The numbers that matter before you keep a redfish: bag, slot, tags, and how to measure. Every figure below is cited to the TPWD Outdoor Annual and stamped with the day we checked it.
The slot is measured as total length: a straight line from the tip of the snout to the extreme tip of the tail fin. A 19½" red goes back. So does a 28½" red - unless you put a tag on it.
Source: TPWD Outdoor Annual - Measurement tips - https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/fishing/measurement-tipsPrinted license? The moment you keep the fish: fill in every space on the tag, cut out the day and month, and attach the tag with string or wire to the narrowest part of the tail, just ahead of the tail fin.
Sources: TPWD - Fishing endorsements, tags & permits - https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/licenses/fishing-licenses-stamps-tags-packages/fishing-endorsements-and-tags · TPWD - Tagging red drum & spotted seatrout - https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/fishing/saltwater-fishing/tagging-red-drumNo spot-burning on this card - your spots stay yours. General habitat: redfish work shorelines, grass flats, oyster reefs, and pier and jetty structure. Moving water matters more than any pin on a map, so check the tide and the wind before you pick a shoreline.
Tendencies, never promises. Reds are catchable year-round in Texas bays. Spring and fall tend to bring the strongest shoreline and marsh action, and from late summer into fall the oversized "bull" reds school along beaches, passes, and jetties.
"What's the slot on reds again?" - Fish On answers with the source attached and the date it was checked. Limits, tides, weather, and stocking for every named Texas waterbody.
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