Waterlands

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Red snapperRetention open

Channel · Texas

Atlantic Cut

27.77°N · 97.14°W · Channel · Corpus Christi and Nueces Bays

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 8 PM · Red snapper

77/100Great
Now
557 AM CDT
Best window
6-11 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding0.6 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 7 AM · now

Time7ANOW
Score55Good
Tide0.6 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.4 kn · toward WSW
Wind2 kn NEgusts 2 · building
Sea stateLight chop1.9 ft · 4 s
Air temp81°Warm
WeatherPartly cloudy24% cloud
Water87°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

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

IN EFFECT NOW

Red snapper(private recreational)

Retention open
Daily limit
4 per day
Possession
4 in possession
Size
Minimum 15 in, total length
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Open year-round in state waters. Do not hold more than 4 red snapper while fishing in state waters. Only circle hooks may be used with natural bait. Have a descending device or venting tool ready for reef fish showing signs of barotrauma. TPWD lists this state-waters season for private recreational anglers. Federally permitted charter boats and headboats stay under federal management. Red snapper is the exception to the double-the-bag possession rule: TPWD caps possession at 4, the same as the daily bag.

From TPWD 2026-27 Outdoor Annual, Snapper 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)
  • Gray triggerfish Retention open (20 per day)
  • Greater amberjack Retention open (1 per day)
  • King mackerel Retention open (3 per day)
  • Red drum Retention open (3 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)

Source: TPWD · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Red snapper is best here

Shoulder season for Red snapper · 31 more weeks at shoulder

Red snapper season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Red snapper · 31 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Red snapper in Texas

Spot profile

Atlantic Cut

Depth
Up to 2 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonRed snapper

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 Atlantic Cut

Atlantic Cut is a channel in Corpus Christi and Nueces Bays, Texas. Depth is up to 2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.

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

Tackle & technique

Red snapper
Red snapper school over rigs, wrecks, artificial reefs and natural ledges, mostly in 60 to 250 feet. Anchor or drift over the structure, chum, and drop cut or live cigar minnows, sardines or squid on circle hooks, using as little weight as the current allows. Federal rules require circle hooks with natural bait in the Gulf and a descending device or venting tool on board.
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.
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

  • Sinclair Cut

    Channel · 0.6 mi

    74
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 74
    • Atlantic croaker 71
    • Crevalle jack 70

    2 kt NEH 12:59 PM · 0.8 ftL 11:28 PM · 0.3 ft

  • Pink Shack Cove

    Bay · 1.3 mi

    71
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 71
    • Crevalle jack 70
    • Atlantic croaker 67

    2 kt NEH 12:59 PM · 0.8 ftL 11:28 PM · 0.3 ft

  • Shamrock Cove

    Bay · 1.9 mi

    71
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 71
    • Crevalle jack 70
    • Atlantic croaker 67

    2 kt NEH 12:59 PM · 0.8 ftL 11:28 PM · 0.3 ft

  • Flato Cut

    Channel · 1.5 mi

    65
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 65
    • Atlantic tarpon 65
    • Crevalle jack 60

    9 kt EL 8:15 AM · 1.3 ftH 11:42 AM · 1.4 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.