Passport to Texas

This is Passport to Texas

Red drum, also called redfish, is a favorite among coastal anglers. And now is the time of year when this species make a big splash.

08— From about August to November or December, adult red drum congregate near the beach in these spawning aggregations.

Bill Balboa is a fisheries biologist for the Galveston Bay system. This concentration of red drum near the beaches is the annual red bull run.

06— So, they’re very big fish; they can run anywhere from 30-inches to upwards of 46 to 48-inches long.

Balboa says the name Bull redfish is a coastal colloquialism for any big fish in the gulf or estuaries.

11—But [they’re] also [called bulls] because they’re very powerful; and if you ever catch one it would be like trying to hold a bull in place. They’re very strong fish.

Medium to heavy fishing tackle with 12 to 30 pound test line, using crab, finger mullet or cut bait could help you real in these big boys.

21— If you catch a red drum between 20 and 28 inches long, you can keep three per day per person. If you catch one that’s over 30-inches long, with a Texas saltwater fishing license, we have a bonus red drum tag. So, if you catch a red drum that’s over 28-inches long, the fish has to be tagged after you catch it, and the tag has to be filled out. So, you can keep one fish over 28 inches.

We have more coastal fishing information on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website. The Sport Fish Restoration program supports our series.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.