• Gulf of Mexico Fishing Report: Black Drums, Redfish, and Trout Thrive in Texas

  • Jan 31 2025
  • Length: 3 mins
  • Podcast

Gulf of Mexico Fishing Report: Black Drums, Redfish, and Trout Thrive in Texas

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  • Summary

  • Hey there, fellow anglers It's Artificial Lure here, and I'm excited to share today's fishing report for the Gulf of Mexico, Texas, as of January 31, 2025.

    First off, let's talk about the conditions. The weather has been improving, with light north winds making it a pleasant day to be out on the water. The water temperatures are in the upper 50s, which is perfect for a variety of fish species.

    Now, let's look at the tides for Texas City, one of our hot spots today. According to the tide charts, we have a low tide at 11:52 AM with a height of -0.19 meters (-0.62 feet), and a high tide at 7:17 PM with a height of 0.28 meters (0.92 feet)[2].

    Sunrise is at 7:09 AM, and sunset is at 5:57 PM, giving us plenty of daylight to catch some fish.

    Fish activity has been excellent in several areas. Around Texas City, the annual black drum run is in full swing, with catches coming from the Galveston jetties, Seawolf Park, and the Texas City Dike. Anglers are using live halved crab to catch these black drums and bull redfish in the same locations[1].

    In the Freeport area, fishing has been good on the deep oyster reefs in Bastrop Bay, Christmas Bay, Chocolate Bay, and Oyster Creek. Anglers are catching trout, redfish, and drum using gulp shrimp and down south lures with 1/4 and 3/8 ounce jig heads[1].

    For those heading to Port Mansfield, the fishing is improving as the cold weather subsides. Redfish and trout are feeding heavily on topwaters and soft plastics in about two feet of water. Ball Tails and Mansfield Knockers have been particularly effective[1].

    When it comes to lures, I highly recommend the Flats Buggs for shallow flats fishing. These tied jigs come in styles like double bunny tails and curl tails, which are perfect for sight casting to redfish. For deeper waters, rigging artificial shrimp on jig heads is the way to go. Use weights from 1/8 oz to 1/2 oz depending on the depth and current[3][4].

    For bait, live shrimp and finger mullet are top choices unless you're targeting those massive black drums, in which case live crab is the way to go.

    Here are a couple of hot spots to consider:

    1. **Galveston Jetties and Texas City Dike**: These areas are producing great catches of black drum, bull redfish, and speckled trout. Use live crab for the black drums and live shrimp or soft plastics for the trout and redfish.
    2. **Port Mansfield**: This area is seeing a surge in redfish and trout activity. Focus on the deeper potholes on the flats near the intracoastal and use topwaters and soft plastics like Ball Tails and Mansfield Knockers.

    Stay safe out there, and remember to follow the new speckled trout regulations and handle those large females with care.

    Tight lines, and see you on the water
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