South Padre Island fishing report for the week of September 17, 2026. The Lower Laguna Madre is in its fall groove this week. The first cool fronts have not arrived yet, but cooler nights have brought the trout up onto the grass early, the redfish are tailing on the sand at first light, and the jetties have been busy with bull reds and tarpon on the moving tide.
What’s Hitting
This week on the water it is speckled trout on the flats. Fish from 16 to 22 inches are on the grass flats in 2 to 4 feet in the mornings, with some bigger fish in the potholes and along the Intracoastal spoil edges, and they have been eating topwaters at first light. Redfish are tailing on the shallow sand and grass early, with schools moving along the east side flats, and bull reds are stacked at the Brazos Santiago Pass jetties on the outgoing tide. Tarpon are rolling at the jetties and along the beach, and Spanish mackerel, jacks, and a few kingfish are working the bait along the beachfront. Snook are around the jetty rocks and the pass at first light and after dark.
Where to Find Them
Trout are on the grass flats along the west side of the Laguna Madre and around the Gas Well flats and the spoil islands along the Intracoastal early, dropping to the potholes and the deeper edges as the sun climbs. Redfish are on the shallow sand flats on the east side of the bay and along the Padre Island shoreline at first light. Bull reds and tarpon are on the channel side of the jetties and along the rocks at the ends on the falling tide. Snook are on the jetty rocks and around the pass.
Tides & Conditions
Moderate tides this week between the moons, with the morning falling tide the best window at the jetties. Bay water is in the mid-80s and easing at night, and the Laguna is clear on the light north and east winds. Seas along the beach have been 1 to 2 feet most mornings. Afternoon storms have been scattered.
Tackle & Tactics
For trout on the flats, a walking topwater at first light, then a soft plastic paddle tail or a shrimp imitation on a light jig head worked over the grass and potholes, on a 7-foot medium-light spinning rod with 10 to 15-pound braid. Redfish want a weedless gold spoon or a soft plastic sight-cast to tailing fish. Bull reds at the jetties want a cracked crab or cut mullet on a 7/0 circle hook with a fish-finder rig. For tarpon, a live mullet or a large swimbait on 60-pound leader. Snook want a live mullet or a paddle tail on 40-pound leader around the rocks.
Local Intel This Week
The Jim’s Pier and South Padre Island public ramps serve the Laguna Madre and the jetties, with the Port Isabel and Adolph Thomae County Park ramps on the mainland side. Shore and wade anglers are catching reds and trout from the Convention Centre flats and the Laguna Madre shoreline, and the Isla Blanca Park jetty gives access to bull reds, tarpon, and snook. Fish are concentrating on the flats early and at the jetties on the falling tide. Only one oversized red drum may be kept with a tag, and snook have a narrow slot; check current Texas Parks and Wildlife regulations before keeping fish.
This Week’s Tip
When wading the Laguna Madre flats for trout, stop and fish the potholes rather than walking through them. The bigger trout sit on the edge of a sand pothole in the grass waiting for bait, and a lure worked across the pothole from its edge gets hit far more often than one cast past a wading angler’s footprints.
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