Texas BiteCast

Grouper

Mycteroperca microlepis (gag), Epinephelus morio (red), Mycteroperca phenax (scamp) · Gag, red grouper, scamp; yellowedge and warsaw on the deep banks

Drawing of a gag grouper in side view
A gag, labelled "Pensacola black grouper" in 1884. Drawing: Goode, Natural History of Useful Aquatic Animals (1884) / NOAA

Texas isn't Florida for grouper: the western Gulf has far less of the hard bottom they need, and the shelf trawl surveys catch almost none on the open mud. But the shelf-edge banks, reefed rigs and the rock off Port Mansfield hold gag, scamp and red grouper, and a big one is the prize of a bottom trip. The game is simple and brutal: a live bait tight to the rock, and turn the fish's head before it gets home.

October: PeakPrime cool-water bite for red grouper and scamp on the banks.

Best grouper spots offshore right now →How to use the map

Texas and federal rules · Checked Oct 22, 2026

Daily bag
Gag 2 (Texas) · black grouper 4 (Texas) · federal: 4-grouper aggregate
Size
Gag 24 in · black 24 in · red grouper 20 in · scamp 16 in (federal)
Season
Gag (federal): Sep 1 – Oct 1, 2026 only; red grouper and scamp open

Goliath and Nassau grouper are catch and release only. Warsaw grouper and speckled hind: 1 per vessel (federal). A final rule effective Oct 2, 2026 ended the Feb 1 – Mar 31 shallow-water grouper closure beyond 20 fathoms. Non-stainless circle hooks with natural bait and a dehooking device aboard in federal waters; a venting tool or rigged descending device for reef fish showing barotrauma (Texas state waters and, under the DESCEND Act, federal waters). Texas license with saltwater endorsement to land fish from state or federal waters.

Check the current rules ↗

At a glance

Best depth
120–400 ft on hard bottom
Best structure
Natural banks and rock, then reefed rigs and wrecks
Season
Best Sep–Mar; gag only during its short federal season
Bait
Live pinfish, cigar minnows or blue runners
Key
Tight drag; turn the head in the first few feet

How to identify them

  • Gag: gray to olive-brown with darker, wavy "worm" marks along the sides; long body, small eyes; the edge of the tail is dark.
  • Red grouper: reddish-brown with scattered white spots and blotches, a squared-off tail, and a high, straight-edged spiny dorsal fin; the inside of the mouth is orange-red.
  • Scamp: brown with small reddish-brown spots in clusters; the tail's outer rays extend into ragged points.
  • Goliath grouper (protected): huge, with a broad flat head and small eyes, brown-yellow with dark bars; release them in the water.

Month by month

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
  • JanPeakCool water is grouper water: shelf-edge banks and reefed rigs between fronts.
  • FebPeakRed grouper and scamp on the deep rock; gag closed in federal waters.
  • MarPeakGood on the banks; the Feb–Mar offshore closure no longer applies after Oct 2026.
  • AprGoodFish spread as the water warms; work the deeper end of the range.
  • MayGoodA bycatch on snapper trips; target the rock edges with live bait.
  • JunGoodSummer: deeper banks and reefed rigs, early and late.
  • JulGoodSame; hot surface water makes fast releases important.
  • AugGoodSteady on the deep structure.
  • SepPeakGag season (federal) Sep 1 – Oct 1, 2026; fall cooling turns the bite on.
  • OctPeakPrime cool-water bite for red grouper and scamp on the banks.
  • NovPeakSame; the best grouper months off Texas are the cool ones.
  • DecPeakWinter banks and reefed rigs whenever the weather allows.

Where to find them

Shelf-edge banks and rock

The natural banks off Port Aransas (Baker, Aransas, Hospital, Southern), the Port Mansfield rocks, and the banks along the shelf edge off the upper coast. Grouper sit tight to the hardest, highest relief: ledges, boulders and the edges of the rock.

Reefed rigs and wrecks

Rigs-to-Reefs sites and steel wrecks in 120–400 ft give grouper the holes and cover they need. Fish the base of the structure, not the water above it.

The Tequila rig and the deeper banks

The Tequila rig's underwater structure (~600 ft, 67.7 nm from Freeport) is known for big grouper on live hardtails and vermilion, and is very snaggy. The deep banks also hold yellowedge and the occasional warsaw (see the tilefish guide).

Not on open bottom

SEAMAP's shelf trawls have caught only 13 groupers off Texas in four decades: they don't live on the open mud. Every grouper trip is a structure trip.

How to catch them

Live bait tight to the rock

A live pinfish, cigar minnow or small blue runner on a short leader, dropped right to the base of the structure and lifted a turn or two off the bottom. Big cut bonito or squid works when live bait is short.

The first few feet

When a grouper eats, it turns for its hole. Lock the drag (or thumb the spool hard), lift and crank hard for the first 10–20 ft. Lose that race and you'll be cut off in the rock.

Tackle

Heavy bottom tackle: a stout 50–80 lb rod, 65–100 lb braid, 80–100 lb leader and an 8/0–10/0 non-stainless circle hook with natural bait. An egg sinker or a breakaway weight near snaggy rock.

Reading the conditions

Season

The cool months fish best for red grouper and scamp; gag can only be kept in their short federal season (Sep 1 – Oct 1 in 2026). Check the gag status each year: it is set by the catch target.

Current

Moderate current pulls the bait back to the structure and lets you hold over it; very strong current lifts the rig off the rock.

Water

Bottom fish: the surface temperature matters little. Clean water and moving current bring the bait over the banks.

Tips from the water

  • Anchor or spot-lock so the bait falls right on the structure; grouper won't come far for it.
  • Use the Hi-res bottom on the Offshore map to find ledges and boulders on the banks.
  • Know your groupers: a gag kept out of season, or a goliath, is a costly mistake.
  • Descend every release: grouper from 120 ft+ suffer barotrauma.

Common mistakes

  • A loose drag on the first run.
  • Fishing the water column over the rock instead of the bottom.
  • Keeping gag in federal waters outside the September window.

Handling and release

Grouper have sharp gill covers and strong jaws; use a lip grip or gloves. Release shorts and closed-season fish with a descending device. Keepers go straight on ice.

Use it today

By port: Sabine · Bolivar · Galveston · Freeport · Sargent · Matagorda · Port O'Connor · Rockport · Port Aransas · Corpus Christi · Port Mansfield · South Padre

Sources (5)

Other species

Regulations change: confirm bag and size limits in the TPWD Outdoor Annual and with NOAA Fisheries (federal waters) before you keep a fish. Not for navigation.