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Red snapperRetention openBay · Texas
Big Pocket
28.37°N · 96.43°W · Bay · San Antonio, Mesquite, and Espiritu Santo Bays
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 1 AM · Red snapper
- Now
- 385 AM CDT
- Best window
- 5-10 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High0.3 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Big Pocket 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
26Tide: High slackCurrent: 1.4 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
89Wind: 3 kt ESEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
58Water temp: 91°F, hotLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.4 ftSeason & habitat · Red snapper
Species seasonality
43Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: 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
Big Pocket
- Depth
- Up to 4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 Big Pocket
Big Pocket is a bay in San Antonio, Mesquite, and Espiritu Santo Bays, Texas. Depth is up to 4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
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, gray snapper, black drum 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
- 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.
- 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
- Pass Cavallo70
Channel · 2.3 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 70
- Red drum 66
- Atlantic croaker 61
4 kt EH 8:53 AM · 1.1 ftL 10:41 PM · 0.5 ft
- Whitakers Bayou63
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 63
- Atlantic tarpon 60
- Red drum 59
4 kt EH 5:16 AM · 0.3 ftL 8:41 AM · 0.2 ft
- Lighthouse Cove61
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 61
- Atlantic tarpon 58
- Red drum 53
3 kt ESEH 5:16 AM · 0.3 ftL 8:41 AM · 0.2 ft
- Teller Point57
Cape · 2.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 57
- Atlantic tarpon 55
- Red drum 50
4 kt EH 5:16 AM · 0.3 ftL 8:41 AM · 0.2 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.