Start with things to do, then shape the rest of your visitLog In
SouthPadreInfo.com
Things to Do
Everything to do on your South Padre Island visit.
SouthPadreInfo.com — one place, explained.

practical guide

Surf Fishing

Practical South Padre Island guidance to plan surf fishing.

Plan with confidence

Use this guide when you want to plan surf fishing. It brings the practical choices around surf fishing together so you can compare options and keep planning.

Useful details

  • Unresolved research question: Is the artificial-lure exception to the Texas shark circle-hook rule still printed anywhere in the current Outdoor Annual, or only in the 2019 adoption release?
  • The June lower-coast surf lure call was MirrOlure topwaters in chartreuse-and-chrome with an orange throat, and in black and chrome.
  • Conflicting position for Distance from Brownsville to Boca Chica Beach: Wikipedia: approximately 25 miles east of Brownsville.
  • Texas minimum length for hammerhead sharks (smooth, great and scalloped) is 99 inches total length.
  • The Texas state record Florida pompano is 6.41 pounds and 24.63 inches, taken from the Lower Laguna Madre in June 2006; the IGFA all-tackle record is 8 pounds 4 ounces, caught October 1999 in Port St. Joe Bay, Florida.
  • Angler consensus for SPI: locate a stretch of first gut that is deeper than the water either side of it; anglers describe 4 to 6 feet in the first gut as excellent.
  • TPWD's weekly saltwater fishing reports - including the South Padre report that anglers historically used for surf conditions - are currently on hold while the agency works on the quality and accuracy of future reporting, so no current agency report exists for the area.
  • Seas of four feet or more make for poor surf fishing, and six-foot seas make driving the beach dangerous.
  • Vehicle operation is specifically prohibited in or on dunes within 1,000 feet of mean high tide in unincorporated Cameron County, and drivers are told this at the check stations.
  • Several Texas shark records stand for species that are now prohibited and can no longer be retained: sandbar 226.00 lb (James Wilson, Mar 21, 1975), dusky 530.00 lb (Raymond Hein, Mar 1, 1975), silky 556.00 lb (Wolfgang Bushang, Jul 23, 1973), oceanic whitetip 200.00 lb (Blake Oestreich, Jul 25, 2014), shortfin mako 707.50 lb (Jeff Shindle, Jan 27, 2002) and longfin mako 664.00 lb (Donald Ewing, May 4, 1986).

What to compare

  • Fit the activity to your group's ages, mobility, experience, and comfort on the water.
  • Compare duration, meeting point, weather policy, and what is included before booking.
  • Keep a weather-friendly backup so one change does not derail the day.

Before you go

Conditions, schedules, access, prices, and regulations can change. Check the linked official source when a detail could affect safety, availability, or cost.