Aransas Pass) | Backcountry & Inshore |
| Olivia J Charters (Freeport) | Inshore, Nearshore & Offshore |
| Reel Fishing Fever (Galveston) | Inshore & Nearshore |
| Steven’s Guide Service (Port Aransas) | Backcountry, Flats & Inshore |
| Galveston Offshore (Galveston) | Inshore & Offshore |
| What’s On Fishing (South Padre Island) | Offshore & Billfish |
| Team Liberty Guide Service (Corpus Christi) | Inshore & Flats |
Species of Texas Gulf Coast (Best Times)
Redfish
If you are looking for numbers, fishing for redfish during the spring and summer will give you the most fish. Some bigger reds will be sprinkled in there, but you will generally find smaller fish during these times as compared to the fall when you will find big, bull reds in nearshore waters and flats.
The best time of day to fish for redfish is early in the morning before the sun gets too high and harsh. Redfish like to feed on a few different kinds of foods that roam the flats, including shrimp, squid, and mullet.
If you can use any of these as bait, go for it, they produce the most consistent results and are much easier to use as compared to some lures. If you are looking to use artificial bait, topwater plugs and plastics on jigs are good options, just make sure to match the baitfish in the area.
Redfish like to hang around flats for most of the day, only moving out from the flats when the sun gets too harsh and they need to find deeper water or cover.
Tides are also a major factor while finding redfish, if it’s high tide, you should be able to find them all over the flats, and if it’s low tide, you should go out further than usual and try to fish the edge of drop-offs.
Largemouth Bass
Largemouth bass are most active during dusk and dawn when the water is still cool or starting to cool down. Bass don’t like to be in hot water, so they’ll be sitting around cover for most of the day, but roaming around more during dusk and dawn.
The best seasons for them are the spring and fall, you will find largemouth spawning in shallow water during the spring and in the fall, the largemouth will be preparing for winter by feeding a lot.
With largemouth, there is no need to overcomplicate things. A standard plastic worm will work great around docks and weed lines, artificial frogs will work in weeds and lily pads and spinnerbaits are good options for searching open water.
Largemouth like to hang out around cover for most of the day while roaming during dusk and dawn when the water is cooler.
If you are having trouble finding them during the day, it is not a bad idea to try deeper water, around humps and points. You can try bass jigs and live baits at these spots. During dusk and dawn, you should try docks and the outer edges of weed lines.
Cobia
Cobia are most active during mid-summer through early fall. During these times, you will be able to find plenty of cobia with decent size to them. As for the time of day, cobia move in shallow during the morning, out deeper during mid-day, and back shallower in the evening.
Cobia likes to feed on different baitfish and mollusks that are towards to bottom of the water column. The most effective bait for cobia are shrimp, crab, mullet, and eels.
You will want a sturdy setup to fight the fish as you can find cobia that are pushing 40lbs and also you can catch many other species with the bait you’re using.
Cobia are generally offshore or deep inshore water fish, but along the gulf coast of Texas, you can find them swimming not too far off beaches during dusk and dawn. If you’re on a boat, you’ll still want to go to deeper water to catch them as they mainly hang around offshore wrecks and reefs.
Speckled Trout
Speckled trout are active all year, with a slight uptick in activity during spring and summer. The best times of day are going to be dusk and dawn when the sun is less harsh and more baitfish are active. If it’s a somewhat cloudy day, you can expect to catch them all day long.
Trout like to feed on baitfish, crustaceans, and shrimp. So, the best options for bait are small baitfish, shrimp and crabs, or any artificial bait that imitates those. Speckled trout also like noise, so some anglers will use a float with a rattle inside it to attract more trout.
Trout are inshore fish, usually sticking to places with plenty of cover. You can usually find them around docks or bridges during the day and in more open water during dusk and dawn.
As with most fish in the area, they don’t like to be in direct sunlight during the day, so throwing your bait near a shady spot is also a good idea.
King Mackerel (Kingfish)
Mackerel season is at its best from April through October. They start their migration north during April, as the water warms up and at that point, it’s a matter of following the warmer water as it moves north.
Mackerel can be caught all day and are more affected by tides than the sun as they are deeper water fish. You will want to fish for them around high tide because there is cleaner water, more current, and more baitfish in the area.
Mackerel like to feed on a few different kinds of baitfish including mullet and ballyhoo. You can try to jig these around offshore wrecks and reefs or you can troll imitation lures around the same areas.
Mackerel are an offshore fish found around offshore wrecks and reefs but are also common in more open water as well. They will stick closer to the bottom, so it’s important to have enough weight to get there, but not so much so that your presentation looks unnatural.
Best Time of Day to Fish Texas Gulf Coast
The best time of day to fish the spots along the Texas gulf coast are dusk and dawn. Most fish will become scattered and inactive during the day as they will just want to find cover and sit there until the water cools down again.
Dusk and dawn are also good because of how active baitfish are during these times, the baitfish will start to move closer to shore and through different underwater currents that act like highways for the fish.
The gamefish in the area will sit around the outside of these currents and wait for baitfish to swim past them and go into the current to feed.
Tidal Impacts on Texas Gulf Coast Fishing
Tides have a big impact on how good fishing will be. Low tide is the worst time to fish, especially from shore as it makes it harder to get to deeper water, where the fish are. The best tide for fishing is high tide and the times leading up to high tide.
There will be more current, bringing in cleaner water and more baitfish closer to shore as the water gets deeper. High tide is especially good for flats fishing because the fish will have more room and feel more comfortable moving around for food.
Affect of Rain and Tropical Storms on Fishing in Texas Gulf Coast
Texas is no stranger to tropical storms, tropical storm season usually runs from the end of summer to the end of fall. This doesn’t mean that it’s a bad idea to book a trip during this time, you will just have to pay extra attention to the weather.
Even if there is a tropical storm way out in the gulf, it will still have a significant impact on fishing near and offshore in this area.
There will be high winds and rains, making it tougher to fish. If there is a tropical storm in the area while you are there, just remember that safety comes first and make sure that water conditions are safe before you go out.
Night Fishing in Texas Gulf Coast
Night fishing can be great in this area, whether you’re freshwater, flats, or offshore fishing, you can catch a ton of fish at night. There are plenty of well-lit piers along the coast that are open 24/7 and have little to no charge.
You can expect to find all of the usual fish that you’d expect to find in the area, in addition to some deeper water species moving closer to shore, like cobia.
Fishing at night works well around towns and cities because they add artificial light which makes it easier for the fish to find food and move around.
Shore and Surf Fishing in Texas Gulf Coast
No matter where you are along the coast, you are only a short drive away from a surf fishing spot. There are countless piers and docks along the coastal lakes of the gulf coast of Texas, it’s harder to pick one to fish at than it is to find one. There are also a ton of beaches that you can fish from, just try to avoid crowded beaches and you will be fine.
Generally, you will want a sturdy setup as you can target a certain species all you want, but will never know what it is until you bring it up, so it’s a good idea to go with heavier equipment.
As for bait, any live bait should work, including mullet, shrimp, crab, and other baits that are natural to the area. For the best results, you should try to throw your bait near the deep side of a sandbar, underwater structure, or deep channel.
Best Fishing Spots in Texas Gulf Coast
-Surf/Shore Fishing
There are way too many spots to count along the gulf coast of Texas, so, these are some of the most popular piers along the gulf coast.
90th Street Pier, Galveston, TX
This pier is famous for its fishing. Located southeast of Houston, in Galveston Bay, there is plenty of fish to be caught here. There is a small fee, but it is a well-lit pier that is open 24/7.
Bob Hall Pier
This pier is located just across Corpus Christi Bay from the mainland, on Padre Island. It faces out into the gulf and offers any species of the area that you can think of. It is also a very popular shark fishing spot.
-Inshore
Galveston Bay
This bay is located southeast of Houston and offers redfish, trout, shark, cobia, and many more. The bay is big enough for plenty of boats to be on it and it has flats areas, peninsulas, and islands that you can fish around. The area is well known for big reds in the fall and fishing is especially good where the bay meets the gulf.
Matagorda Bay
Matagorda Bay is located in Matagorda, which is a town just south of Houston. This bay offers great redfish and trout fishing with a few cobia mixed in there. This area is fished less than some of the other spots on this list but offers the same high level of fishing.
Laguna Madre
Laguna Madre is the thin stretch of water between South Padre Island and the mainland. The area presents good quality flats fishing and great redfish fishing.
You can also find trout in the area. If you go to the gulf side of the island, you can find sharks, cobia, and a few other species as well. Popular methods for this area are using poppers or live bait close to either shore.
-Offshore
With offshore fishing, the opportunities are endless. There are numerous species that you can catch offshore that you will never find inshore.
If you are taking a charter, they will have all of the bait, tackle, and knowledge of the area to put you on plenty of fish. If you are going on your own, offshore reefs and wrecks will have the highest concentration of fish.
Best Seasons to Book a Charter
The best time to book a charter also depends on what species you will be targeting, but it also brings in a few other factors as well. With charters, you can target whatever species you like and some charters offer multi-species trips as well.
Another thing to think about is how busy the area will be during the time you want to book a charter. The Texas gulf coast will be the busiest during spring and summer, tourists and anglers alike will flood the coastal towns and make availability slim, unless if you book ahead, which is recommended.
With that being said, if you book ahead you shouldn’t have an issue and will be able to fish during these times, which happens to be the times with the best fishing in the area.
So, whether you are going offshore or staying inshore, the best time to book a charter would be in the summer, if you can find availability. You will want to start checking availability as soon as possible to ensure that you get the best fit charter to put you on fish.
