Best time to fish in Empire
Today, Thursday, October 29, 2026 · local time (CDT) · Louisiana, United States Today, Thu, Oct 29 · CDT- High tides
- —
- Major periods
- 2:40–4:40 am and 3:12–5:12 pm
- Solunar activity
- Medium
- Sun
- 7:09 am–6:14 pm
Today, Thursday, October 29, the best time to fish in Empire is 10:50 am to 12:50 pm, with the 11:50 am low tide, moonset and some swell. It's a fair day (4/10). The best day this week is Friday, October 30, at 7/10.
Your day in Empire at a glance
The strip runs from midnight to midnight, local time. Night in gray, daylight in yellow; the blue curve is the tide; below, the solunar periods and the best windows.
Fishing forecast for the next 7 days
| Day | Rating | Best times | High tides | Moon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | 4fair day | 10:50 am–12:50 pm3:10–5:10 pm | — | Waning gibbous |
| Fri 30 | 7good day | 5:40–6:20 pm12:00–1:30 am | ▲ 12:25 am | Waning gibbous |
| Sat 31 | 7good day | 5:40–6:40 pm1:10–3:10 pm | ▲ 1:13 am | Waning gibbous |
| Sun 1 | 6average day | 5:50–6:40 am1:10–3:10 pm | ▲ 1:03 am | Last quarter |
| Mon 2 | 6average day | 5:50–6:50 am2:30–3:50 pm | ▲ 1:53 am | Waning crescent |
| Tue 3 | 4fair day | 5:50–8:30 am6:50–8:50 pm | ▲ 2:28 am | Waning crescent |
| Wed 4 | 5average day | 2:00–3:00 pm7:30–9:10 pm | ▲ 2:18 am ▲ 8:13 pm | Waning crescent |
Each day's rating comes from the tide, the solunar periods, the light and, when we have the forecast, the weather.
What can you catch in Empire?
Sport fishing species with the most records within about 19 mi of Empire: red drum, striped mullet, spotted seatrout, crevalle jack and black drum.
- Red drum Sciaenops ocellatus · fish · 116 records Photo: Hines, Robert W. · public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Striped mullet Mugil cephalus · fish · 38 records Photo: Roberto Pillon · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Too few sightings to tell the months
- Spotted seatrout Cynoscion nebulosus · fish · 36 records Photo: United States Fish Commission · public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Crevalle jack Caranx hippos · fish · 15 records Photo: Caio Henrique G. Cutrim · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Too few sightings to tell the months
- Black drum Pogonias cromis · fish · 14 records Photo: Louisiana Sea Grant College Program Louisiana State University · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Atlantic croaker Micropogonias undulatus · fish · 13 records Photo: Carvalho-Souza, Gómez & González-Ortegón (2024) · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Southern flounder Paralichthys lethostigma · fish · 13 records Photo: SEFSC Pascagoula Laboratory; Collection of Brandi Noble, NOAA/NMFS/SEFSC · public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Striped bass Morone saxatilis · fish · 12 records Photo: Steven G. Johnson · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Too few sightings to tell the months
These are sightings and catches recorded since 1970 (reports from divers and anglers, scientific surveys and museum collections), not a promise that you will catch them. The months come from sightings only, adjusted for how many there are each month; hatched months have too few to tell.
Source: GBIF.org, which also gathers OBIS data. Only records licensed CC0 or CC BY 4.0, from 1,130 datasets (retrieved October 24, 2026). Where the data comes from
Photos: each species' image on Wikidata (Wikimedia Commons) or, if there isn't one, one from GBIF; only licences that allow this use, each with its author and licence.
Piers, ramps and tackle shops nearby
Map: OpenFreeMap · © OpenMapTiles · © OpenStreetMap contributors
- Jetty 0.7 mi
- Jetty 8.5 mi
- Jetty 8.8 mi
- Jetty 8.9 mi
- Boat ramp 0.3 mi
- Boat ramp 3.1 mi
- Boat ramp 4.2 mi
- Delta Marine 0.3 mi
- Chevron Empire 2.9 mi
- Ostrica Anchorages (23.2) 5.8 mi
- Port Sulpur Anchorages (38) 7.4 mi
- Marina 8.5 mi
Within 9.3 mi. A spot may be missing or closed. Open the map on OpenStreetMap · Missing one? Add it to OpenStreetMap
Spots: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps.
Artificial reefs and wrecks to fish from a boat
Artificial reefs and wrecks draw fish, so they make good spots to fish from a boat. The nearest ones, within 16 mi.
Check the rules before you go: some have closed seasons, protected zones or banned gear. Wreck and reef positions are approximate and not for navigation; a wreck’s depth runs from the top of the hull to the seabed.
US wrecks: NOAA electronic navigational charts (ENC), a U.S. Government work; not for navigation. Artificial reefs: NOAA and BOEM (MarineCadastre.gov), a U.S. Government work.
How we work out the best time
We score every moment of the day, every 10 minutes, with simple rules anglers have used for decades:
- Tide: 2 to 3.5 points in the hour before and the hour after each high and low tide. Spring tides (high coefficient) score more, because the water moves faster.
- Solunar: 2.5 points in the major periods (moon overhead or underfoot) and 1.5 in the minor ones (moonrise and moonset).
- Light: 2 points at dawn and dusk, from first light to the end of the morning golden hour and from the evening golden hour to the end of twilight.
- Weather: falling pressure adds 1 point and rising pressure takes 1 away; wind takes points away from force 4 (about 12 mph), up to 5 points in a gale; waves of 1.6 ft to 4.9 ft add half a point (they stir up the water) and from 8.2 ft they take points away (up to 4).
- Best windows: the stretches of 40 minutes to 3 hours with the most points, at least an hour apart.
- Day's rating out of 10: the best window (up to 5), the moon (up to 2, near new or full moon), the tide coefficient (up to 2) and whether a solunar period lines up with sunrise or sunset (1). Without a tide, we score out of 8 and scale it to 10. Good weather adds up to 1 point and bad weather pulls it down.
Today: best window 3.0 of 5, moon 1 of 2, coefficient 0 of 2 and lineup 0 of 1; the weather adds 0.2.
It's a guide, not a guarantee: fish don't read tide tables. Always check the sea conditions and local fishing rules before you go.
Learn more
Fishing rules in Empire
Licenses, size limits, bag limits and closed seasons are set by the authorities and change often. We don't copy them here: check the official website before you go.
Questions about fishing in Empire
What's the best time to fish in Empire today?
10:50 am to 12:50 pm, with the 11:50 am low tide, moonset and some swell. Also 3:10 pm to 5:10 pm and 12:00 am to 12:40 am. Today's rating: 4/10 (fair day).
What about tomorrow? When's the best time to fish in Empire?
Tomorrow, Friday, October 30: 5:40 pm to 6:20 pm, with a rating of 7/10.
Which day this week is best for fishing in Empire?
Friday, October 30, at 7/10. Its best window is 5:40 pm to 6:20 pm.
What can you catch in Empire?
Sport fishing species with the most records within about 19 mi of Empire: red drum, striped mullet, spotted seatrout, crevalle jack and black drum. These are sightings and catches recorded in GBIF and OBIS, not a promise that you will catch them.
When are the solunar periods in Empire today?
Major: 2:40–4:40 am and 3:12–5:12 pm. Minor: 10:37–11:37 am and 8:47–9:47 pm. Solunar activity today: medium.
How is the rating worked out?
From the tide, the solunar periods, the light at dawn and dusk, the moon phase and, when we have the forecast, the pressure, the wind and the waves. Each factor gives a fixed number of points and the rating sums them up out of 10.
Does it take the weather into account?
Yes. During today's best window: steady pressure (30.15 inHg), light offshore wind (12 mph) and some swell (1.6 ft waves) to stir the water. Strong wind and big waves lower the rating; falling pressure raises it a little.
What are the fishing rules in Empire?
Recreational fishing rules in Empire (licenses, size limits, bag limits and closed seasons) are set by the authorities: Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries; offshore, NOAA Fisheries. They change often: check the official website before you go.
More about Empire today
Our own calculation: tide from Bay Pomme D'or (NOAA), sun and moon with astronomy-engine and, when available, weather and sea from Open-Meteo (ECMWF, NOAA GFS and Copernicus Marine, CC BY 4.0). Slackwater database (https://github.com/openwatersio/slackwater-database)