Texas Fishing Seasons: Summer

Texas Summer Fishing

Summer is one of the most exciting times to wet a line in Texas waters with a variety of species crushing bait across the state. The warm coastal waters bring in bucket list species while the morning bite in the lakes is firing on all cylinders. With calm water conditions and warm weather, summer is one of the most popular times to go fishing.

Texas Summer Fishing

Summer is one of the most exciting times to wet a line in Texas waters with a variety of species crushing bait across the state. The warm coastal waters bring in bucket list species while the morning bite in the lakes is firing on all cylinders. With calm water conditions and warm weather, summer is one of the most popular times to go fishing.

Freshwater

In the warmer months, when water temperatures max out, stripers feed heavily in open water on the lakes. Largemouth bass and crappie take cover in cooler waters near deep structures. Catfish will be found in deep channels during the day but will move up to shallower points at night. When the dams are releasing cool water fishing downriver can also produce giant fish, particularly striped bass. Taking a summer fishing trip to any of the Texas lakes is sure to be memorable and a great way to spend a hot day. Once summer turns to fall, the striper bite is still hot but catfish go on a feeding frenzy.

Inshore

As spring fades into summer, the dominant bite in the shallows turns from trout to redfish. These are two of the most popular fish on the Texas Coast, both of which offer aggressive strikes in the summer. Across a wide range of shallow water environments, anglers can also target black drum, sheepshead, and sometimes tarpon on the Southern Coast. From Port Aransas(formerly called Tarpon, Texas) south, tarpon can be found throughout the summer on their annual migration around the gulf. With tarpon stopping by along with giant redfish and trout in the backwaters, summer fishing on the Texas Coast is a great opportunity to catch a bucket list fish.

Nearshore

While heading offshore in the summer usually means federal red snapper season, fishing in state waters is also very productive. There’s also an abundance of other snapper species to target along with the tail end of amberjack season. Amberjack is pound for pound one of the strongest fish which is why they have earned the nickname “reef donkeys.” Summer is also the peak season for kingfish and hooking into a big one will make the reel smoke with long fast runs. If you want to get on some big fish without having to spend as much time traveling to your spots, a summer nearshore trip is perfect.

Offshore

Once the warm summer weather sets in, grouper, kingfish, and mahi mahi are easy to come by but everyone is after the red snapper bite. The federal red snapper season is one of the most popular times for anglers to head offshore and catch some delicious reef fish. Heading to the deeper spots during the federal season will give you the best shot at catching a monster. Once the snapper quota is met and the season closes, switching to trolling will provide nonstop action for kingfish and mahi mahi. When the weather begins to cool off in the fall kingfish continue to bite but it's prime time for blackfin tuna or “footballs” as they’re sometimes called.