Waterlands

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Spotted seatroutRetention open

Bend · Texas

Baytown Bend

29.73°N · 95.03°W · Bend · Galveston Bay

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Best score today · 6 PM · Spotted seatrout

78/100Great
Now
514 PM CDT
Best window
5 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.1 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 4 PM · now

Time4PNOW
Score51Good
Tide1.1 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.1 kn
Wind7 kn Egusts 17 · easing
Sea stateCalm0.3 ft · 3 s
Air temp92°Hot
WeatherMostly cloudy73% cloud
Water88°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

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

IN EFFECT NOW

Spotted seatrout

Retention open
Daily limit
3 per day
Possession
6 in possession
Size
Slot 15 to 20 in, total length. Release seatrout over 20 inches, except one fish over 28 inches per license year with the Spotted Seatrout Tag, plus one more with a Bonus Spotted Seatrout Tag.
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
1 seatrout over 28 inches per license year with the Spotted Seatrout Tag, plus 1 with a Bonus Spotted Seatrout Tag
Other
Tagged seatrout over 28 inches do not count toward the daily bag or possession limit. Attach the tag right away, or report a digital tag in the Texas Hunt & Fish app. 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, Seatrout 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)
  • 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)
  • Striped bass Retention open (5 per day)
  • Tarpon Retention open (1 per day)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Spotted seatrout is best here

Shoulder season for Spotted seatrout · 1 more week at shoulder

Spotted seatrout season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Spotted seatrout · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Spotted seatrout in Texas

Spot profile

Baytown Bend

Depth
15-50 ftSlope
Structure
Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · slope
Season
Shoulder seasonSpotted seatrout

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 Baytown Bend

Baytown Bend is a bend in Galveston Bay, Texas. Depth is 15-50 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.

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

Tackle & technique

Spotted seatrout
Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.
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

  • Black Duck Bay

    Bay · 1.4 mi

    69
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 69
    • Red drum 67
    • Atlantic croaker 64

    7 kt EL 1:15 AM · 0.4 ftH 9:04 AM · 1.5 ft

  • Scott Bay

    Bay · 1.4 mi

    69
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 69
    • Red drum 67
    • Atlantic croaker 64

    7 kt EL 1:39 AM · 0.3 ftH 9:05 AM · 1.7 ft

  • Saint Mary Point

    Cape · 0.9 mi

    64
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 64
    • Atlantic croaker 58
    • Red drum 58

    7 kt EL 1:39 AM · 0.3 ftH 9:05 AM · 1.7 ft

  • Blackwell Peninsula

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    64
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 64
    • Red snapper 61
    • Gray triggerfish 60

    7 kt EL 1:15 AM · 0.4 ftH 9:04 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.