South Padre is fishing the full summer spread this week. In the Lower Laguna Madre, speckled trout are working the grass flats and guts, with topwater at first light and soft plastics producing through the day. The better trout have come early before the heat pushes them to the deeper grass and channels.
Redfish are tailing on the flats and working the shorelines and back lagoons, eating soft plastics, cut bait, and gold spoons. The slot reds have been reliable, and bull reds are showing around the jetties and the Brownsville Ship Channel as summer sets in.
Snook are around the jetties, passes, and channel structure — a southern-Texas specialty — and tarpon are beginning to show along the beachfront and around the jetties, an exciting early sign of the summer run. Both offer outstanding light-tackle and live-bait action for those who target them.
Offshore and around the jetties, the red snapper season has boats busy over the reefs and rigs, with kingfish, ling (cobia), and Spanish mackerel also in the mix. Mangrove snapper and sheepshead are stacking on the jetty rocks and structure.
Beat the South Texas heat with early starts and watch the afternoon sea breeze and storms. The Laguna trout and redfish bite should stay strong through June, and the jetties are worth a shot for snook and the building tarpon run.
Spots & Access This Week
Access on the lower Texas coast is straightforward. The South Padre Island ramp near the convention center and the Port Isabel ramp both put you into the Laguna and within reach of the Brazos Santiago jetties. Further up, the Arroyo City ramps on the Arroyo Colorado and the Adolph Thomae Jr. County Park ramp open up the middle of the Lower Laguna Madre.
Shore and wade anglers have excellent options at the Brazos Santiago jetties, the Isla Blanca Park shoreline and the free beach access points north of the developed end of the island.
Fish have been concentrating on the grass edges and sand potholes on the flats early, and around the jetties when clean green water is pushing through the pass. Speckled trout limits in Texas were adjusted following the 2021 freeze event and have remained under active review since, and tarpon and snook carry their own rules — check current Texas Parks and Wildlife regulations before keeping fish.
Tactics That Are Working
On the Laguna flats, an eighth- to quarter-ounce jighead with a soft plastic worked through the potholes has been the most consistent trout presentation, with a topwater walked over the grass producing the better fish in the first hour of light. Downsize the leader — 20-pound fluorocarbon gets far more eats than 30 in that clear, shallow water.
At the jetties, a live mullet or piggy perch fished on the green-water side covers everything from snook to kings, and a heavy spoon cast into a working bait pod is the fast way to find Spanish and mackerel. For redfish in skinny water, a weedless soft plastic or a gold spoon placed well ahead of a moving fish beats anything landed on top of it.
This Week’s Tip
Use the wind rather than fighting it. Set up a long drift with the wind at your back and let the boat carry you across a series of potholes instead of running to each one. The Lower Laguna is shallow enough that an outboard announces you from a quarter mile off, and the fish you spooked leaving the last flat are the same ones you were hoping to cast to on this one.
More South Padre Island Resources
South Padre Island Fishing Guide · South Padre Island Seasonal Calendar · All South Padre Island reports →
Also read: South Padre Island Fishing Report — Week of July 30, 2026: Jetty Tarpon, Trout on the Flats
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