Doctrine from the Field Manual, limits from TPWD Outdoor Annual 2025–26 and FWC. Bahamas flats fish are treated as catch-and-release. The year bar is peak (copper) versus present (wash). The thermal strip is the fish’s window, not today’s gauge.
Peak Present Off
Redfish
Sciaenops ocellatus
Inshore targettexasLouisianaFlorida
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52–88°F · best 62–82°F
Texas and Louisiana main event. Tails in flooded grass, wakes on shell, winter schools on mud, bulls in the passes. Keys: backcountry only, not oceanside. Boca Harbor yes. Jupiter is a snook desk.
Fly. 8-weight. Crab or shrimp on bead-chain for tailers. Gold spoon when the wind wrecks the fly. 20 lb near oyster.
Spin. Weedless gold spoon, paddle, or soft plastic. Heavy spoon or big paddle for the fall jetty bulls.
Texas (Sep 1 2025–Aug 31 2026): 3/day, 20–28 in slot. One over 28 in per license year with a Red Drum Tag (plus bonus tag). Florida SE: typically 18–27 in, 1/person, 2/vessel — harvest banned in federal waters. Bahamas: absent. Official source
Speckled trout
Cynoscion nebulosus
Inshore targettexasLouisiana
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48–86°F · best 62–78°F
Same bays as the red, a foot deeper. Birds are GPS. Heat drives them off the flat at midday. Cold drives them to guts and mud. Louisiana lives on this fish.
Fly. 7–8 wt. Baitfish and shrimp. Gurgler when they are up. Soft mouth — strip-set, do not trout-set a trout.
Spin. Topwater at dawn. Soft plastic on a light jig the rest of the day. Slow down after a front.
Texas: 3/day, 15–20 in slot. One over 28 in per license year with a Spotted Seatrout Tag (plus bonus). Soft mouth + slot = measure every fish. Official source
Southern flounder
Paralichthys lethostigma
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50–84°F · best 58–74°F
Fall migration to the Gulf when water drops a few degrees. Males leave first. Spring return. Texas closed Nov 1–Dec 14. Louisiana typically closed Oct 15–Nov 30 — verify LDWF.
Fly. Clouser or shrimp on the bottom. Slow. The eat is a weight, not a tap.
Spin. Gulp or soft plastic hopped on sand drains and jetty guts. Fall nights at the passes are the run.
Texas: 5/day, 15 in minimum (verify Outdoor Annual). Fishery closed Nov 1–Dec 14. Possession equals the daily bag. Official source
Black drum
Pogonias cromis
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50–84°F · best 55–72°F
Winter/early spring. Schools with reds on Galveston mud. Roots — look for puffs and a thicker, darker tail.
Fly. Crab/shrimp a size bigger than the red. 8 wt schoolies, 9–10 for shoulders. He will eat a fly that sits.
Spin. Crab, light jig, or dead shrimp. A 30-pounder in a channel is a day that does not allow the fly.
Texas: 5/day, 14–30 in. One over 52 in allowed as part of the bag. Florida: check FWC regional rules. Official source
Sheepshead
Archosargus probatocephalus
Inshore targettexasLouisianaFlorida
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52–80°F · best 55–70°F
Winter and early spring on jetty granite and pilings. Midday better than dawn. He faces the tide and picks.
Fly. 7–8 wt, short 16–20 lb leader, ugly small crab. You are putting food on a post, not presenting to a cruiser.
Spin. The honest tool. Light jig or fiddler, 15–20 fluoro, watch the line. The bite is a tick.
Texas: 5/day, 15 in minimum. Florida: check FWC. Bahamas: not your fish. Official source
Snook
Centropomus undecimalis
Inshore targetFloridatexasmexicopuerto-rico
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60–88°F · best 70–84°F
Florida backcountry and passes. Rare in deep-south Texas. Cold-sensitive — a hard norther empties the shoreline.
Fly. 8–9 wt. Wide-gap baitfish or shrimp. Strip-set and keep him out of the roots.
Spin. Walk-the-dog or soft plastic along mangrove points on a moving tide.
Florida SE/Atlantic: typically 28–32 in, 1/day, snook permit required. Closed summer spawn window (often June–Aug) and a winter closure in some regions. Texas: 1/day, 24–28 in. Verify FWC regional map before you keep one. Official source
Keys migratory peak Apr–May. Boca Grande Pass is the spring stack. Jupiter inlet and beach. Texas beach/passes mid-summer. Venice south passes in the heat. Bahamas: resident fish in bights Apr–Oct.
Fly. 10–12 wt. Cockroach, toad, or baitfish. Bow to the king on the jump. 40–60 lb shock.
Spin. Live crab or large swimbaits at passes. Texas beachfront July–early fall is a bay-boat game, not the skinny skiff.
Florida: catch-and-release. Fish over 40 in must stay in the water. One harvest tag/year ($50) only for a potential IGFA record. Texas/Bahamas: treat as C&R. Official source
Absent in Texas. Keys: big, few, educated. Bahamas: the capital — winter singles, summer schools of 3–5 lb fish. Puerto Rico: east islands more than San Juan. Seychelles: Alphonse and Farquhar sand, not Mahé town water.
Fly. 8 wt. Gotcha, Crazy Charlie, shrimp. Long fluoro, soft landing. Bahamas will forgive more than Biscayne.
Spin. Possible with a tiny jig. The honest tool here is the fly.
Florida: catch-and-release only, hook-and-line only. Bahamas: treat as C&R; flats licensing rules have been tightening — verify before you wade. Official source
None in Texas. Keys mecca — flats, banks, wrecks. Bahamas west sides May–Oct. Puerto Rico: east-island banks, not Condado. Seychelles 'permit' is often the Indo-Pacific fish (Trachinotus blochii) — same job, different ocean.
Fly. 9 wt, 10 in wind. Merkin / Del Brown / Raghead. Lead the tailer, let the crab sink, one slow twitch.
Spin. Often deadlier. Live crab, DOA crab, 20–30 fluoro. No apology.
Florida: hook-and-line. Special Permit Zone (Keys) is more restrictive than the rest of the state — typically C&R or a tight slot. Verify FWC before you keep anything. Bahamas: C&R. Official source
Jack crevalle
Caranx hippos
Noise — not the headlinetexasLouisianaFloridabahamasmexicopuerto-rico
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68–90°F · best 74–86°F
Summer noise. Texas passes and beachfront. Not the reason you booked Andros, but they will find you. They do not own a Texas or Keys headline.
Fly. 9–10 wt baitfish. They will destroy a trout setup. Fun, not subtle.
Spin. Topwater or heavy spoon. If the birds are on them, you are late — cast past the boil.
Generally unregulated or liberal bag. Still, do not leave a pile. Official source
Dolphin. Keys and Bahamas summer bluewater — weedlines, FADs, the edge. Texas: offshore, not the bay. Absent from a Galveston grass headline.
Fly. 10–12 wt. Baitfish or a chugger on a weedline. This is a boat-in-blue-water game, not a skiff on the flat.
Spin. Ballyhoo or a heavy spoon on color changes, sargassum, and the humps. If you can see the bank, you are inshore of them.
Florida: typically 10/person, 60/vessel, 20 in fork. Texas: 3/day in federal waters under HMS/coastal rules — verify NOAA HMS and TPWD. Mexico: verify CONAPESCA. Bahamas: check current bag. Official source
SE Florida and the Keys are the winter sail coast. Bahamas bluewater. Texas: possible way offshore, not Matagorda. Do not headline a flat with a billfish.
Fly. 12 wt. A shot on a teaser, then the fly. Not a wade. Not a poling skiff.
Spin. Kite, live bait, or a dredge off the reef edge. Islamorada and Stuart in winter. Texas sail are a rare offshore event, not the jetty.
Florida: catch-and-release for Atlantic sail except a rare harvest tag. Federal HMS permit in federal waters. Texas/Bahamas: treat as C&R. Official source
Blackfin on Keys/Bahamas humps and wrecks. Yellowfin farther out. Texas: Flower Garden / canyon water. Not a Baffin or Biscayne headline.
Fly. 12 wt on a blackfin blitz if they come up. Yellowfin is a stand-up outfit, not an 8-weight.
Spin. Humps, wrecks, and the edge. Live bait or a heavy jig. Texas tuna live in 50–100 fathoms, not West Bay.
Federal HMS rules. Yellowfin typically 27 in curved fork. Blackfin often more liberal — verify NOAA HMS and FWC/TPWD the morning you leave the inlet. Official source
Hogfish
Lachnolaimus maximus
Inshore targetFloridabahamasmexicopuerto-rico
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70–86°F · best 74–82°F
Keys and Caribbean patch reefs. Not a Texas bay fish. Not a bonefish headline. He lives on the hard bottom, not the grass.
Fly. 8–9 wt. A small crab or shrimp on the patch. He is a picker. Do not trout-set a hog.
Spin. The honest tool. Shrimp or a small jig on the reef. Spear is a different license.
Florida: Atlantic and Gulf bags differ, and Monroe County is tighter than the rest of the Keys. Typically a fork-length minimum. Verify FWC the morning you keep one. Bahamas / DNER / CONAPESCA: verify. Official source
Yellowtail snapper
Ocyurus chrysurus
Inshore targetFloridabahamasmexicopuerto-rico
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70–86°F · best 74–82°F
Islamorada to Key West, then the Bahamas and the Spanish Virgins. Patch reefs and the first drop. Absent from Texas bays.
Fly. 7–8 wt. A small baitfish or shrimp on the edge of the chum. This is a boat on the reef, not a poling skiff.
Spin. Chum and a light fluorocarbon. The Keys live on this fish. Not a Galveston trout.
Florida: typically 12 in total length, inside the snapper aggregate. Verify FWC. Bahamas and Puerto Rico: check current bag before you fill a well. Official source
The snapper that will live in a Texas jetty and a Keys creek. Schoolies on structure. Bigger fish on the wrecks. Not a yellowtail.
Fly. 7–8 wt. Small baitfish along the shade line. 16–20 lb near the roots.
Spin. Live shrimp or a small jig under the mangroves and on the rocks. Night on the lights is legal.
Florida: typically 10 in, inside the snapper aggregate. Texas: typically 12 in, 4/day under snapper rules — verify TPWD. Louisiana: LDWF. Do not mix the bags. Official source
Mutton snapper
Lutjanus analis
Inshore targetFloridabahamasmexicopuerto-rico
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70–86°F · best 74–82°F
Keys wrecks and Caribbean hard bottom. Not a Texas red. Not a yellowtail in a chum slick.
Fly. 9–10 wt. A crab or baitfish on the wreck. He will eat a merkin that was meant for a permit.
Spin. Live bait or a jig on the wrecks and patches. Spawn aggregations are not a freelance mark.
Florida: typically 18 in, inside the snapper aggregate. Monroe / FKNMS rules still apply. Verify FWC. Bahamas and DNER: verify. Official source
Red snapper
Lutjanus campechanus
Inshore targettexasLouisianaFlorida
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64–84°F · best 68–78°F
Gulf wrecks and snapper banks. Texas and Louisiana live on this fish in a short federal window. Not a Galveston grass headline. Not a Keys yellowtail.
Fly. A deep jig is the honest tool. This is not an 8-weight on the flat.
Spin. Federal bottom. Heavy jig or cut bait. The season is announced, not assumed.
Gulf recreational season is set each year by NOAA and the states. Texas, Louisiana, and Florida Gulf bags are not the same as Atlantic. Verify NOAA HMS/reef fish and TPWD / LDWF / FWC the morning you leave the inlet. Do not invent an open day. Official source
Lane snapper
Lutjanus synagris
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68–86°F · best 72–82°F
Nearshore Gulf and Caribbean hard bottom. Texas jetties and the first reefs. Not the federal red-snapper story.
Fly. 7 wt. Small shrimp on the nearshore hard. He is a schoolie.
Spin. Light jig or shrimp on the first structure. Measure — he is the small snapper people guess wrong.
Florida: typically 8 in, inside the snapper aggregate. Texas: typically 8 in — verify TPWD. Do not call a lane a red. Official source
Gag grouper
Mycteroperca microlepis
Inshore targetFloridatexas
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62–82°F · best 66–76°F
Florida Gulf wrecks and the Big Bend rocks. Texas has him farther offshore than a bay brief. Not a Keys hogfish.
Fly. 10 wt on a shallow wreck if they are up. Most days this is a deep jig.
Spin. Live bait or a heavy jig on the rocks. Gulf and Atlantic seasons are not the same.
Florida Gulf and Atlantic seasons and slots differ, and they change. Verify FWC grouper before you keep one. Texas: federal Gulf grouper rules — verify NOAA and TPWD. Do not invent an open month. Official source
Red grouper
Epinephelus morio
Inshore targetFlorida
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64–82°F · best 68–78°F
Florida Gulf bottom. Absent from Texas grass and from a Biscayne bonefish morning.
Fly. A deep jig. Not a flat.
Spin. Cut bait or a jig on the Gulf hard. Season is posted, not assumed.
Florida Gulf red grouper has its own bag and season. Verify FWC. Not interchangeable with gag or black grouper. Official source
Black grouper
Mycteroperca bonaci
Inshore targetFloridabahamasmexicopuerto-rico
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70–86°F · best 74–82°F
Keys, Bahamas, Yucatan, Puerto Rico wrecks. The heavy grouper. Do not print him on Galveston.
Fly. 12 wt on a shallow wreck if you earned the shot. Usually a stand-up outfit.
Spin. Live bait on the wrecks and ledges. Keys and Caribbean. Not a Texas gag.
Florida: typically a high minimum and a tight bag — verify FWC. Monroe and FKNMS still apply. Bahamas / DNER / CONAPESCA: verify. Official source
Cobia
Rachycentron canadum
Inshore targettexasLouisianaFloridamexico
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68–86°F · best 72–82°F
Gulf spring run. Texas and Florida beaches, then the wrecks. Not a trout. Not a permit.
Fly. 10–12 wt. A big baitfish on a crab-trap float or a ray. He will eat. Then he will go to the wreck.
Spin. Jigs and live bait around rays, traps, and the first wrecks. Spring migration along the beach.
Florida: typically 1/person, 2/vessel, 33 in fork on the Gulf — Atlantic rules can differ. Texas: typically 2/day, 37 in — verify TPWD. Louisiana: LDWF. Measure. The bag is small. Official source
Florida pompano
Trachinotus carolinus
Inshore targettexasLouisianaFlorida
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62–82°F · best 66–76°F
Surf and clean sand. Texas and Florida beaches in the cool months. Not a permit. Not a jack.
Fly. 8 wt. A small crab or Clouser in the wash. He wants sand, not grass.
Spin. Jig in the surf and on the first bar. The honest pompano tool is a pompano jig.
Florida: typically 6/day, 11 in fork. Texas: typically 6/day, 9 in — verify TPWD. Do not keep a permit you called a pompano. Official source
Tripletail
Lobotes surinamensis
Inshore targettexasLouisianaFlorida
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70–88°F · best 74–84°F
Summer Gulf. Traps, weed, and channel markers. Texas and Louisiana live on this fish. Not a wreck grouper.
Fly. 8–9 wt. A shrimp or crab to a crab-trap float. Sight fishing that is not a bonefish.
Spin. Live shrimp to the shade of a trap, a buoy, or sargassum. Do not run over the float.
Florida: typically 2/day, 18 in. Texas: typically 3/day, 17 in — verify TPWD. Louisiana: LDWF. The trap is not your property. Official source
King mackerel
Scomberomorus cavalla
Inshore targettexasLouisianaFloridamexico
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70–86°F · best 74–82°F
Texas and Florida summer kings. The beach and the first wrecks. Not a trout. Not a wahoo.
Fly. 10 wt. A long baitfish on the first color change. Wire if you are tired of bite-offs.
Spin. Troll or a live bait on the beachfront and the wrecks. Summer Gulf.
Florida and Texas typically 2/day with a minimum fork length — verify FWC / TPWD. Federal and state bags can differ. Do not mix a king with a Spanish. Official source
Spanish mackerel
Scomberomorus maculatus
Inshore targettexasLouisianaFlorida
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66–86°F · best 70–80°F
Nearshore Gulf and the Florida east coast. Birds and bait. Not a king. Not a spec.
Fly. 8 wt. A small clouser. Wire or a heavy shock if they are chopping.
Spin. A spoon or a small jig along the beach and the first guts. Faster than a trout.
Florida: typically 15/day, 12 in fork. Texas: typically 15/day, 14 in — verify TPWD. Measure. The bags look liberal until you guess the species wrong. Official source
Gulf and Atlantic wrecks. Not a jack crevalle. Not a GT. Do not headline a flat with an AJ.
Fly. 12 wt on a shallow wreck if they come up. Most days this is a stand-up jig.
Spin. Heavy jig on the wreck. Season and slot are posted. He will spool a trout rod.
Gulf and Atlantic recreational seasons and slots change. Florida typically a 34-in fork and a closed window — verify FWC and NOAA the morning you drop. Texas: federal rules. Do not invent an open day. Official source
Blue water only. San Juan’s north drop, the Bahamas, the Yucatan current, Seychelles offshore. Never a flat. Never a Galveston grass sentence.
Fly. A teaser, then the fly, on a boat that already found him. Not a skiff. Not a wade.
Spin. Troll the edge. Puerto Rico and the Bahamas tell this story honestly. Texas is a canyon day. Do not invent one on Condado.
Federal HMS. Atlantic blues are typically catch-and-release for recreational boats unless a rare harvest tag applies. Tournament and lodge rules are tighter. Verify NOAA HMS. Do not keep a billfish because a desk scored an 8. Official source
White marlin
Kajikia albida
BluewaterFloridatexaspuerto-rico
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70–84°F · best 74–82°F
Atlantic and Gulf blue water. Not a sailfish. Not a Keys permit. Do not print him on a mangrove.
Fly. Teaser and fly on the same ocean as the blue. Smaller fish, same rule: not a flat.
Spin. Troll. Mid-Atlantic and the Gulf canyons. Texas is possible. Jupiter is a maybe. Condado is not.
Federal HMS. Treat as catch-and-release unless a lawful harvest tag says otherwise. Verify NOAA HMS the morning you leave. Official source
Striped marlin
Kajikia audax
Pacific onlymexico
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70–84°F · best 74–80°F
Eastern Pacific. East Cape and the mouth of the Cortez. Absent from Texas, Louisiana, the Keys, the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, and the Seychelles. Same rule as the rooster: this ocean only.
Fly. Teaser and fly. East Cape and Magdalena when the water is right. Pacific only.
Spin. Troll. Baja. Not the Gulf of Mexico. Not Texas.
Mexico: verify CONAPESCA. Most East Cape programs treat striped marlin as catch-and-release. Not an Atlantic white. Official source
Swordfish
Xiphias gladius
BluewaterFloridabahamastexasmexicopuerto-rico
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64–80°F · best 68–76°F
Night and deep. Islamorada and the Miami canyons tell this story. Puerto Rico’s north drop. Never a flat. Never a Galveston trout sentence.
Fly. This is not a fly fish. Night deep-drop or a daytime deep drop.
Spin. Deep drop. South Florida invented the modern recreational swordfish day. Texas is a canyon. Not a jetty.
Federal HMS. Typically one per person with a minimum length — verify NOAA HMS and FWC / DNER the morning you leave. Night gear rules matter. Do not invent a bag. Official source
Great barracuda
Sphyraena barracuda
Noise — not the headlineFloridabahamasmexicopuerto-ricoseychelles
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70–88°F · best 74–84°F
Flats and wrecks will find you. Keys, Bahamas, Yucatan, Puerto Rico. Noise. They do not own the headline.
Fly. 9 wt. A big needle. Fun. Not why you booked the week.
Spin. A tube lure if you came for him. Wire. Ciguatera is a real reason not to keep a big one.
Florida: generally unregulated; ciguatera risk rises with size. Bahamas and the islands: treat big cuda as catch-and-release. Not a food-fish argument. Official source
Roosterfish
Nematistius pectoralis
Pacific onlymexico
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72–88°F · best 76–84°F
Eastern Pacific — Baja East Cape and La Paz, Costa Rica, Panama. Absent from Texas, Louisiana, the Keys, the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, and the Seychelles. Lives on this atlas only on the Mexico Pacific desks.
Fly. 10–12 wt. A big baitfish in the surf. Baja and Central America Pacific, not the Gulf.
Spin. Live mullet in the wash. Same ocean as the rooster comb — the Pacific.
Mexico: verify CONAPESCA. Most East Cape and La Paz programs treat rooster as catch-and-release. Not a U.S. Gulf or Atlantic fish. Official source
Giant trevally
Caranx ignobilis
Inshore targetseychelles
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72–90°F · best 76–86°F
Indo-Pacific. Alphonse, St François, Farquhar — the reason the atoll week exists. Absent from the Atlantic and the Gulf. Do not print a GT on Galveston or Condado.
Fly. 12 wt. A big baitfish on the atoll edge. He will eat a popper. This is not a Texas jack.
Spin. Stickbait or a live bait on the pass. The eat is violent. Do not bring an 8-weight to a GT.
Seychelles: verify the Seychelles Fishing Authority. Lodge programs treat GT as catch-and-release. Not an Atlantic jack crevalle. Official source