The fall flounder run in Rockport: what families need to know before the November 1 closure

Why late October is flounder time

Southern flounder spend most of the year in the bays. In the fall, most adults leave and swim out to the Gulf to spawn in water about 50 to 100 feet deep. Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) says the best flounder fishing of the year comes during this move, usually from October to December.

Cooling water sets it off. Males tend to leave first. TPWD notes that a strong cold front can push a large number of fish to move at once, which is when anglers along the channels and passes leading to the Gulf see their biggest catches. So the days right after a real front are worth watching for over the next two weeks.

The rules, in plain terms

These come from the TPWD Outdoor Annual, which is valid from September 1, 2026 through August 31, 2027.

• Through October 31: each person may keep 5 flounder a day. Each fish must be at least 15 inches long. There is no maximum length.
• November 1 through December 14: the fishery is closed and the bag limit is zero. You can still catch flounder, but every one must be released.
• December 15 on: the 5-fish, 15-inch limit returns.
• Your possession limit is the same as the daily bag, so you can't stack two days of fish in the cooler.

Kids under 17 do not need a fishing license in Texas, whether they live here or not. Adults usually need a license with a saltwater endorsement. The exception is inside a Texas state park, where you can fish from the bank, a pier or while wading the surf without a license. Bag and length limits still apply there.

A good place to try with kids: Goose Island State Park

Goose Island State Park, 202 S. Palmetto St. north of Fulton, has a long public fishing pier and is open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Entry is $5 for adults, and children 12 and under get in free. Because it is a state park, parents can fish next to their kids without buying a license.

The park has lent rods through the state's Tackle Loaner Program. Supplies are limited and first come, first served, so call the park at (361) 729-2858 before counting on one. Bring your own bait. See our Goose Island listing for more on the park.

Rockport Beach Park's pier is the other easy choice in town, with restrooms and a playground close by. Details are in our piers and harbor listing.

How flounder feed, and what that means for your rig

TPWD describes flounder as ambush hunters. They settle into soft mud and silt, blend in with the bottom and wait for small fish and shrimp to swim past. Young flounder eat mostly shrimp and crabs; bigger ones eat more fish.

That means a bait hanging under a cork, the usual rig for a first fishing trip, often floats right over them. For flounder, let the bait sit on or just off the bottom and move it slowly. A flounder bite can feel like a light tap or a sudden weight. Tell kids to wait a second or two before reeling.

A fish lesson kids will remember

A flounder starts life looking like any other fish, swimming upright with an eye on each side. As the larva grows, one eye slowly moves across its head. By the time it is about half an inch long, it lies flat on its right side for good, with both eyes on top. In southern flounder, the left side is always the "up" side.

There is a second surprise. TPWD says males rarely grow past 12 inches, while females often reach 25. So a flounder big enough to keep, at 15 inches or more, is almost certainly a female. That is a simple way to explain to kids why the state closes the season while the fish head out to spawn: the keepers are the mothers of next year's fish.

Fitting it into the next two weeks

Saturday, October 24 is already busy, with Harbor Haunts at the Texas Maritime Museum from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Fall Fest at Memorial Park from 5 to 7:30 p.m. An early morning on the pier still fits before both. Our Halloween family plan has the full schedule, and the upcoming events page lists everything else.

If a front moves through, plan a short trip for the next day or two. Bring jackets; the wind on a pier after a front feels much colder than the number on the thermometer.

After November 1, catch-and-release fishing still makes a good outing. Wet your hands before touching the fish, keep it in or over the water, and let an adult remove the hook with pliers. It also lines up with the start of whooping crane season, and the same trip to Goose Island can include a look for cranes. Our crane season guide explains where to look.

Quick checklist

• A tape measure or ruler. A 15-inch minimum is easy to misjudge by eye.
• Needle-nose pliers and a towel.
• A cooler with ice if you plan to keep fish before November 1.
• A license for adults fishing outside a state park.
• Our fishing with kids guide for beginner rigs and pier safety.

Details in this article were checked on October 16, 2026 with Texas Parks and Wildlife: the 2026–27 Outdoor Annual flounder and license pages, the Goose Island State Park page and TPWD's southern flounder and Free Fishing in State Parks pages. Rules and park hours can change, so check TPWD before you go.

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