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Red snapperRetention openBar · Texas
Panther Reef
28.25°N · 96.71°W · Bar · San Antonio, Mesquite, and Espiritu Santo Bays
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 6 PM · Red snapper
- Now
- 662 AM CST
- Best window
- 3-10 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.5 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Panther 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
Friday, Nov 13 · 4 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 8 kt SSEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
95Water temp: 75°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · Red snapper
Species seasonality
68Season: ShoulderHabitat: Prime structureDepth: Out of range
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 Closed (No retention)
- 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 · 25 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Panther Reef
- Depth
- 4-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Reef · Inner · Semi-exposedReef · 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 Panther Reef
Panther Reef is a bar in San Antonio, Mesquite, and Espiritu Santo Bays, Texas. Depth is 4-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads reef, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 14 species here; the best right now are red drum, spotted seatrout and black drum. It is peak season now for red drum, spotted seatrout and southern flounder, and shoulder season for black drum, red snapper, gray triggerfish and sheepshead. Red drum peak from August through November. Spotted seatrout peak from March through May and from October through November. Black drum peak from February through April.
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.
- 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.
- Spotted seatrout
- Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Panther Reef Cut74
Channel · 0.5 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 74
- Red drum 73
- Black drum 68
3 kt NH 10:52 AM · 0.7 ftL 12:09 AM · 0.5 ft
- San Antonio Bay74
Bay · 4.2 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 74
- Red drum 73
- Black drum 65
3 kt NH 10:52 AM · 0.7 ftL 12:09 AM · 0.5 ft
- Panther Point Lake73
Bay · 2.9 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 73
- Spotted seatrout 71
- Black drum 65
3 kt NH 10:52 AM · 0.7 ftL 12:09 AM · 0.5 ft
- Cedar Lake72
Bay · 3.4 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 72
- Spotted seatrout 71
- Black drum 65
3 kt NH 10:52 AM · 0.7 ftL 12:09 AM · 0.5 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.