Waterlands

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Gray triggerfishRetention open

Bay · Texas

Dunham Bay

28.14°N · 96.91°W · Bay · San Antonio, Mesquite, and Espiritu Santo Bays

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Best score today · 8 PM · Gray triggerfish

77/100Great
Now
4512 PM CDT
Best window
6-11 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding0.3 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 12 PM · now

Time12PNOW
Score45Good
Tide0.3 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.3 knmodeled · toward WSW
Wind9 kn Egusts 19 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.3 ft · 4 s
Air temp91°Hot
WeatherMostly cloudy47% chance of rain
Water87°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

Dunham Bay

Depth
About 1 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 Dunham Bay

Dunham Bay is a bay in San Antonio, Mesquite, and Espiritu Santo Bays, Texas. Depth is about 1 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 black drum, southern flounder, gray snapper and gray triggerfish. 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

  • Cape Carlos Dugout

    Channel · 1.7 mi

    72
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 72
    • Atlantic tarpon 65
    • Red drum 62

    9 kt EH 1:03 PM · 0.3 ftL 12:06 AM · 0.1 ft

  • Cedar Dugout

    Channel · 2.1 mi

    72
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 72
    • Atlantic tarpon 72
    • Crevalle jack 69

    9 kt EH 6:05 PM · 0.7 ftL 3:16 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Cedar Reef

    Bar · 1.7 mi

    71
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 71
    • Red drum 70
    • Atlantic tarpon 70

    9 kt EH 6:05 PM · 0.7 ftL 3:16 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Carlos Bay

    Bay · 1.5 mi

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

    9 kt EH 1:03 PM · 0.3 ftL 12:06 AM · 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.