Texas Gulf Coast Fishing Report: Redfish, Trout, and More Amid Shifting Conditions

For December 12, 2024, the fishing conditions in the Gulf of Mexico along the Texas coast are looking promising despite the transitioning weather. ### Tidal Report Today, the tide times for the Houston Ship Channel and Galveston Bay are as follows: a low tide at 1:30 AM with a height of 0.26 m (0.86 ft), a high tide at 4:07 AM with a height of 0.28 m (0.92 ft), a low tide at 12:14 PM with a height of -0.14 m (-0.45 ft), and a high tide at 8:39 PM with a height of 0.45 m (1.47 ft). Sunrise is at 7:07 AM and sunset is at 5:22 PM[2]. ### Weather and Fish Activity The recent cold fronts have dropped the water temperatures, but this has positively impacted fishing in areas like the back lakes and sloughs. The water level drop has brought a lot of the food source out into the estuaries, making significant drop-offs, grass lines, and scattered grass beds great structures to fish. Fish are getting heavier after each cold front, with good catches of redfish and trout reported[5]. ### Types and Amounts of Fish Yesterday saw decent numbers of redfish caught off the Texas City Dike and the Galveston jetties using live halved crab and cut mullet. Trout were plentiful in the marsh areas using live shrimp and soft plastics. Black drum and occasional sheepshead were also caught in the upper ship channel bays on live shrimp. Flounder are showing up rapidly, particularly on rock flats, though they are catch and release only until December 14[5]. ### Best Lures and Bait Live shrimp remains the bait of choice for targeting most marine sportfish in Texas, including spotted seatrout, red drum, black drum, and southern flounder. For lures, Mansfield Knockers and BTS have been effective for catching trout and redfish. Weedless paddle tails and live shrimp under a short popping cork are also recommended for bull redfish on spot reefs and flats with rocks[3][5]. ### Hot Spots - **Texas City Dike and Galveston Jetties**: These areas have been productive for bull redfish and black drum using live halved crab and cut mullet. - **Upper Ship Channel Bays**: Good for catching trout, black drum, and occasional sheepshead using live shrimp. - **Marsh Areas**: Decent for redfish using live shrimp and soft plastics. - **Rock Flats**: Ideal for catching flounder on paddle tails. Keep an eye out for jumping bait and birds to locate areas where fish are feeding heavily, and manage the transition into the colder winter months thoughtfully to increase your chances of a successful catch. This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.