Texas Gulf Coast Fishing Report: Trout, Reds, and More on the Spring Bite

This is Artificial Lure coming to you with the latest fishing report for April 23, 2025, from the Texas Gulf Coast. We've got prime spring fishing underway, and it's shaping up to be a great week for anglers hitting the water from Galveston down to the Coastal Bend. Weather at sunrise this morning was mild, starting in the mid-60s with temperatures expected to rise into the mid-70s by afternoon. Skies are mostly clear, and a steady southeast wind is giving a nice drift over both the flats and deeper bay waters. Sunrise was at 6:56 AM, and sunset will roll in at 7:47 PM, so you've got plenty of daylight to put those lines out[5]. Today’s tidal schedule around Galveston has a low tide at 3:42 AM and a high tide peaking at 11:12 AM, then another low at 5:13 PM before a late high at 7:54 PM[5]. Expect the strongest fish activity to coincide with those incoming tides, especially around reefs, jetties, and grass flats. Fishing action is lively in most bays—East Galveston Bay's water clarity is good, especially on the south shoreline, with shell beds in 2 to 3 feet of water holding solid numbers of speckled trout, along with a mix of redfish and flounder. Redfish Bay and San Antonio Bay are both reporting strong bites, with water temps running from the upper 60s to 80 degrees[1][2][3]. Speckled trout and redfish have been reliably caught wade fishing along the Texas City dike and the Bolivar Peninsula. Live shrimp and finger mullet are top baits, but for those working artificial, small topwater plugs and twitchbaits are getting the job done, especially around grass or sand pockets near the shoreline[1][2][3][4]. The Sand Eel soft plastic in dark with a bright tail is an old standby that’s performed well lately[3]. If you’re targeting the jetties, sheepshead are gathering and hitting live shrimp around structure, and black drum action has also picked up[2][5]. Other notable catches include pompano, jack crevalle, and even a few early sharks reported around the jetties. Catfish are active up the rivers and creeks, especially on fresh shad, and gar are plentiful as well[2]. For hot spots today, try the shell beds along the south shoreline in East Galveston Bay and the Texas City dike for a mix of trout, reds, and black drum[1][2]. The jetties are also solid for sheepshead and redfish, with occasional runs of big drum and sharks[2][5]. Overall, it's a great time to be on the water. Best bets are live shrimp, finger mullet, and topwaters or twitchbaits early and late in the day. Tight lines and good luck out there! This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.