Texas fishing reports
580 reports for Texas — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
East Texas bass settle into early fall patterns
Fall is taking hold across Texas bass country, and Lake Fork Trophy Bass calls October a great month to be on the water, with cooling weather and quality fish to be caught. Hunting season is pulling anglers off the lake, so boat traffic should stay light. Tactical Bassin points to the shallows this month, with jigs, soft jerkbaits and topwater working for October bass. Regional gauge readings show water temperatures between 80 and 83°F on the nearby lower river systems.
Lower Laguna Madre redfish ride a warm, new-moon tide
Water in the Lower Laguna Madre area is running warm. NOAA CO-OPS station 8775237 read 82.2°F and station 8779770 read 83.8°F around midday local time, which keeps the inshore system in a summer-like state even though it is mid-October. Warm water holds baitfish active and keeps redfish feeding through the day instead of only at dawn. Texas Fish & Game Magazine is running a piece on spinnerbaits for speckled trout, a reminder that moving lures are worth a look this fall. Saltwater Sportsman notes the fall mullet run is under way along the Gulf Coast from September into November, and mullet movement is a reliable cue for where redfish will stack up.
Warm bay water and a fall baitfish push set the pace
Galveston-Corpus water is still running warm for mid-October. Our NOAA CO-OPS readings from early this morning show 84.2°F at station 8771450, with 81.3°F at station 8771341 and 81.5°F at station 8772471. That is summer-like water for the second week of October, so fish are not yet on a full winter pattern. Saltwater Sportsman notes that the fall baitfish migration is under way, with fish pouring out of rivers, bays and estuaries along the Gulf, and that movement is what draws predators to the passes and shorelines. The New Moon this weekend means dark nights and small tidal swings tied to the lunar phase, so the tide windows below are the best way to plan a trip.
New moon fall transition sets up Hill Country shoreline bites
Water across the Hill Country is in the low 70s, a clear step down from summer. USGS gauge 08155500 read 72°F this morning, gauge 08170990 showed 70°F, and the shallower gauge 08105891 sat at 79°F. That spread tells us the larger, deeper water is cooling while shallow, slow-moving water still holds summer warmth. Per Tactical Bassin, fall fish relate to hard structure like dock pilings, laydown trees and rocks, and shallow jig and topwater presentations stay effective through October. A New Moon today means dark nights and a strong early-morning window.
Texas catfish and bass shift as October cools the water
Warm water is still the story across South Texas this week. A USGS gauge 0821150305 reads 84°F and a second, USGS gauge 08211200, reads 81°F with flow near 76 cfs, so fish are not yet in a full fall pattern. North Texas Catfish Guide described the late-summer grind on Eagle Mountain Lake as hot water, little wind and a tiny, hard-to-detect bite where hooksets had to be dialed in. The same report noted a lot of small catfish mixed in with better keepers. Texas Fish & Game Magazine also has TPWD fishing rule proposals in the news, so check current state regulations before harvesting anything.
Fall mullet run arrives as Texas weighs new redfish tag rules
Water along the Galveston-to-Corpus corridor is still running warm for mid-October. NOAA CO-OPS gauges logged 84.6°F at station 8771450, 82.8°F at station 8771341 and 83.5°F at station 8772471 as of October 10. Saltwater Sportsman's look at the annual mullet run notes millions of baitfish pushing out of Gulf bays and estuaries from September into November, the bait surge anglers watch for as the fall bite builds. On the regulations side, Texas Fish & Game Magazine reports Texas Parks and Wildlife is weighing rule changes touching redfish tagging, with existing seasonal harvest closures staying in place for now.
Warm Water Keeps Redfish, Snook Active on Texas Gulf Coast
Water temperatures across Galveston-Corpus tide stations are holding in the low-to-mid 80s (82.2-84.7°F), unusually warm for mid-October and a sign the fall cool-down hasn't taken hold yet. That lingering warmth is keeping inshore fish active: per Salt Strong, anglers working soft plastic jerk lures after switching off topwater plugs turned a slow stretch into a quick redfish-and-snook slam this week. With a new moon tonight, expect stronger-than-average tidal exchange to sharpen the afternoon bite.
Redfish, snook turning on as Gulf Coast bays hold summer warmth
Water temps across the three Galveston Bay-area CO-OPS stations are running 82.4-84.7°F this morning, warm enough that bay fish are still behaving like it's late summer rather than mid-October. Saltwater Sportsman reports the fall mullet run is now pushing millions of baitfish out of Gulf Coast bays and estuaries, the kind of bait movement that pulls predators up onto moving water. On the lure side, Salt Strong describes switching from hard plugs to soft plastic jerk lures to turn a dead stretch of water into a quick inshore slam with redfish and snook mixed in.
Hill Country lakes ease toward fall transition as flows run low
USGS gauge 08155500 near Lake Travis logged 72°F water and just 21 cfs of inflow this morning, while tributary gauge 08170990 downstream shows zero flow and 70°F, a pairing that points to a quiet, low-water stretch across the Highland Lakes chain right now. A feeder-creek gauge closer to Austin, 08105891, ran warmer at 81°F, and 08158000 posted a stronger 773 cfs push with no temperature reading attached. Together the four readings describe a system still holding pockets of late-summer warmth in its upper reaches while cooling at the margins, the kind of mixed signature that shows up as Hill Country lakes begin their fall turnover.
Toledo Bend, Sam Rayburn ease into the fall transition
Water temperatures across the Toledo Bend-Sam Rayburn system are holding in the low 80s as of Thursday evening, with USGS gauges 08017044 and 08017118 both reading 82°F and gauge 08017095 at 80°F. Flow on the Angelina-side gauge 08030500 sits near 978 cfs, steady and unremarkable for early October. Lake Fork Trophy Bass, reporting from a fellow East Texas reservoir, describes the broader regional pattern this week: cooling nights are pushing the fall transition along, feeding activity is picking up as water eases down from summer highs, and boat traffic is thinning as more anglers head to deer stands and blinds with hunting season opening.
Fall Mullet Run Reaches the Texas Gulf Coast
Water along the upper Texas coast held in the mid-80s this week — NOAA CO-OPS readings came in at 85.1°F at Galveston Pier 21, 83.8°F at the Galveston Bay Entrance North Jetty, and 83.3°F at Port Isabel. That's warm for the first full week of October, and it coincides with what Saltwater Sportsman describes as the fall mullet run now underway along the Gulf of Mexico, with millions of baitfish streaming out of rivers, bays, and estuaries. That bait push is the signal worth watching this time of year, since predator fish key in on the moving schools. Texas Fish & Game Magazine also reports TPWD is weighing new rule proposals that touch redfish tagging, worth checking before your next trip.
Redfish and snook turn on as Gulf Coast anglers switch tactics
NOAA tide stations along the upper Texas coast are reading 82-85°F this week, water still holding plenty of summer heat into early October. That warmth is keeping redfish and snook working the shallows. Per Salt Strong, an angler fishing a baitfish-loaded flat came up empty on topwater plugs before switching to soft plastic jerk lures and turning the session into what the site described as 'a quick inshore slam, including some NICE redfish and snook.' The takeaway: when fish go quiet on a reaction bait over visible bait, dropping to a slower subsurface presentation can flip the bite without leaving the spot.