Now until 10 pmSouthern flounder
The bite peaks at 88. Water is 80°, inside their 58–82° range, and a solunar period lands on the window.
Each float is an hour. The deeper it rides, the better the bite. The strip underneath runs daylight, dusk and dark; the red rule marks the best window. Click any hour to read it.
Right now · best window
Southern flounder range 58–82°
From the east
Sunrise 7:35 am
No rain expected
NWS hourly forecast
Measured, last 3 hours
Full
Each species is scored against its own water-temperature range and tide preference, then wind, weather and warnings. The rules are Texas regulations for these waters.
Southern flounder prefers outgoing tide. Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. Inside southern flounder's active range. Holds 1–20 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. 15" minimum, 5/person/day. Closed Nov 1–Dec 14 (bag 0).
Verified Oct 21, 2026 · Texas
Season here: Mar–Nov. More on southern flounder
Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. Inside red drum's active range. Red drum prefers incoming tide. Holds 3–20 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. 20–28" slot, 3/person/day. One oversized red drum over 28" per license year with a Red Drum Tag.
Verified Oct 21, 2026 · Texas
Season here: Feb–Dec, from this spot’s water-temperature record, 2023–2025. More on red drum
Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. Inside spotted seatrout's active range. Spotted seatrout prefers incoming tide. Holds 3–15 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. 15–20" slot, 3/person/day. One trout over 28" per year with a Spotted Seatrout Tag.
Verified Oct 21, 2026 · Texas
Season here: Feb–Dec, from this spot’s water-temperature record, 2023–2025. More on spotted seatrout
Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. Inside sheepshead's active range. Sheepshead prefers slack tide. Holds 5–40 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. 15" minimum, 5/person/day.
Verified Oct 21, 2026 · Texas
Season here: Year-round, from this spot’s water-temperature record, 2023–2025. More on sheepshead
Light chop — baitfish active, fish willing to feed. Inside black drum's active range. Black drum prefers incoming tide. Holds 2–40 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. Texas: 14–30" slot, 5 a person a day; 1 over 52" may be kept and counts toward the bag.
Verified Oct 23, 2026 · Texas
Season here: Sep–May. More on black drum
Solunar tables are a popular heuristic. A peer-reviewed test found they don’t predict catch on their own, so here they only nudge the score when the tide or moon already agree. How the score works
We only show reports an agency has published, with their date. Texas Parks & Wildlife publishes a report for the state.
Licenses and rules: state fishery agencies · fish-consumption advisory
Some 60 miles of undeveloped barrier-island surf, reached by four-wheel drive past the paved road. Bull red drum and black drum run the surf in fall and spring, speckled trout wade the guts in summer, and southern flounder move toward the passes in fall, when Texas closes flounder from Nov 1 to Dec 14.
The closest public spots we cover, with the same 36 hours of floats.
Yes (anglers age 16 and older). To fish at Padre Island National Seashore you need the appropriate state fishing license. See the agency's current rules: the state agency website
Padre Island National Seashore is listed on this site for 5 commonly-targeted species: Red Drum, Spotted Seatrout, Southern Flounder, Sheepshead, and 1 more. Which species is currently in season and which is scoring highest today is shown in the per-species ranking on this page.
It depends more on the species and the day's conditions than on a fixed "best hour." Water temperature, weather, and — at tidal locations — the stage of the tide drive activity most. The per-species ranking on this page scores every target species at Padre Island National Seashore against today's live conditions, so the fish near the top are your best bets right now; check back as conditions change through the day.
Padre Island National Seashore has shoreline / wading access. There is no pier or boat ramp at this location.
state agency regulations apply at Padre Island National Seashore. Size limits, creel limits, and seasonal closures are listed per species on each species page. Always confirm against the agency source linked from each regulation block — emergency closures can take effect mid-season.
Yes. Padre Island National Seashore sits on tidal water with a NOAA tide station nearby. Today's high/low timing is in the tide chart on this page.
Press / anywhere to search. Towns list the closest spots.
