Is shark fishing open in Texas?
Live status for · rules verified 2026-08-14
Know the fish
Galveston's shark fishery is a cast of characters: blacktips and spinners — the 4–6 ft acrobats that jump when hooked — bull sharks pushing 300 lb in the channels and passes, bonnetheads and sharpnose in the bays, and big hammerheads and tigers off the beachfront at night. Blacktips are the everyday catch: silvery-gray with black-tipped fins (a pale anal fin is the quick tell against a spinner).
When they bite
Prime spring and fall runs (April–June and September–November) as bait migrates, though present all warm season. Fish moving tides, low-light dawn/dusk and night; clean-to-lightly-stained water with active bait is ideal.
Where & how
Where: Galveston beachfront surf (guts and second/third bar), both jetties, the ship channel, nearshore around bait pods and close-in rigs/wrecks, and along the beach off Bolivar and the west end. Concentrated wherever mullet and menhaden school.
How: Surf casting is the go-to: cast or kayak cut/live bait to the guts on a fish-finder rig, or free-line a live mullet under a float in a rip. Jetty and channel: bottom-soak cut bait. Nearshore: drift or anchor and chum near bait schools.
Verified spots for the whole coast → · Today's live bite scores →
Fish it with a verified captain
Every captain on IronJetty is licensed, insured and vetted — and their calendars show live availability.
Find a verified trip