Waterlands

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Gray triggerfishRetention open

Cape · Texas

Shell Island Point

29.18°N · 95.01°W · Cape · Galveston Bay

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Best score today · 1 AM · Gray triggerfish

71/100Great
Now
493 PM CDT
Best window
4 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.1 ft ▼

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 3 PM · now

Time3PNOW
Score49Good
Tide1.1 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward WSW
Wind7 kn ENEgusts 15 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.7 ft · 4 s
Air temp94°Hot
WeatherPartly cloudy27% cloud
Water89°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

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

IN EFFECT NOW

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)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Gray triggerfish is best here

Shoulder season for Gray triggerfish · 9 more weeks at shoulder

Gray triggerfish season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Gray triggerfish · 9 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Gray triggerfish in Texas

Spot profile

Shell Island Point

Depth
1-5 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Shell Island Point

Shell Island Point is a cape in Galveston Bay, Texas. Depth in the nearest water is 1-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-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 gray triggerfish, black drum, red snapper and southern flounder. Atlantic croaker peak from June through September. Atlantic tarpon peak from July 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 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

  • Ostermayer Bayou

    Gut · 0.8 mi

    69
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 69
    • Atlantic tarpon 68
    • Red drum 62

    7 kt ENEL 11:37 PM · 0.4 ftH 8:45 AM · 1.1 ft

  • Jumbile Cove

    Gut · 1.3 mi

    69
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 69
    • Atlantic tarpon 68
    • Red drum 62

    7 kt ENEL 11:37 PM · 0.4 ftH 8:45 AM · 1.1 ft

  • Bird Island Cove

    Bay · 0.3 mi

    66
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 66
    • Atlantic tarpon 65
    • Red drum 62

    7 kt ENEL 11:37 PM · 0.4 ftH 8:45 AM · 1.1 ft

  • McAllis Point

    Cape · 0.8 mi

    65
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 65
    • Red drum 62
    • Atlantic croaker 61

    7 kt ENEL 11:37 PM · 0.4 ftH 8:45 AM · 1.1 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.