Waterlands

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Red snapperRetention open

Bay · Texas

Ingleside Cove

27.84°N · 97.23°W · Bay · Corpus Christi and Nueces Bays

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 8 PM · Red snapper

74/100Great
Now
401 PM CDT
Best window
6-11 PMEbb tide
Tide now
High0.8 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 1 PM · now

Time1PNOW
Score40Fair
Tide0.8 ftHigh
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind11 kn Egusts 21 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.7 ft · 4 s
Air temp90°Hot
WeatherOvercast47% chance of rain
Water88°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)

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

Ingleside Cove

Depth
6-45 ftSlope
Structure
Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · slope
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 Ingleside Cove

Ingleside Cove is a bay in Corpus Christi and Nueces Bays, Texas. Depth is 6-45 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.

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

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • La Quinta Channel

    Channel · 0.6 mi

    65
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 65
    • Atlantic tarpon 57
    • Crevalle jack 52

    11 kt EL 11:28 PM · 0.3 ftH 3:03 PM · 0.8 ft

  • Donnel Reef

    Bar · 1.7 mi

    65
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 65
    • Red drum 52
    • Atlantic tarpon 49

    11 kt EH 1:26 PM · 0.6 ftL 12:11 AM · 0.1 ft

  • Corpus Christi Channel

    Channel · 1.8 mi

    65
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 65
    • Atlantic tarpon 57
    • Crevalle jack 52

    11 kt EL 11:28 PM · 0.3 ftH 3:03 PM · 0.8 ft

  • Long Reef

    Bar · 2.0 mi

    65
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 65
    • Red drum 52
    • Atlantic tarpon 49

    11 kt EH 1:26 PM · 0.6 ftL 12:11 AM · 0.1 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.