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Gray triggerfishRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Gray triggerfish
- Now
- 4812 AM CDT
- Best window
- 3 AM-2 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Low0.3 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Bulkhead Reef scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions · rolling from now
Conditions · 12 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
37Tide: Low slackCurrent: 0.4 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
92Wind: 2 kt SEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
44Water temp: 87°F, hotLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 0.3 ftSeason & habitat · Gray triggerfish
Species seasonality
72Season: ShoulderHabitat: Prime structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Texas state waters (shore to 9 nautical miles, bays included)
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)
Source: TPWD · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Gray triggerfish is best here
Shoulder season for Gray triggerfish · 9 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Bulkhead Reef
- Depth
- 4-40 ftSlope
- Structure
- Reef · Inner · Semi-exposedReef · slope
- 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 Bulkhead Reef
Bulkhead Reef is a bar in Galveston Bay, Texas. Depth is 4-40 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads reef, inner water and semi-exposed.
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 red snapper, gray snapper, black drum and gray triggerfish. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Atlantic croaker 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.
- 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
- Houston/Galveston Navigation Channel67
Channel · 4.8 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 67
- Atlantic croaker 58
- Red drum 54
1 kt EH 9:10 AM · 1.6 ftL 1:15 AM · 0.4 ft
- Houston Ship Channel67
Channel · 4.8 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 67
- Atlantic croaker 58
- Red drum 54
1 kt EH 9:10 AM · 1.6 ftL 1:15 AM · 0.4 ft
- Galveston Bay66
Bay · 2.3 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 66
- Atlantic croaker 56
- Red drum 56
2 kt SEH 9:14 AM · 1.4 ftL 11:53 PM · 0.5 ft
- Dow Reef59
Bar · 3.0 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 59
- Atlantic croaker 57
- Red drum 57
1 kt EH 8:50 AM · 1.7 ftL 2:44 PM · 1.3 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.