UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Red snapperRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 6 PM · Red snapper
- Now
- 621 AM CDT
- Best window
- 5-9 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.9 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 · 1 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.4 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
82Wind: 2 kt SEPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
58Water temp: 87°F, hotLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.7 ftSeason & habitat · Red snapper
Species seasonality
68Season: 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)
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)
Source: TPWD · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Red snapper is best here
Shoulder season for Red snapper · 31 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 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 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 red drum, Atlantic croaker and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for red drum, Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for gray snapper, red snapper, black drum and gray triggerfish. Red drum peak from August through November. Atlantic croaker peak from June through September. Atlantic tarpon peak from July 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.
- 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.
- 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
- Bulkhead Reef78
Bar · 3.0 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 78
- Atlantic croaker 73
- Atlantic tarpon 68
4 kt SEH 7:28 AM · 1.7 ftL 9:54 PM · 0.3 ft
- Cedar Bayou Channel75
Channel · 3.9 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 75
- Red drum 74
- Atlantic croaker 73
2 kt SEH 7:28 AM · 1.7 ftL 9:54 PM · 0.3 ft
- Houston/Galveston Navigation Channel75
Channel · 3.9 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 75
- Red drum 74
- Atlantic croaker 73
2 kt SEH 7:28 AM · 1.7 ftL 9:54 PM · 0.3 ft
- Shell Point69
Cape · 2.7 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 69
- Atlantic tarpon 67
- Atlantic croaker 64
2 kt SEH 7:28 AM · 1.7 ftL 9:54 PM · 0.3 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.