Waterlands

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Gray triggerfishRetention open

Bay · Texas

Middle Pass

27.90°N · 97.04°W · Bay · Copano, Aransas, and Redfish Bays

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Best score today · 9 AM · Gray triggerfish

78/100Great
Now
432 PM CDT
Best window
6-9 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.3 ft ▼

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 2 PM · now

Time2PNOW
Score43Fair
Tide0.3 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.7 kn · toward S
Wind8 kn ESEgusts 18 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.6 ft · 6 s
Air temp91°Hot
WeatherOvercast68% chance of rain
Water87°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 · 10 more weeks at shoulder

Gray triggerfish season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Gray triggerfish · 10 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Gray triggerfish in Texas

Spot profile

Middle Pass

Depth
Under 1 ftNearest water
Structure
Pass · Inner · Protected
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 Middle Pass

Middle Pass is a bay in Copano, Aransas, and Redfish Bays, Texas. Depth in the nearest water is under 1 ft. Its profile reads pass, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 15 species here; the best right now are Atlantic tarpon, crevalle jack and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic tarpon, crevalle jack, red drum and Atlantic croaker, and shoulder season for Spanish mackerel, gray snapper, black drum and king mackerel. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Crevalle jack 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.
Atlantic tarpon
Tarpon roll along beaches, in passes and channels, and under bridges from late spring through fall, and in South Florida some fish stay through winter in warm canals and backcountry rivers. Live crabs, mullet or pinfish drifted through a pass on the outgoing tide, or a fly or soft plastic cast ahead of a rolling string of fish, are the main approaches. Use a long heavy leader, bow to the jumps, and keep big fish in the water for release.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • North Pass

    Channel · 1.0 mi

    68
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 68
    • Crevalle jack 64
    • Red drum 63

    8 kt ESEH 3:19 AM · 1.7 ftL 3:43 PM · 0.3 ft

  • Mudisland Point

    Cape · 1.8 mi

    68
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 68
    • Crevalle jack 67
    • Red drum 63

    8 kt ESEL 6:20 PM · 0.0 ftH 5:51 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Murray Shoal

    Bar · 0.8 mi

    62
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 62
    • Crevalle jack 59
    • Red drum 57

    8 kt ESEL 3:11 PM · 0.4 ftH 4:14 AM · 1.5 ft

  • Muray Shoal

    Bar · 0.8 mi

    62
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 62
    • Crevalle jack 59
    • Red drum 57

    8 kt ESEL 3:11 PM · 0.4 ftH 4:14 AM · 1.5 ft

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.