This guide to saltwater fish limits in Texas will help you follow regulations on your Gulf Coast fishing trip. Sizes for some species have a minimum and a maximum length, so keep a tape measure on board to measure your catch.
Regulations and Saltwater Fish Limits in Texas
The following are the legal fish sizes in Texas. Bag limits refer to the total number of fish you can keep within a 24-hour day from midnight to midnight. Except for spotted seatrout, you can take twice the bag limit of each species home.
Amberjack
The bag limit for greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili) is one, with a minimum length of 38 inches and no maximum length.
Bass
You can have a combination of five striped bass (Morone saxatilis), bass hybrids, and subspecies, but each must be at least 18 inches long.
Catfish
Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), blue catfish (I. furcatus), and all hybrids and subspecies have a combined bag limit of 25 fish. There is no minimum size, but only ten catfish in your bag can be over 20 inches long.
Cobia
You may keep one cobia (Rachycentron canadum), but it must be at least 40 inches long.
Drum
The bag limit for black drum (Pogonias cromis) is five fish between 14 and 30 inches. You may also include one black drum over 52 inches in your catch limit.
The limit for red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) is three per day, and they all must measure between 20 and 28 inches.
Once per license year, your saltwater fish limits in Texas include one red drum that must measure over 28 inches. This bonus fish is in addition to your daily bag limit. After catching it, you must either attach a physical tag to the fish or report it online.
Flounder
The southern flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma) season is from December 15 to October 31. During this time, the bag limit is five, and the minimum length is 15 inches. You may not keep flounder of any size from November 1 to December 14.
Gar
There is a one-fish bag limit for alligator gar of any size (Atractosteus spatula). If you catch one anywhere in Texas other than in Falcon International Reservoir, you must report it within 24 hours to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
Grouper
The bag limit for black groupers (Mycteroperca bonaci) is four and for gag groupers (M. microlepis) is two. Fish of both species must be at least 24 inches long. Goliath (Epinephelus itajara) and Nassau groupers (E. striatus) are catch-and-release only.
Mackerel
You may keep three king mackerel (Scomberomorus cavalla) of at least 27 inches in length per day. You also may have up to 15 Spanish mackerel (S. maculatus) of 14 inches or more.
Marlin
There are no saltwater fish limits in Texas on the number of marlins you can keep per day. However, blue marlins (Makaira nigricans) must be at least 131 inches long, and white marlins (Kajikia albida) must be at least 86 inches.
Mullet
You can keep as many mullet as you can catch. This bag limit includes striped mullet (Mugil cephalus), white mullet (M. curema), and all other mullet species and hybrids. There are no size limits except from October to January, when the maximum size is 12 inches.
Sailfish
There is no bag limit for Atlantic sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus), but you must release any that are not at least 84 inches long.
Seatrout
According to new regulations for spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus), you may have only three in your possession for the entirety of your fishing trip. This number is the same as the daily bag limit, and each fish must be at least 15 inches long. Two fish can be up to 20 inches, and one can be a maximum of 30 inches.
Shark
You may not keep the following species: Atlantic angel, basking, bigeye sand tiger, bigeye sixgill, bigeye thresher, bignose, Caribbean reef, Caribbean sharpnose, dusky, Galapagos, longfin mako, copper, night, oceanic whitetip, sandbar, sand tiger, sevengill, shortfin mako, silky, sixgill, smalltail, whale, and white sharks.
Saltwater fish limits in Texas for all other sharks not listed above are one per day. Atlantic sharpnoses (Rhizoprionodon terraenovae), blacktips (Carcharhinus limbatus), and bonnetheads (Sphyrna tiburo) must be at least 24 inches long.
Smooth, great, and scalloped hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna zygaena, S. mokarran, and S. lewini) must be at least 99 inches long, and all other legal shark species must be at least 64 inches long.
Sheepshead
Southern sheepshead fish (Archosargus probatocephalus) have a bag limit of five and a minimum length of 15 inches.
Snapper
There is no limit to the number of lane (Lutjanus synagris) and vermillion (Rhomboplites aurorubens) snappers you may keep per day. Lanes must measure at least 8 inches, and vermillions must be 10 inches.
The regulations for red snappers (Lutjanus campechanus) vary based on which agency manages the water where you are fishing. In federal waters, the bag limit is two fish that must measure at least 16 inches long. In Texas waters, the limit is four fish that must measure a minimum of 15 inches long.
Snook
You may keep one common snook (Centropomus undecimalis) between 24 and 28 inches long per day.
Tarpon
The bag limit is one Atlantic tarpon (Megalops atlanticus), and the minimum size is 85 inches.
Triggerfish
The bag limit for gray triggerfish (Balistes capriscus) is 20, and the minimum length is 16 inches.
Tripletail
The limit for Atlantic tripletail (Lobotes surinamensis) is three fish. Each fish must be at least 17 inches long.
Why We Have Saltwater Fish Limits in Texas
Most local anglers agree that Texas’s fishing regulations exist for a good reason. Bag limits prevent overharvesting of highly sought-after species such as seatrout, and size restrictions ensure that adult fish have an opportunity to reproduce.
By adhering to the rules, you can do your part to guarantee there are plenty of fish in the water each time you visit Boat Stop Marina. Contact us today with questions about saltwater fish limits in Texas or anything related to your upcoming Gulf Coast boating adventures. Our staff loves to talk about saltwater fishing, and we look forward to seeing you on the water soon.