Species guide · Texas
Southern flounder fishing in Texas
Paralichthys lethostigma, a bottom species also called flounder, doormat and flatfish. Listed for the Western Gulf region. Shoulder season, about 1 more week.
Right now it scores best in San Antonio, Mesquite, and Espiritu Santo Bays at 63, one of 9 Texas bay systems where the Waterlands engine is scoring it.
Season now
Shoulder seasonSeason by month
From the Waterlands saltwater species research: when the fish are present and biting, not whether retention is open.
Western Gulf
Shoulder season, about 1 more week- Jan: Off season
- Feb: Off season
- Mar: Shoulder season
- Apr: Shoulder season
- May: Shoulder season
- Jun: Shoulder season
- Jul: Shoulder season
- Aug: Shoulder season
- Sep: Shoulder season
- Oct: Peak season
- Nov: Peak season
- Dec: Shoulder season
Peak: Oct to Nov. In season (shoulder or peak): Mar to Dec.
Research notes, Western Gulf region
Adults leave the bays for Gulf spawning grounds in fall and stage at passes and jetties. The Texas run runs late September into early December; Louisiana's lasts a few weeks from mid October. Texas closes all flounder harvest Nov 1 to Dec 14 and Louisiana closes Oct 15 to Nov 30.
Seasons and limits in these notes are background. The regulations below and the regulator’s own page govern.
Where it's scoring now · 9
Texas bay systems ranked by the Waterlands engine's southern flounder score this hour.
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (63) · Best day Sun, Sep 27 at 6 PM (68) · 54 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (62) · Best day Sun, Sep 27 at 9 AM (70) · 97 named spots
Best window today 8-9 PM (61) · Best day Mon, Sep 28 at 8 AM (70) · 61 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (60) · Best day Mon, Sep 28 at 8 AM (66) · 14 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (59) · Best day Sun, Sep 27 at 8 AM (69) · 51 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (58) · Best day Fri, Oct 2 at 7 AM (68) · 2 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (57) · Best day Tue, Sep 29 at 6 PM (69) · 8 named spots
Best window today 8-9 PM (56) · Best day Mon, Sep 28 at 8 AM (67) · 37 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (48) · Best day Fri, Oct 2 at 7 AM (63) · 5 named spots
How and where it feeds
- Water temperature
- Feeds from 52°F to 88°F, best between 62°F and 80°F.
- Water depth
- 1 to 30 ft of water.
- Structure
- Marsh, flat, pass, inlet, channel, jetty and bridge, in that order of preference.
- Tide and current
- Prefers outgoing tide and incoming tide, with moderate current.Flounder ambush bait swept past them, so creek mouths, marsh drains and the edges of passes fish best on a falling tide. A rising tide lets them move onto shallow flats and grassy shorelines. Night giggers look for calm, clear water in 1 to 2 feet.
- Light
- Some lift around dawn and dusk; feeds at night too.
- Pressure
- Little response to pressure changes.
- Wind and sea limits
- 15 kt of wind and 2 ft of sea. The Waterlands engine scores hours down as conditions pass them.
Tackle and technique
Flounder lie half buried on soft bottom along marsh edges, creek mouths, dock pilings and the sandy sides of passes, usually in 1 to 15 feet of water. Drag a mud minnow or finger mullet on a Carolina rig, or bump a soft plastic slowly along the bottom, and give the fish a few seconds before setting the hook. In fall the adults stack up at passes and jetties on their way offshore, and many anglers gig them at night in knee-deep water.
- Methods
- bottom fishing, Carolina rig, drifting, jigging, gigging
- Lures
- soft plastic on jighead, bucktail jig, scented soft plastic
- Bait
- mud minnow, finger mullet, live shrimp, mullet strip, croaker
Regulations
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Synced with TPWD Sep 19, 2026. Rules shown verified Sep 13, 2026.
5 per day · 5 in possession · Minimum 15 in, total length
Season: No closed season on file
Changes to closed on Nov 1, 2026
The bag is 0 from Nov. 1 through Dec. 14 while the fishery is closed. The limit covers all flounder species and their hybrids. The possession limit equals the daily bag.
TPWD 2026-27 Outdoor Annual, Flounder Bag & Length Limits · verified Sep 13, 2026