Best time to fish in Galveston
Today, Wednesday, October 28, 2026 · local time (CDT) · Texas, United States Today, Wed, Oct 28 · CDT- High tides
- 7:30 pm
- Major periods
- 1:57–3:57 am and 2:29–4:29 pm
- Solunar activity
- Medium
- Sun
- 7:29 am–6:36 pm
Today, Wednesday, October 28, the best time to fish in Galveston is 10:00 am to 10:50 am, with the 11:00 am low tide, moonset, a light onshore breeze and some swell. It's a good day (7/10). Today is the best day this week.
Your day in Galveston 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 | 7good day | 10:00–10:50 am6:30–8:30 pm | ▲ 7:30 pm | Waning gibbous |
| Thu 29 | 7good day | 11:00 am–1:00 pm7:40–9:40 pm | ▲ 8:41 pm | Waning gibbous |
| Fri 30 | 7good day | 12:00–1:00 pm6:00–6:40 pm | ▲ 9:54 pm | Waning gibbous |
| Sat 31 | 7good day | 6:00–7:00 pm1:10–3:10 pm | ▲ 11:01 pm | Waning gibbous |
| Sun 1 | 6average day | 6:10–7:10 am1:20–3:20 pm | ▲ 10:53 pm | Last quarter |
| Mon 2 | 6average day | 6:10–8:00 am2:40–5:40 pm | ▲ 11:31 pm | Waning crescent |
| Tue 3 | 6average day | 6:10–7:10 am5:00–5:50 pm | ▲ 10:04 am ▲ 11:58 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 Galveston?
Sport fishing species with the most records within about 19 mi of Galveston: red drum, spotted seatrout, Atlantic croaker, black drum and striped mullet. October is one of the months when these are seen most: spotted seatrout.
- Red drum Sciaenops ocellatus · fish · 271 records Photo: Hines, Robert W. · public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Spotted seatrout Cynoscion nebulosus · fish · 149 records Photo: United States Fish Commission · public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Atlantic croaker Micropogonias undulatus · fish · 145 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
- Black drum Pogonias cromis · fish · 126 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
- Striped mullet Mugil cephalus · fish · 113 records Photo: Roberto Pillon · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Spot Leiostomus xanthurus · fish · 98 records Photo: NOAA's Fisheries Collection; Collection of Brandi Noble · public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Southern flounder Paralichthys lethostigma · fish · 71 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
- Summer flounder Paralichthys dentatus · fish · 52 records Photo: U.S. Government - NOAA · public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
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
- Seawolf Park Fishing Pier 2.8 mi
- Galvestons 61st Street Fishing Pier 3.0 mi
- Galveston Fishing Pier 4.9 mi
- Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier 1.1 mi
- Jetty 1.8 mi
- Public Boat Ramp 1.7 mi
- Boat ramp 2.6 mi
- Galveston Boat Club 3.2 mi
- Galveston Yacht Marina 1.7 mi
- Port of Galveston 0.7 mi
- Aunt Margie's Bait and Seafood 2.6 mi
- Bayou Bait & Tackle 2.8 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.
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 3.6 of 5, moon 1 of 2, coefficient 2 of 2 and lineup 0 of 1; the weather adds 0.6.
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 Galveston
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 Galveston
What's the best time to fish in Galveston today?
10:00 am to 10:50 am, with the 11:00 am low tide, moonset, a light onshore breeze and some swell. Also 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm and 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm. Today's rating: 7/10 (good day).
What about tomorrow? When's the best time to fish in Galveston?
Tomorrow, Thursday, October 29: 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, with a rating of 7/10.
Which day this week is best for fishing in Galveston?
Wednesday, October 28, at 7/10. Its best window is 10:00 am to 10:50 am.
What can you catch in Galveston?
Sport fishing species with the most records within about 19 mi of Galveston: red drum, spotted seatrout, Atlantic croaker, black drum and striped mullet. October is one of the months when these are seen most: spotted seatrout. These are sightings and catches recorded in GBIF and OBIS, not a promise that you will catch them.
When are the solunar periods in Galveston today?
Major: 1:57–3:57 am and 2:29–4:29 pm. Minor: 9:51–10:51 am and 8:06–9:06 pm. Solunar activity today: medium.
Does the tide affect fishing in Galveston?
Yes. Today high tide is at 7:30 pm and low tide at 11:00 am, with a tide coefficient of 114 (big spring tides). The hours around each tide change tend to fish best, because moving water carries food.
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 onshore wind (11 mph) and some swell (2.6 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 Galveston?
Recreational fishing rules in Galveston (licenses, size limits, bag limits and closed seasons) are set by the authorities: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department; offshore, NOAA Fisheries. They change often: check the official website before you go.
More about Galveston today
Our own calculation: tide from Galveston Pleasure Pier (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)