UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Black drumRetention openBar · Texas
Bill Days Reef
28.41°N · 96.44°W · Bar · San Antonio, Mesquite, and Espiritu Santo Bays
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 1 AM · Black drum
- Now
- 522 PM CDT
- Best window
- 3-10 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Bill Days 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 · 2 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
68Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
85Wind: 11 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
41Water temp: 92°F, hotLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.7 ftSeason & habitat · Black drum
Species seasonality
72Season: ShoulderHabitat: Prime 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 today
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
Bill Days Reef
- Depth
- 2-8 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Reef · Inner · Semi-exposedReef · 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 Bill Days Reef
Bill Days Reef is a bar in San Antonio, Mesquite, and Espiritu Santo Bays, Texas. Depth is 2-8 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, gray triggerfish and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, red drum, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for gray triggerfish, red snapper, black drum and king mackerel. Atlantic croaker peak from June through September. Gray triggerfish peak from May through August. 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Mailboat Channel66
Channel · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 66
- Atlantic croaker 65
- Crevalle jack 61
11 kt EL 10:41 PM · 0.5 ftH 8:10 AM · 1.0 ft
- Everett Reef64
Bar · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 64
- Gray triggerfish 63
- Red snapper 63
11 kt EL 10:41 PM · 0.5 ftH 8:10 AM · 1.0 ft
- Mailboat Point58
Cape · 1.4 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 58
- Atlantic croaker 56
- Crevalle jack 55
11 kt EL 10:41 PM · 0.5 ftH 8:10 AM · 1.0 ft
- Teller Point55
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 55
- Atlantic tarpon 52
- Crevalle jack 46
11 kt EH 3:39 PM · 0.3 ftL 10:35 PM · 0.1 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.