Waterlands

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Black drumRetention open

Cape · Texas

Blackwell Peninsula

29.71°N · 95.02°W · Cape · Galveston Bay

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Best score today · 6 PM · Black drum

71/100Great
Now
492 PM CDT
Best window
5 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.4 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
Score49Good
Tide1.4 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.3 kn · toward SE
Wind6 kn ENEgusts 15 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.3 ft · 4 s
Air temp93°Hot
WeatherPartly cloudy36% cloud
Water88°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

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

IN EFFECT NOW

Black drum

Retention open
Daily limit
5 per day
Possession
10 in possession
Size
Slot 14 to 30 in, total length. Release black drum over 30 inches, except one fish over 52 inches per person per day.
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
A black drum over 52 inches counts toward the daily bag and possession limit. 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, Drum Bag & Length Limits, read Sep 13

Other species here

  • 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)
  • 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 Black drum is best here

Shoulder season for Black drum · 18 more weeks at shoulder

Black drum season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Black drum · 18 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Black drum in Texas

Spot profile

Blackwell Peninsula

Depth
1-50 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · drop-off
Season
Shoulder seasonBlack drum

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 Blackwell Peninsula

Blackwell Peninsula is a cape in Galveston Bay, Texas. Depth in the nearest water is 1-50 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 15 species here; the best right now are Atlantic tarpon, gray triggerfish and red snapper. It is peak season now for Atlantic tarpon, Atlantic croaker, crevalle jack and red drum, and shoulder season for gray triggerfish, red snapper, greater amberjack and gray snapper. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Gray triggerfish peak from May through August. Red snapper peak from May through August.

Tackle & technique

Black drum
Black drum root along the bottom around oyster reefs, bridge and pier pilings, channel edges and shallow mud flats. TPWD notes they rarely take artificials, so fish peeled shrimp, crab, clams or sand fleas on a bottom rig and let the fish load the rod before setting the hook. Big spawning schools gather near passes and bay mouths in late winter and spring, and in the Chesapeake and Delaware Bay the large fish show up on the shoals from April into June.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Baytown Bend

    Bend · 1.0 mi

    70
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 70
    • Atlantic croaker 66
    • Crevalle jack 60

    6 kt ENEL 1:15 AM · 0.4 ftH 9:04 AM · 1.5 ft

  • Black Duck Bay

    Bay · 0.5 mi

    68
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 68
    • Red drum 64
    • Atlantic croaker 62

    6 kt ENEL 1:15 AM · 0.4 ftH 9:04 AM · 1.5 ft

  • 67
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 67
    • Atlantic croaker 62
    • Crevalle jack 60

    6 kt ENEL 1:15 AM · 0.4 ftH 9:04 AM · 1.5 ft

  • Brinson Point

    Cape · 1.2 mi

    62
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 62
    • Atlantic croaker 57
    • Crevalle jack 55

    6 kt ENEL 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.