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Black drumRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 11 PM · Black drum
- Now
- 485 AM CDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- High1.5 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when San Luis Pass 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 · 5 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
41Tide: High slackCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
94Wind: 3 kt NPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
48Water temp: 88°F, hotLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.7 ftSeason & habitat · Black drum
Species seasonality
70Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Texas state waters (shore to 9 nautical miles, bays included)
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)
Source: TPWD · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Black drum is best here
Shoulder season for Black drum · 18 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
San Luis Pass
- Depth
- 3-9 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Pass · Outer · ExposedPass · flat bottom
- 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 San Luis Pass
San Luis Pass is a channel in Galveston Bay, Texas. Depth is 3-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads pass, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 15 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon, red drum and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for southern flounder, black drum, gray snapper and Spanish mackerel. Atlantic croaker peak from June through September. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Red drum peak from August through November.
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 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Cold Pass71
Channel · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Atlantic tarpon 62
- Red drum 53
3 kt NL 9:52 AM · 1.4 ftH 12:34 PM · 1.4 ft
- Mud Cut71
Gut · 2.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Atlantic tarpon 61
- Red drum 57
3 kt NL 9:52 AM · 1.4 ftH 12:34 PM · 1.4 ft
- Bastrop Bay71
Bay · 3.5 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 71
- Red drum 69
- Atlantic croaker 67
3 kt NH 9:08 AM · 1.0 ftL 12:19 PM · 0.3 ft
- Christmas Point Reef70
Bar · 2.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Red drum 68
- Atlantic tarpon 65
3 kt NH 9:08 AM · 1.0 ftL 12:19 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.