South Padre Island fishing report for the week of September 10, 2026. The Lower Laguna Madre has had good water this week and the redfish have been on the flats in numbers, tailing on the calm mornings and pushing wakes through the grass once the wind gets up. Out at the jetties, the tarpon and bull reds are on the bait moving through the pass, and the surf has been fishable on the light-wind days.
What’s Hitting
What’s hitting this week is redfish on the flats. Slot fish and some oversized reds are on the grass flats and sand pockets from the Arroyo Colorado down to the Brownsville Ship Channel, with tailing fish on the calm mornings. Speckled trout are on the deeper grass in 3 to 5 feet at first light and around the spoil islands along the Intracoastal. Tarpon are rolling at the Brazos Santiago jetties and along the beach, and bull reds have started staging at the jetties. Snook are around the jetties and the ship channel rocks.
Nearshore, the platforms and the beachfront in 30 to 60 feet have kingfish and Spanish mackerel, and the surf has had whiting and pompano on the calm days.
Where to Find Them
For redfish, the flats on the west side of the Laguna Madre near the Arroyo Colorado, the sand pockets and grass near the Mansfield cut, and the flats around the spoil islands south of the causeway. Trout are on the grass edges in the deeper water near the Intracoastal and around the spoil islands. Tarpon and bull reds are at the jetties on the tide changes, especially the south jetty on the outgoing. Snook are on the jetty rocks and the ship channel structure at dawn and dusk.
Tides & Conditions
The new moon this weekend brings strong tides through the pass, which helps the jetty fishing. Winds have been southeast at 10 to 20, which is normal for the Laguna, with lighter mornings that have been the best for sight-fishing. Water temps are in the mid-80s, and clarity on the flats has been good on the west side. The surf has been green on the light-wind mornings.
Tackle & Tactics
For redfish, a gold spoon, a weedless soft plastic, or a topwater at dawn, cast to tailing and waking fish on the flats. Trout want a soft plastic on a 1/8-ounce jig head over the grass or a live shrimp under a popping cork. For tarpon at the jetties, a live mullet or a big swimbait on 80-pound leader. Bull reds are taking cut mullet on the bottom at the jetties. Snook want a live shrimp or a white jig worked along the rocks.
Local Intel This Week
Public ramps: the Jim’s Pier area and the public ramp at the South Padre Island causeway serve the south Laguna, the Port Isabel public ramp covers the ship channel and the jetties, and the Arroyo City ramp at the mouth of the Arroyo Colorado is the best access to the upper flats. Shore anglers have been catching reds and snook from the South Padre jetties at Isla Blanca Park. Fish are concentrating on the flats at dawn and at the jetties on the tide changes. Check current Texas Parks and Wildlife regulations before keeping fish — bull reds over the slot require a tag, snook have a tight slot and limit, and the flounder fall rules should be confirmed.
This Week’s Tip
Tailing redfish on the Laguna flats are facing into the current or the wind, feeding on the bottom. Cast a few feet ahead of the fish, in the direction its head is pointing, and let the bait sit. A moving lure dropped behind the fish gets ignored, and a cast on top of the fish sends it off the flat.
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