Waters · Coast · TX · Thu, Aug 13

How's the bite at South Padre Island today? Biting — get there by 7.

Worth a cast.

6/10
Biting

Today's bite windows

12 AM6 AMNoon6 PM11 PM
Major
1:02 AM–3:02 AM
Moon underfoot
Minor
7:23 AM–8:23 AM
Moonrise
Major
1:27 PM–3:27 PM
Moon overhead
Minor
8:24 PM–9:24 PM
Moonset

Sunrise 7:00 AM · sunset 8:06 PM · tomorrow's first major 1:51 AM–3:51 AM · windows on every water

Solunar · computed updated 3:36 AM

Conditions right now

Water temp
78.8°F
NOAA CO-OPS 8779749 updated 3:30 AM
Tide level
1.325ft
-0.16 ft in 24h
NOAA CO-OPS 8779749 updated 3:30 AM
Pressure
29.93inHg
steady · +0.34 hPa/12h
NOAA KPIL updated 3:20 AM
Wind
10mph SSE
NOAA KPIL updated 3:20 AM
Moon
1% waxing
Solunar · computed updated 3:36 AM

Nearby gauges

These sit on connected water, not on South Padre Island itself.

  • Second stretch — -105000 cfs
    USGS 08474395 updated 3:05 AM

What this means

Redfish
79°F sits in the sweet spot. Work the first few feet early.
Work shallow to mid.

South Padre Island water level today

1.325 ft above MLLW down 0.16 ft in 24 hours

That sits 67% of the way up the band it has held over the last 8 days, between -0.49 and 2.21 ft. Over the week it is down0.11ft.

08-04 -0.49–2.21 ft 08-13
USGS 8779749 updated 3:30 AM

The week ahead

Fri 7 Biting
Sat 7 Biting
Sun 7 Biting
Mon 7 Biting
Tue 7 Biting
Wed 7 Biting
Thu 7 Biting

Forecast days carry solunar and the wind outlook. Pressure and gauge movement land the morning of.

Before you go

A TX fishing license covers this water. The state agency sets the rules and is the one that counts.

Nearby waters today

Questions people ask about South Padre Island

Answered from the same readings as the rest of this page. Where we have no basis for an answer, there is no entry — spot-by-spot local knowledge is not something we can claim for South Padre Island.

Is it worth fishing South Padre Island today?
6 out of 10 — biting. Worth a cast. The strongest stretch is 1:02 AM–3:02 AM. That number is worked out fresh each morning from the solunar windows, the pressure trend, the water level and the water temperature.
What time should you fish South Padre Island?
Today's major windows run 1:02 AM–3:02 AM and 1:27 PM–3:27 PM, with minor windows at 7:23 AM–8:23 AM and 8:24 PM–9:24 PM. Sunrise is 7:00 AM and sunset 8:06 PM. A major landing on first or last light is the stretch worth setting an alarm for.
What is the water temperature at South Padre Island?
78.8°F, read at 3:30 AM from NOAA CO-OPS station 8779749. That is 1.3 degrees cooler than 24 hours ago.
What is the water level at South Padre Island right now?
1.325 ft above MLLW, read at 3:30 AM from NOAA CO-OPS station 8779749. Over 24 hours it is down 0.16 ft.
Can you eat the fish you catch in South Padre Island?
That is a health question, and it is answered officially rather than by us. Texas Department of State Health Services publishes the fish consumption advisory covering these waters, where an interactive viewer shows advisories and possession bans by waterbody. Read it before you keep a meal — we give no eating advice.

Texas DSHS fish consumption advisory

What size fish can you keep in TX?
It depends on the species, and several have slot limits rather than a simple minimum. Open to harvest today: red drum (redfish), spotted seatrout (speckled trout), black drum, southern flounder. Seasons here change mid-year by agency order, so the status is re-checked every morning.

Check a length against the rules

Where these numbers come from

SPI Brazos Santiago sits at the pass between the Gulf and the Lower Laguna Madre; the USGS gauge in the pass adds discharge — how hard the water is moving through.

No one types these in by hand. If a source goes quiet, the page says so instead of showing you yesterday.