Port guide / Upper Texas Coast / Texas

Galveston fishing guide

Galveston sits between Galveston Bay and the Gulf, so you can fish grass flats and shell reefs in West Bay and East Bay, the North and South Jetties at the ship channel, San Luis Pass at the west end, or run offshore to rigs, reefs and the Flower Garden Banks. Shore anglers have the Seawall piers, Seawolf Park on Pelican Island and the Texas City Dike. Trout and reds are here all year, flounder run in spring and again in fall, and big reds stack in the passes in early fall.

Conditions now
What is biting
Seasons and rules
Where to fish
Ramps and piers
Bait and charters
Events
Questions

10 ft, conditions now

Conditions now

Live from NOAA and the National Weather Service. Times show in your own time zone.

Tides

Loading the next highs and lows from NOAA.

On the water now

Water: Checking
Wind: Checking

Marine forecast

Loading the National Weather Service forecast.

NOAA tides, Galveston Pier 21, TX (opens in a new tab) NWS marine forecast, Coastal waters from High Island to Freeport TX out 20 NM (opens in a new tab)

20 ft, what is biting

What is biting, month by month

When each fish is at its best around Galveston. This month is marked.

What is biting by month around Galveston. Peak, good and slow months for each species.
Species	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Speckled trout	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Peak	Peak	Peak	Good
Redfish	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Peak	Peak	Peak	Good
Southern flounder	Slow	Slow	Slow	Good	Good	Good	Slow	Slow	Good	Peak	Slow	Slow
Sheepshead	Good	Peak	Peak	Good	Slow	Slow	Slow	Slow	Slow	Slow	Slow	Good
Black drum	Good	Good	Peak	Peak	Good	Slow	Slow	Slow	Slow	Slow	Good	Good
Red snapper	Slow	Slow	Slow	Slow	Good	Peak	Peak	Good	Good	Good	Slow	Slow
Blacktip and other sharks	Slow	Slow	Slow	Slow	Good	Peak	Peak	Peak	Good	Slow	Slow	Slow
King mackerel	Slow	Slow	Good	Good	Good	Peak	Peak	Peak	Good	Good	Good	Slow
Tarpon	Slow	Slow	Slow	Slow	Slow	Good	Peak	Peak	Good	Slow	Slow	Slow

Speckled trout
Peak: September, October, November
Locals drift and wade the grass flats of West Bay and the shell reefs of East Bay like Hanna Reef with live shrimp under a popping cork or soft plastics.
Source 1 (opens in a new tab) Source 2 (opens in a new tab)
Redfish
Peak: September, October, November
Slot reds work the bay flats all year, and the big bull reds school in the passes and along the jetties starting around September.
Source 1 (opens in a new tab) Source 2 (opens in a new tab)
Southern flounder
Peak: October
Flounder stage in the channels and passes on their fall run to the Gulf, but the fishery is closed November 1 to December 14, so October is the month to keep fish.
Source 1 (opens in a new tab) Source 2 (opens in a new tab)
Sheepshead
Peak: February, March
Sheepshead crowd the jetty rocks, pilings and reefs to spawn in late winter, so fish tight to the structure.
Source 1 (opens in a new tab) Source 2 (opens in a new tab)
Black drum
Peak: March, April
Black drum spawn in West Bay in March and April, and Seawolf Park and the Seawall piers are dependable spots for them.
Source 1 (opens in a new tab) Source 2 (opens in a new tab)
Red snapper
Peak: June, July
State waters are open all year, but most locals plan federal-water snapper trips for June or July on the rigs and reefs offshore.
Source 1 (opens in a new tab) Source 2 (opens in a new tab)
Blacktip and other sharks
Peak: June, July, August
Sharks show up along the beachfront and around the rigs from late May through September.
Source 1 (opens in a new tab) Source 2 (opens in a new tab)
King mackerel
Peak: June, July, August
Kingfish are a summer offshore target out of Galveston, along with ling and sharks.
Source 1 (opens in a new tab) Source 2 (opens in a new tab)
Tarpon
Peak: July, August
Tarpon roll off the beachfront in summer, and the near offshore between San Luis Pass and Sabine is the classic upper coast tarpon water.
Source 1 (opens in a new tab) Source 2 (opens in a new tab)

30 ft, seasons and rules

Seasons and rules

Open and close dates we could confirm from official sources, plus where to check limits before you keep a fish.

Red snapper, Texas state waters
Open year-round for private recreational anglers in Texas state waters.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 2026 Official page (opens in a new tab)
Red snapper, federal waters (private anglers off Texas)
Opened May 22, 2026. As of October 23, 2026 it remains open, and TPWD will set the closure date by monitoring harvest.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 2026 Official page (opens in a new tab)
Red snapper, federal waters (for-hire boats)
Closed January 1 to May 31. The 2026 for-hire season closes October 26, 2026.
NOAA Fisheries, 2026 Official page (opens in a new tab)
Gag grouper, federal waters
Closed January 1 to August 31. The 2026 season opened September 1 and closed October 1, 2026.
NOAA Fisheries, 2026 Official page (opens in a new tab)
Greater amberjack, federal waters
The season opens September 1 each year. The 2026 to 2027 season closed October 14, 2026 when the quota was reached.
NOAA Fisheries, 2026 Official page (opens in a new tab)
Gray triggerfish, federal waters
Closed January 1 to February 28 and June 1 to July 31, so open March 1 to May 31 and August 1 to December 31.
NOAA Fisheries, 2026 Official page (opens in a new tab)
Shallow-water grouper, federal waters beyond 20 fathoms
Closed February 1 to March 31 seaward of the 20-fathom contour.
NOAA Fisheries, 2026 Official page (opens in a new tab)
Southern flounder, Texas waters
Flounder fishery is closed November 1 to December 14 (bag limit is zero).
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 2026 Official page (opens in a new tab)

40 ft, where to fish

Where to fish

Jetty
Galveston North Jetty
The Bolivar side jetty at the ship channel holds reds and trout and is a common kayak run from Pelican Island or Bolivar.
Source (opens in a new tab)
Reef
Hanna Reef, East Bay
A well known East Bay shell reef for drifting or wading for trout and reds.
Source (opens in a new tab)
Flats
West Bay flats
Grass flats on the bay side of the island where locals wade and drift for trout and reds, and black drum and sheepshead spawn in spring.
Source (opens in a new tab)
Flats
West Bolivar Flats
Shallow flats just outside the bay that fish well when the water is calm.
Source (opens in a new tab)
Jetty
Texas City Dike
A levee that runs about five miles into Galveston Bay with a road on top, piers, cleaning tables and launches along it.
Source (opens in a new tab)
Pass
San Luis Pass
The pass at the west end of the island is a top spot, but currents are strong and wading is restricted in parts of it.
Source (opens in a new tab)
Offshore
Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary
Reef banks roughly 100 miles offshore that Galveston charter boats run to.
Source (opens in a new tab)

50 ft, launch and piers

Ramps and piers

Public launches and fishing piers. Fees and hours change, so check the link before you tow.

Public boat ramps and fishing piers around Galveston
Name	Type	Fee	Where
61st Street Boat Ramp (opens in a new tab)	Ramp	Check	1600 61st St., Galveston, TX 77551
Jones Bay Boat Ramp (opens in a new tab)	Ramp	Check	601 Jones Lake Rd., Tiki Island, TX 77554
Pilsner Boat Ramp (opens in a new tab)	Ramp	Check	End of 15th Street, Bolivar Peninsula, TX 77650
Lauderdale Boat Ramp (opens in a new tab)	Ramp	Check	Yacht Basin Rd., Bolivar Peninsula, TX 77650
Galveston Fishing Pier (91st Street Pier) (opens in a new tab)	Pier	Paid	9001 Seawall Blvd., Galveston, TX 77551
61st St. Fishing Pier (opens in a new tab)	Pier	Check	6101 Seawall Blvd., Galveston, TX
Seawolf Park fishing pier (opens in a new tab)	Pier	Paid	Pelican Island, Galveston, TX

60 ft, bait, tackle and charters

Bait, tackle and charters

Local shops and guides. We are not paid to list anyone here.

Bait and tackle

Bait and tackle shops around Galveston
Shop	Where	Phone
Galveston Bait and Tackle (opens in a new tab)	9301 Broadway, Galveston, TX 77554	(409) 740-1185
Boyd's One Stop (opens in a new tab)	227 Dike Road, Texas City, TX	409-945-4001

Charters and guides

Fishing charters and guides around Galveston
Charter	Fishing
Get Hooked Charters (opens in a new tab)	Inshore and offshore
Galveston Sea Ventures (opens in a new tab)	Inshore and offshore
3G Fishing Charters (opens in a new tab)	Inshore
Wave Dancer Charters (opens in a new tab)	Offshore

70 ft, on the calendar

Tournaments and events

Annual events on this water. Dates move, so confirm with the organiser.

Salute the Heroes Fishing Tournament (Heroes for Freedom Foundation) (opens in a new tab)
usually May
2026: May 16, at Waterman's Marina, Galveston
West End Anglers Kids Fish 2 Tournament (opens in a new tab)
late summer
2026: August 29
Boyd's One Stop Bull Red Tournament (opens in a new tab)
fall, running from early September to about November 1, covering the Galveston Bay complex and beachfront from High Island to the Brazos River
CCA Texas STAR Tournament (opens in a new tab)
Summer, coastwide (late May to Labor Day)
2026: May 23 to September 7

80 ft, asked and answered

Fishing Galveston, asked and answered

When is the best time to fish Galveston for speckled trout?

Trout are caught all year around Galveston, but fall is when the bite picks up. Drift or wade West Bay grass flats or East Bay shell reefs like Hanna Reef with live shrimp under a popping cork.

When do bull reds show up at Galveston?

The big schools of bull reds move into the passes and along the jetties around September. Keeping one over the slot takes a Red Drum Tag or Bonus Red Drum Tag.

Can I keep flounder in November at Galveston?

No. Texas closes the flounder fishery November 1 to December 14, with a bag limit of zero. October is the month to catch them staging in the passes on their run to the Gulf.

Where can I fish Galveston without a boat?

The Galveston Fishing Pier at 9001 Seawall Blvd. and Seawolf Park on Pelican Island are paid piers, and the 61st St. Fishing Pier is on the Seawall too. The Texas City Dike runs about five miles into the bay with piers and cleaning tables, and you do not need a fishing license to fish from shore inside a Texas state park.

Is red snapper open off Galveston right now?

Texas state waters are open all year. The 2026 federal season for private anglers opened May 22 and was still open as of October 23, 2026, while the federal for-hire season closes October 26, 2026. Check TPWD before you go.

90 ft, the kit