Fall redfish season builds along the Texas Gulf Coast

What's biting

What's next

All three stations show the next low tide landing on Oct 15 between 17:19 and 18:45 UTC. In local time (CDT, UTC-5) that is roughly 12:19 to 1:45 PM, depending on the station. Moving water around a tide change is typically when redfish feed hardest, so plan to be set up before the midday low and fish through the turn. The early morning hours should also be worth the effort while the water is this warm, and dawn windows tend to beat the midday sun.

With the moon in a waxing crescent phase, there is little extra lunar pull, so tide timing matters more than moon timing this week. Check the next high tide for your specific spot before heading out, since predicted highs were not available in the readings at the time of writing.

If the surface stays in the low 80s, expect fish to stay spread out and active instead of stacking up in deep winter holes. A cooling trend over the coming weeks will start to change that, and anglers should watch for fish moving toward deeper channels and warmer pockets as fronts arrive.

Context

Mid-October on the upper and central Texas coast is typically the heart of the fall transition. Water temperatures usually begin dropping from summer highs, baitfish start moving out of the bays toward the Gulf, and redfish feed heavily ahead of cooler weather. Readings in the low to mid 80s are on the warm side for this date, so the seasonal shift may be running a bit late. Check current Texas Parks and Wildlife regulations before keeping any fish.