Coastal Texas Fishing Report: Bulls, Trout, and Flounder Chasing Baitfish in October Tides

Artificial Lure coming to you live with your Gulf Coast Texas fishing report for Saturday, October 4th, 2025. October’s first cool fronts have the whole Texas coastline pulsing with action. We kicked off with a high tide at 4:12AM, a low at 9:39AM, rising again to a 1.6-foot high at 2:40PM, then back down to a low at 9:34 tonight. Sunrise was at 7:14, and with sunset at 7:01, you’ve got a solid window to target those prime early morning and late afternoon bites. The moon’s waxing gibbous, up at 5:36PM, adding a little extra pull to the tides according to Tide-Forecast.com. This first week of October truly sets the Gulf on fire. Along the beaches and passes from Surfside to Bolivar, bull reds are running hot. Reports from MDLR Fishing and other local guides say kayakers and wade anglers are catching impressive numbers of bull reds — those true Texas giants — especially as they chase big mullet schools in the shallow surf and bay drains. Get out early, watch for those nervous rafts of mullet, and you’ll likely spot bull reds tailing right in front of you. Old-timers know this is big trout time, too. Over in Galveston Bay, speckled trout are pushing shallow at first light, feeding hard over broken shell and grass. Slicks and diving birds are great trout indicators. Folks are connecting with solid keepers using bone or silver topwaters at dawn, and switching to soft plastic paddle tails as the sun comes up. Chartreuse and white have been the ticket, especially when the water muddies up after a breeze, just like Fishingreminder.com recommends. Don’t overlook the flounder bite—action is picking up near the marsh drains, bayou mouths, and ship channel edges. Falling tides pull bait out, and flounder are stacking up, ambushing anything rolling along the bottom. Live mud minnows are as close to a guarantee as you’ll get, but Gulp! swimming mullets and small paddle tails are catching plenty. Slow it way down, give it a twitch, and you’ll get those telltale thumps. Hot spots right now include: - The Galveston beachfront and jetties: bull red and trout are both there, with flounder staging nearby. - San Luis Pass: classic October stop for mixed bags, just mind the strong current—fish the edges for your shot at every inshore species. On the artificial front, you can’t go wrong matching the hatch: try silver or natural soft plastics, MirrOlure or Rapala hard baits, and add a little scent if the bite slows down. Those working deeper holes with fresh cut mullet or shrimp are landing solid numbers, but don’t be afraid to throw a popping cork over grass on the mid-morning incoming. Limits of reds and several upper-slot specs were reported out of Christmas Bay and the West Bay marshes just yesterday. Live shrimp freelined near drains, and topwater plugs thrown at sunrise did most of the damage. Fresh shad, mullet, or even blue crab on a slip-sinker rig are unbeatable for those anchoring up and soaking bait, especially with the extra tidal movement today. W This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.