Galveston, Texas Fishing Guide

Galveston gives anglers a huge, shallow bay system, long rock jetties and an offshore run to oil platforms and the Flower Garden Banks. The bays and jetties produce speckled trout, redfish, flounder, black drum and sheepshead, and in October big bull reds move out through the passes. Offshore boats target red snapper, king mackerel, amberjack and tuna, and only hook-and-line fishing is allowed inside the Flower Garden Banks sanctuary.

📍 Galveston Island on the upper Texas coast. Galveston Bay (with Trinity, East and West Bays) lies behind the island; fish move between the bay and the Gulf through Galveston Pass, where the Galveston jetties are, and San Luis Pass. Offshore are oil and gas platforms and, about 80-125 miles out, the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.

📅 Texas Fishing Calendar — best months, closed seasons, bait & rigs →

Map: spots, ramps and marinas

★ Fishing hot spot · ● Boat ramp · ● Marina · ▭ Protected area (solid red = no fishing, dashed = fishing with rules)

Open the full Northern Gulf (Alabama to Texas) map →

Quick facts

Galveston Bay covers about 600 square miles and is the largest of Texas's 12 estuaries and the seventh largest in the U.S.; it averages only about 7 feet deep.
The Galveston jetties total 35,587 feet, more than 6.5 miles of rock (TPW Magazine).
The Texas City Dike runs 5.3 miles out into Galveston Bay.
Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary was designated January 17, 1992, and after the 2021 expansion covers about 160 square miles with 17 banks.
The shallowest Flower Garden reefs, at Stetson Bank and West Flower Garden Bank, top out about 56 feet below the surface; Stetson and Sonnier banks are about 80 miles from shore.

What you can catch

Speckled trout
Bays, jetties and piers; 15-20 inch slot, 3 per day (2026-27).
Redfish (red drum)
All year; 20-28 inch slot, 3 per day; bull reds run the passes in October.
Southern flounder
Fall is best, but the fishery closes Nov 1 - Dec 14.
Black drum
West Bay in spring; 14-30 inch slot, 5 per day.
Sheepshead
Jetties, piers and rocks; spawn in March and April; 15-inch minimum, 5 per day.
Red snapper
Offshore rigs and reefs; separate state and federal water rules.
King mackerel
Nearshore and offshore in summer; 27-inch minimum, 3 per day.
Greater amberjack
Around rigs and banks offshore.

Month by month

January	Cold-front fishing for trout, redfish and flounder; offshore amberjack and tuna on calm days.
February	Winter pattern; trout and redfish in the bays between fronts.
March	Black drum and sheepshead spawn; West Bay and the jetties are good bets.
April	Sheepshead and black drum still strong; piers produce trout and redfish.
May	2026 federal-water red snapper season opened May 22 for private anglers (2 per day, 16-inch minimum).
June	Offshore picks up: red snapper, king mackerel, mahi. Federal charter red snapper season Jun 1 - Oct 26, 2026.
July	Summer bay and jetty fishing; offshore kings and snapper.
August	Amberjack show around Galveston Bay and offshore structure.
September	Fall start: trout, sharks and mangrove snapper move close to shore.
October	Bull redfish run through Galveston Pass and San Luis Pass; flounder on the move.
November	Flounder closed (Nov 1 - Dec 14). Redfish and trout in the bays.
December	Flounder reopens Dec 15; winter trout and redfish.

Tips

You need a Texas fishing license with a saltwater endorsement to land fish from state or federal water.
Use your Red Drum Tag (and Bonus tag) to keep a redfish over 28 inches; report digital tags in the Texas Hunt & Fish app.
At the jetties, fish the channel side on a falling tide and the beach side on a rising tide; walk the rocks slowly, they are slick.
In the Flower Garden Banks sanctuary, do not anchor. Use a sanctuary mooring buoy (boats 100 feet or less) and fish only with hook and line.
Keep a venting tool or rigged descending device on board; Texas requires one for reef fish showing barotrauma in state waters.

Rules and license

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD); NOAA Fisheries / Gulf Council in federal waters; NOAA Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary · Official rules page ↗

Texas fishing license with saltwater endorsement required. Limits shown are TPWD's Sep 1, 2026 - Aug 31, 2027 rules.
Red snapper, state waters (out to 9 nautical miles): open all year, 4 per day, 15-inch minimum. Federal waters, private anglers: opened May 22, 2026, 2 per day, 16-inch minimum; still open as of Oct 5, 2026, and TPWD will announce the closing date. Circle hooks required with natural bait.
Redfish: 20-28 inch slot, 3 per day; one fish over 28 per license year with the Red Drum Tag, plus one with the Bonus tag.
Speckled trout: 15-20 inch slot, 3 per day; one over 28 inches per license year with the Spotted Seatrout Tag, plus one with the Bonus tag.
Flounder: 15-inch minimum, 5 per day; closed Nov 1 - Dec 14 (bag limit 0).
Uprooting seagrass is illegal anywhere on the Texas coast (state law since September 2013).
Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary: only conventional hook-and-line fishing; spearfishing, nets, traps and longlines banned; no anchoring; no taking coral or invertebrates.

Rules change. Always check the official page before you fish.

Boat ramps and marinas

The map above shows 22 boat ramps and 5 marinas from OpenStreetMap. Tap any dot for directions.

AMTRAC Launching Ramp
Bacliff Boat Ramp
Boat ramp near Coast Guard Mooring Basin
Boat ramp near Jones Bay
Boat ramp near Jumbile Cove
Galveston Boat Club
Galveston Yacht Marina public boat ramp
Galveston Yacht Marina, A-Dock
Galveston Yacht Marina, D-Dock
Pelican Rest Marina
Stingaree Marina
West End Marina

Sources

Checked October 2026. BigJoe does not invent facts: every number on this page comes from the sources listed above.