Texas’ biggest estuary and one of America’s great trout-and-redfish factories: shell reefs, wells, marsh lakes, jetties and a wade-fishing culture all its own.
Region: Texas · TX. Coordinates 29.3100, -94.7933.
This zone reads from NOAA CO-OPS tide station 8771450 — Galveston Pier 21, TX — for tide predictions and observed water level, with wind, gusts, air temperature and marine warnings from Open-Meteo and the National Weather Service. Water temperature comes from the same station's thermometer.
Every reading is fetched when you open the page, so nothing here is a published forecast: the tide timeline covers the next 48 hours with highs, lows and moon phase, and the bite outlook scores the current tide stage, water temperature, wind and pressure for the species you pick. Open the console to watch this water on one screen, or see it in context on the coastal map.
For recreation only — not for navigation. In an emergency call 911 or hail the Coast Guard on VHF 16.
Catalog species that hold in this zone: Speckled Trout, Redfish (Red Drum), Southern Flounder, Sheepshead, Black Drum, Tarpon, Spanish Mackerel.
| Season | Species present |
|---|---|
| spring | Speckled Trout, Redfish (Red Drum), Black Drum, Sheepshead, Southern Flounder |
| summer | Speckled Trout, Redfish (Red Drum), Spanish Mackerel, Tarpon |
| fall | Redfish (Red Drum), Speckled Trout, Southern Flounder, Black Drum |
| winter | Speckled Trout, Redfish (Red Drum), Sheepshead, Black Drum |
What to tie on: 28 lures and baits in the lure & bait database are proven for the species that hold in Galveston Bay, and the smart lure tool narrows them to today's conditions on this water.
Winter wade-fishing over mud-and-shell produces the year’s biggest trout. Spring is the black drum run and scattered trout as fronts fade. Summer moves fish to deep shell, wells and the jetties. Fall is the marquee: bull red run at the jetties in October and the November flounder run out of every bayou.
Base camps and launch areas inside this zone:
Running these waters? Pull the official NOAA chart before you go — it opens centered on this zone. Check the regulations for Galveston Bay for current size and bag limits, and run the launch-prep checklist before you leave the ramp.
Rather fish Galveston Bay with someone who runs it every week? These local businesses call this zone home port:
Browse every listing in the charters & guides directory, or — if you run trips here yourself — list your business.
The what's-biting report and the angler reports on this page are sample content, clearly labeled as a demo in the app — posting and replies activate with the community account system. Live tide, water temperature, wind and warning data are real and pull from NOAA and Open-Meteo on every visit.