Flounder Season in Texas: Dates, Limits, and Closure

Flounder season in Texas runs from December 15 through October 31, with a complete harvest closure from November 1 through December 14 each year.¹ When the season is open, you can keep five fish per day at a 15-inch minimum length. During the six-week closure, the bag limit drops to zero and no method of take is legal.

The November to December Closure

From November 1 through December 14, all flounder harvest is prohibited in Texas waters. That means no rod and reel, no gigging, no nets, nothing. The bag and possession limits both sit at zero for the full six weeks, and the season reopens automatically on December 15 under normal rules.¹

The closure lines up with the annual spawning migration. Adult flounder leave the bays each fall and head for offshore spawning grounds in the Gulf, funneling through narrow passes and channels where they would otherwise be easy targets. Males typically move first, triggered by water temperatures dropping a few degrees, and a sharp cold front can push huge numbers of fish into those passes at once.² Closing harvest during the heart of that migration lets more spawning adults reach the Gulf.

Game wardens patrol passes and boat ramps heavily during these weeks. If you are on the water in November or early December, flounder stay on the bottom.

Bag, Size, and Possession Limits When the Season Is Open

From December 15 through October 31, the rules are straightforward and apply to all species of flounder, including hybrids:¹

Daily bag limit: 5 fish per person
Minimum length: 15 inches
Maximum length: no limit
Possession limit: 5 fish (equal to the daily bag)

Because the possession limit matches the daily bag, you cannot stack fish across days on a multi-day trip. Once you have five flounder in your cooler, you are done until the next calendar day. These limits apply to every legal method, whether you’re fishing with rod and reel or gigging at night.

License and Endorsement You Need

Anyone 17 or older needs a Texas fishing license to fish public waters, and because flounder are a saltwater species, you also need a saltwater endorsement.³ Most anglers buy a package that bundles both:

Resident Saltwater Package: $35 (fishing license, saltwater endorsement, and species tags)
Non-resident Saltwater Package: $63
Non-resident All-Water Package: $68 (adds freshwater endorsement)
Saltwater endorsement alone, added to an existing license: $10

Licenses run from the date of purchase through August 31 of the same year, and you can buy them online through TPWD or from retail license agents statewide.⁴

A few people fish without a license. Anglers under 17 are exempt. Texas residents born before January 1, 1931, are exempt. Individuals with intellectual disabilities fishing as part of supervised therapy, or under the direct supervision of a licensed family member, also qualify, with documentation from a physician or sponsoring facility.³

When the Fishing Is Best

The strongest flounder fishing of the year happens in October and into the first days of November, right before the closure starts. Fish stack up in channels, passes, and cuts that connect the bays to the Gulf, and a strong cold front during that window can concentrate huge numbers of fish in predictable spots. This is the fall “flounder run” that Texas coastal anglers plan around.²

Outside the fall run, flounder are ambush predators that stay put. They hold on muddy or sandy bottoms in shallow water and tend to return to the same bay year after year. Jetties, bayou drains, and structure near slow-moving current produce fish all year.² Sabine Lake, Galveston Bay, Matagorda Bay, and the Laguna Madre system are consistently productive along the Texas coast.

Penalties for Fishing Out of Season or Over the Limit

Fishing violations in Texas are criminal offenses. Taking flounder during the closure, keeping undersized fish, or exceeding the five-fish bag limit are typically Class C Parks and Wildlife Code misdemeanors, with penalties escalating from there based on the circumstances:⁵

Class C misdemeanor: $25 to $500 fine
Class B misdemeanor: $200 to $2,000 fine and up to 6 months in jail
Class A misdemeanor: $500 to $4,000 fine and up to 1 year in jail
State jail felony: $1,500 to $10,000 fine and up to 2 years in jail

On top of fines, TPWD can suspend or revoke your fishing license for up to five years and seize the gear used in the violation.⁶ Refusing to pay court-ordered civil restitution and continuing to fish bumps the offense to a Class A misdemeanor automatically.

Reporting Someone Else’s Violation

If you see someone harvesting flounder during the closure, keeping short fish, or going over the bag limit, Texas runs a dedicated reporting line called Operation Game Thief. Tips can be anonymous, and reports that lead to an arrest may qualify for a cash reward.⁷

Phone: 1-800-792-GAME (4263), available 24/7
Text: send “TXOGT” followed by your tip to 847411
App: the free Operation Game Thief app for iOS and Android accepts tips with photos and video

For a violation in progress, call. The information goes straight to a game warden who can respond. The text and app options work better when you are reporting after the fact with photos or video to attach.

1
Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Flounder Bag and Length Limits
2
Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Flounder Fishing in Texas – Short Reports
3
Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Fishing Licenses and Packages
4
Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Recreational Hunting and Fishing Licenses
5
State of Texas. Texas Parks and Wildlife Code Chapter 66 – Fish and Aquatic Plants
6
Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Laws, Penalties and Restitution
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Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Text, Call or Click – Texas Game Wardens Make Reporting Wildlife Violations Easier