Stout, gray, heavy-bodied shark with a short blunt snout and small eyes; the Galveston 'trash-can with fins.' Commonly caught 3-6 ft (30-150 lb) in the bays and surf, with 7 ft+ (200 lb+) fish landed off the beachfront and jetties.
⚖ Texas limits · 2026-27 license year Sharks: 1/day all species combined · non-offset non-stainless circle hooks required in state waters · 64″ min · verify at TPWD →
On the water
WhenPeak May through October when water is warm (75-88F). Best on moving tide around dawn, dusk, and after dark. Overcast, slightly stained water and a solid tidal exchange near bait concentrations are prime.WhereOne of the most salt-tolerant sharks around Galveston - found everywhere: the surf, ship channel, both jetties, Bolivar Roads, upper and lower Galveston Bay, Trinity/East Bay, and around bait schools near the causeway. Juveniles use the bays as a nursery; big females patrol the beachfront guts and channel edges.HowSurf: kayak large cut baits to the third gut/sandbar on a dropper rig. Jetty: fresh cut bait on the bottom in the channel or along the rocks on a fish-finder rig. Bays: anchor near guts, drop-offs, or bait schools and soak cut mullet/whiting; drift live baits over reefs. Set drags for a hard run and let circle hooks find the jaw corner.BehaviorAggressive, opportunistic apex predator that follows mullet, menhaden, and crab into the bays and along the beach. Tolerates fresh/brackish water so river outflows and cuts after rain concentrate them. Blood and oily scent drifting down-tide draws them from a distance.The fightPowerful, dogged, bulldogging fight with strong runs and head-shakes; big beachfront fish can spool light gear.
Baits that work
Fresh cut mullet
Fresh/live menhaden (shad)
Whole or half whiting/croaker
Cut ladyfish or jack crevalle (oily, bloody - excellent)
Live mullet or hardhead catfish (larger fish)
Stingray chunks (big-shark bait)
Tackle
Rod & reelSurf/big-fish: 8-12 ft heavy conventional (Penn Senator/Squall 30-50 class, or spinning 8000-14000) with 200+ yd capacity. Bay/jetty: 7-8 ft medium-heavy with 5000-8000 spinner or 4/0 conventional.LineBays/jetty: 30-50 lb braid or mono. Beachfront: 50-80 lb mono or 65-100 lb braid with a mono topshot.Leader6-12 in of 175-480 lb single-strand or cable wire crimped to the hook, above a 4-8 ft section of 200-400 lb heavy mono to resist abrasion.Terminal16/0-20/0 non-offset, non-stainless CIRCLE hooks for big beachfront baits; 8/0-12/0 circles for bay/jetty fish. Circle hooks are REQUIRED by TX law and improve corner-of-jaw hookups for release.RigFish-finder (sliding sinker above a swivel) for bottom soaks; pyramid or spider weight sized to hold in current. Simple mono/wire dropper for casting or kayaking baits.
The bait clock
☀ DawnFresh cut mullet or stingray chunk
Bulls still cruising guts and channels from the night feed hit scent baits early.
☼ MiddayKayak-dropped half jack crevalle or ray
Daytime bulls hold in deeper guts and channels; big scent baits beyond the bars find them.
☾ DuskFresh cut jack, mullet, or ray
Sharks move shallow as light fails; the evening soak starts the prime window.
★ NightLarge fresh bait (whole mullet, jack chunk, ray)
Night is prime for land-based bulls in the surf and at the jetties; they hunt shallow by scent.
[{'months': [6, 7, 8, 9], 'note': 'Peak summer season for big bulls in the surf and bay passes.'}]
Fresh (not frozen) oily bait matters more than any clock; night and dawn simply improve shallow-water odds.
Handling & releaseLegal to keep (64 in min, 1/day) but many are released. Keep large sharks in the water - do not drag big fish onto dry sand or gaff a fish you intend to release. Use a de-hooker or cut the leader close to the hook on big/deeply-hooked fish. Support the body horizontally, minimize air time, keep it wet, and revive facing into current until it kicks off. Never straddle a bull shark.On the tableEdible but a moderate-to-high mercury species as an apex predator - limit consumption; avoid for pregnant women and children. Sharks store urea in the flesh; if not bled and iced immediately it turns ammonia-tasting.As baitNot typically targeted for bait; shark flesh is occasionally used as cut bait for other sharks. More valued as a sportfish.
The bar to beat
Texas state record
515.0 lb · 108.0″ — Randall Rickerson
Aransas Bay, TX, 2007
World record
697.75 lb — Ronald de Jager
Malindi, Kenya, 2001
Records as compiled in the IronJetty guide (Aug 2026) — verify current marks with TPWD records / IGFA. The Texas record bull shark was landed inside a bay (Aransas Bay), not offshore.
