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Fishing Aransas Bay: what the data says
52,649-acre bay near Rockport. The water tops out around 26 ft. The depth chart is built from real NOAA hydrographic survey soundings (depths referenced to low tide), so the channels, holes and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Red Drum (Redfish) fishing at Aransas Bay
In spring, red drum (redfish) run shallow here, mostly 1 to 8 ft. They move out to 2 to 12 ft in summer and finish the year down in 3 to 15 ft. The spot to know is Creek inflow, a inflow / creek mouth in about 7 ft of water that rates prime for red drum (redfish) in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a weedless gold spoon or a paddletail swimbait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | dawn & dusk | Gold weedless spoon, Paddletail on 1/4 oz jighead |
| Summer | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Weedless gold spoon, Paddletail swimbait |
| Fall | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & midday | 1/2 oz spoon (schools), Big paddletail |
| Winter | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Scented soft plastic on 1/8 oz head, Slow-rolled paddletail |
Spotted Seatrout fishing at Aransas Bay
Spring spotted seatrout on Aransas Bay hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 4 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 20 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for spotted seatrout in spring. Plan around early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a popping cork + shrimp or a 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Topwater walker, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn | Popping cork + shrimp, 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | dawn | Popping cork rig, Soft plastic jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 20 ft | midday & dusk | Suspending twitchbait (long pauses), Scented plastic crawled on bottom |
Southern Flounder fishing at Aransas Bay
Start shallow in spring: southern flounder sit in 2 to 15 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 3 to 18 ft, and by winter most fish are in 8 to 26 ft. Old creek channel is the standout, a creek channel at roughly 7 ft, rated prime for spring southern flounder. Best bite is early morning. Summer baits: a jighead + gulp swimming mullet or a bucktail tipped with shrimp gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 15 ft | dawn | 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (white/chartreuse), Bucktail + Gulp shrimp |
| Summer | 3 to 18 ft | dawn | Jighead + Gulp swimming mullet, Bucktail tipped with shrimp |
| Fall | 5 to 25 ft | midday | 3/8 oz bucktail + Gulp (passes), Big paddletail on the jetty edge |
| Winter | 8 to 26 ft | midday | Slow jig + scented grub in the holes |
Sheepshead fishing at Aransas Bay
Start shallow in spring: sheepshead sit in 5 to 25 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 3 to 15 ft, and winter fish hold in 8 to 26 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Marina / dock area: a dock line around 4 ft that scores prime in summer. Best bite is early morning. A small jig + crab piece covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | 1/4 oz jighead + fiddler, Sheepshead jig + shrimp piece |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn | Small jig + crab piece |
| Fall | 5 to 20 ft | midday | Jighead + shrimp, Small crab jig |
| Winter | 8 to 26 ft | midday | Heavier jig + crab (deep pilings) |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 14 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 10 ft
- Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 7 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 7 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 5 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 5 ft
- Marina / dock area: dock line, around 4 ft
- Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 4 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 3 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 3 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 3 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 2 ft
- Shallow flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Aransas Bay?
Aransas Bay is about 26 ft at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real NOAA hydrographic surveys (charted soundings referenced to low tide), so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in Aransas Bay?
Anglers target red drum (redfish), spotted seatrout, southern flounder, sheepshead on Aransas Bay.
Where is the best fishing spot on Aransas Bay?
Creek inflow is the top-rated area: a inflow / creek mouth in about 7 ft of water that rates prime for red drum (redfish) in fall. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Aransas Bay?
For red drum (redfish), the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Copano Bay · Espiritu Santo Bay · Lavaca Bay · Matagorda Bay · East Matagorda Bay · Choke Canyon Reservoir
See how Aransas Bay stacks up: best red drum (redfish) lakes in Texas · best spotted seatrout lakes in Texas · best southern flounder lakes in Texas
Browse all Texas fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA Office of Coast Survey (ENC soundings, MLLW datum). How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.