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Gray triggerfishRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 6 PM · Gray triggerfish
- Now
- 5812 PM CDT
- Best window
- 5-9 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.6 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Dow 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 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
70Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.3 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 5 kt NPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
56Water temp: 87°F, hotLight: Bright sunSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.3 ftSeason & habitat · Gray triggerfish
Species seasonality
69Season: ShoulderHabitat: Prime structureDepth: Out of 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 today
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
Dow Reef
- Depth
- 8-9 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Reef · Inner · Semi-exposedReef · flat bottom
- 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 Dow Reef
Dow Reef is a bar in Galveston Bay, Texas. Depth is 8-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads reef, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 15 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, red drum and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, red drum, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for gray triggerfish, black drum, red snapper and gray snapper. Atlantic croaker peak from June through September. Red drum peak from August through November. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
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 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.
- Red drum
- Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Cedar Bayou Channel71
Channel · 3.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Atlantic tarpon 67
- Red drum 60
5 kt NL 12:36 AM · 0.3 ftH 9:10 AM · 1.6 ft
- Houston/Galveston Navigation Channel71
Channel · 3.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Atlantic tarpon 67
- Red drum 60
5 kt NL 12:36 AM · 0.3 ftH 9:10 AM · 1.6 ft
- Bulkhead Reef70
Bar · 3.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Red drum 62
- Gray triggerfish 59
6 kt NNEL 12:36 AM · 0.3 ftH 9:10 AM · 1.6 ft
- Shell Point62
Cape · 2.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 62
- Atlantic tarpon 59
- Crevalle jack 54
5 kt NL 12:36 AM · 0.3 ftH 9:10 AM · 1.6 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.