Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

Gray triggerfishRetention open

Bay · Texas

Baffin Bay

27.26°N · 97.52°W · Bay · Baffin Bay and Upper Laguna Madre

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 12 AM · Gray triggerfish

57/100Good
Now
322 PM CDT
Best window
8 PM-12 AMNight bite

Data from: NDBC + ECMWF · Waterlands engine

Notify me when Baffin Bay scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 2 PM · now

Time2PNOW
Score32Fair
Wind15 kn Egusts 25 · steady
Air temp92°Hot
WeatherMostly cloudy68% cloud
Water92°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Texas state waters (shore to 9 nautical miles, bays included)

IN EFFECT NOW

Gray triggerfish

Retention open
Daily limit
20 per day
Possession
40 in possession
Size
Minimum 16 in, total length
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Have a descending device or venting tool ready for reef fish showing signs of barotrauma. Federal-waters rules may differ. The possession limit is double the daily bag and does not count fish stored at your residence. While fishing, you may not hold more than the daily bag.

From TPWD 2026-27 Outdoor Annual, Triggerfish Bag & Length Limits, read Sep 13

Other species here

  • Black drum Retention open (5 per day)
  • Cobia Retention open (1 per day)
  • Gag grouper Retention open (2 per day)
  • Greater amberjack Retention open (1 per day)
  • King mackerel Retention open (3 per day)
  • Red drum Retention open (3 per day)
  • Red snapper Retention open (4 per day)
  • Sailfish Retention open
  • Sheepshead Retention open (5 per day)
  • Snook Retention open (1 per day)
  • Southern flounder Retention open (5 per day)
  • Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
  • Spotted seatrout Retention open (3 per day)
  • Striped bass Retention open (5 per day)
  • Tarpon Retention open (1 per day)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Gray triggerfish is best here

Shoulder season for Gray triggerfish · 9 more weeks at shoulder

Gray triggerfish season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Gray triggerfish · 9 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Gray triggerfish in Texas

Spot profile

Baffin Bay

Depth
7-8 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonGray triggerfish

NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 13 on a 3.4 m grid. Depths are feet below NAVD 88, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.

About this spot

Fishing Baffin Bay

Baffin Bay is a bay in Baffin Bay and Upper Laguna Madre, Texas. Depth is 7-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 15 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, Atlantic croaker and red drum. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, Atlantic croaker, red drum and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for southern flounder, black drum, gray snapper and gray triggerfish. Crevalle jack peak from June through September. Atlantic croaker peak from June through September. Red drum peak from August through November.

Tackle & technique

Gray triggerfish
Gray triggerfish hover a few feet over reefs, wrecks and ledges, usually in 60 to 200 feet, and often show up while snapper fishing. Use small, strong circle hooks with small pieces of squid or cut bait on a short bottom rig, because they nibble and strip big baits. Keep the bait just off the bottom and reel steadily at the first solid pull.
Crevalle jack
Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.
Atlantic croaker
Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Rocky Slough

    Gut · 7.6 mi

    47
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 47
    • Crevalle jack 45
    • Red drum 43

    15 kt E

  • Alazan Bay

    Bay · 5.0 mi

    43
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 43
    • Crevalle jack 42
    • Atlantic croaker 40

    15 kt E

  • 43
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 43
    • Crevalle jack 42
    • Atlantic croaker 40

    15 kt E

  • Kleberg Point

    Cape · 6.2 mi

    37
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 37
    • Atlantic croaker 35
    • Atlantic tarpon 35

    15 kt E

Scores and forecasts are for planning only and can be wrong. Conditions on the water change fast; check the marine forecast before you go. Regulations change during the season, so confirm limits and closures with TPWD before you keep a fish.