Today, 2 pm–10 pmSouthern flounder
The bite peaks at 88. Water is 79°, 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
Southern flounder range 58–82°
From the east-southeast
Sunrise 7:34 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: Year-round, 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: Year-round, 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
Surf beach on South Padre Island running north from the Brazos Santiago jetty at Isla Blanca Park. 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.
Public spots within 40 miles, with the same 36 hours of floats.
Yes (anglers age 16 and older). To fish at South Padre Island Beach you need the appropriate state fishing license. See the agency's current rules: the state agency website
South Padre Island Beach 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 South Padre Island Beach 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.
South Padre Island Beach has multiple access types — pier, shoreline, and at least one public boat ramp.
state agency regulations apply at South Padre Island Beach. 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. South Padre Island Beach 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.
