South Padre Island fishing report for the week of October 8, 2026. The Laguna Madre is coming into its fall prime, with the water cooling and the fish feeding well. A new moon this weekend should add to the action.
What’s Hitting
Speckled trout are on the grass flats and the potholes in the Laguna Madre, redfish are on the flats and the edges of the channels, and bull reds are at the Brazos Santiago Pass jetties. Snook are around the Port Isabel docks and the causeway, black drum and sheepshead are around the structure, and Spanish mackerel and kingfish are in the surf.
Where to Find Them
The Isla Blanca Park jetties are good for bull reds and snook. The Laguna Madre flats near Port Isabel, the Arroyo Colorado and Port Mansfield hold trout and reds in the potholes. The Queen Isabella Causeway fishing piers produce snook, trout and sheepshead.
Tides & Conditions
The new moon this weekend brings stronger tides. The Laguna Madre is shallow, so the wind and the tide both matter, and a north wind can drop the water level. The jetties are best on the outgoing tide.
Tackle & Tactics
Live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic on a light jig head works for trout. Gold spoons are productive for reds. At the jetties, cut mullet on a fish-finder rig is the standard for bulls. A topwater plug at first light is exciting on the flats.
Port Mansfield and the northern Laguna Madre are less pressured than the Port Isabel area and offer excellent sight-fishing for reds on calm days. Long, quiet drifts across the sand and grass flats can be rewarded with tailing fish.
Local Intel This Week
Public access includes Isla Blanca Park, the Queen Isabella Causeway fishing pier, Andy Bowie Park, and the Port Isabel boat ramps. Fish are concentrating at the jetties, the potholes and the channels. Check current Texas Parks and Wildlife regulations and seasons before keeping any fish.
This Week’s Tip
In the Laguna Madre, look for the potholes, the sandy patches in the grass. Trout and reds ambush bait there, and a quiet approach pays off.
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