The first cool front of the fall is still weeks away, but the Texas coast is already shifting into its fall pattern. The tarpon are on the jetties from Galveston to Port Aransas, the first bull reds have shown at the passes, and the bay trout are feeding hard at first light. September is a big month on this coast and the opening week has delivered.
What’s Hitting
What’s hitting this week starts with tarpon — fish are rolling on the beachfront off Galveston and Surfside, and the Port Aransas and Matagorda jetties are holding fish on the outgoing tides. Bull redfish are beginning to gather at the passes and along the surf, with the run building toward its late-September peak. Speckled trout are on the mid-bay reefs and the deep shell in Galveston, Matagorda, and Aransas bays at dawn, and the wade anglers are finding fish on the shorelines early. Flounder are starting to show around the jetties and the pass edges. Offshore, kings and ling are on the nearshore structure, and the deeper rigs have snapper (check the season) and tuna.
Where to Find Them
Tarpon on the Galveston beachfront in 20 to 40 feet, and at the Port Aransas jetties on the outgoing. Bull reds at San Luis Pass, Pass Cavallo, and the Port Aransas jetties. Trout on the reefs in Trinity Bay, the wells in Galveston Bay, and the shell in East Matagorda. Flounder around the Galveston jetties and the Rollover Pass area. The Freeport and Port O’Connor jetties have kings and Spanish.
Tides & Conditions
Bay temps are in the upper 80s and the bite is early and late. Outgoing tides at the passes and jetties are best for tarpon and bull reds. Calm mornings let the beachfront tarpon boats work, and the wind picks up by afternoon. September is the peak of Gulf hurricane season — check the tropical outlook before making plans.
Tackle & Tactics
Tarpon want a live mullet or a big swimbait on a 7/0 circle hook and 80-pound leader. Bull reds take cut mullet or a live crab on a fish-finder rig with a 6/0 circle hook. Trout on the reefs want a soft plastic on a jig head or a live croaker; wade anglers throw topwaters at dawn. Flounder take a mud minnow or a Gulp on a jig head worked slowly along the bottom.
Local Intel This Week
Public ramps: the Galveston Yacht Basin ramp, the Texas City Dike ramp, the Matagorda Harbor ramp, and the Port Aransas Conn Brown Harbor ramp. Fish are concentrating on the jetties and passes on the outgoing tide and on the bay reefs at first light. Texas red drum rules include a slot, a bag limit, and an oversize tag — check current Texas Parks and Wildlife regulations before keeping fish, and the state and federal snapper seasons before targeting reef fish.
This Week’s Tip
On the jetties, the tarpon are usually on the outside edge of the rocks where the outgoing current breaks. Drift live bait along that seam on a slack line, and set the hook with a steady sweep rather than a jerk — tarpon jaws are hard and a jerk pulls the hook out.
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