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Red drumRetention openBar · Texas
Josephine Reef
28.33°N · 96.52°W · Bar · San Antonio, Mesquite, and Espiritu Santo Bays
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Red drum
- Now
- 6311 AM CDT
- Best window
- 11 AM-5 PMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Flooding0.2 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Josephine 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 · 11 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
65Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
64Wind: 9 kt ENEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
55Water temp: 91°F, warmLight: Bright sunSolunar: Major periodSeas: 1.4 ftSeason & habitat · Red drum
Species seasonality
98Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Texas state waters (shore to 9 nautical miles, bays included)
Red drum
Retention open- Daily limit
- 3 per day
- Possession
- 6 in possession
- Size
- Slot 20 to 28 in, total length. One red drum over 28 inches per license year with the Red Drum Tag, plus one more with a Bonus Red Drum Tag.
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- 1 red drum over 28 inches per license year with the Red Drum Tag, plus 1 with a Bonus Red Drum Tag
- Other
- Tagged red drum over 28 inches do not count toward the daily bag or possession limit. Attach the tag right away, or report a digital tag in the Texas Hunt & Fish app. 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
- 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 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 Red drum is best here
Peak season for Red drum · 9 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Josephine Reef
- Depth
- 6-7 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Reef · Inner · Semi-exposedReef · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonRed 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 Josephine Reef
Josephine Reef is a bar in San Antonio, Mesquite, and Espiritu Santo Bays, Texas. Depth is 6-7 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, red drum and gray triggerfish. 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 greater amberjack. Atlantic croaker peak from June through September. Red drum peak from August through November. Gray triggerfish peak from May through August.
Tackle & technique
- Red drum
- Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.
- 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
- Espiritu Santo Bay67
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Atlantic tarpon 63
- Crevalle jack 60
9 kt ENEH 2:27 PM · 0.3 ftL 12:14 AM · 0.1 ft
- Shoalwater Bay67
Bay · 3.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Red drum 64
- Atlantic tarpon 64
9 kt ENEH 2:27 PM · 0.3 ftL 12:14 AM · 0.1 ft
- Rahal Bayou66
Bay · 2.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 66
- Red drum 64
- Atlantic tarpon 64
9 kt ENEH 2:27 PM · 0.3 ftL 12:14 AM · 0.1 ft
- Lighthouse Cove58
Bay · 5.2 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 58
- Atlantic croaker 55
- Crevalle jack 55
9 kt ENEH 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.