TX · REGULATIONS · JUNE 2026

Tarpon TX legal size & bag limits.

Tarpon (also known as Silver King, Sabalo) in Texas. Minimum legal size, daily bag limit, possession limit, slot rule — verified against the TPWD guide, 2026.

In Texas, the minimum legal size for Tarpon is 85 in and the daily bag limit is 1 (the 85-inch minimum makes this effectively a trophy-only, release fishery). A slot limit applies: none — 85" minimum length only (effectively trophy-only; nearly all tarpon are released). There is no closed season in TX.

The numbers

Minimum size
85in
Daily bag
1 (the 85-inch minimum makes this effectively a trophy-only, release fishery)
Possession
1 (the 85-inch minimum makes this effectively a trophy-only, release fishery)
Check the live Tarpon bite forecast for your spot →

Slot rule

none — 85" minimum length only (effectively trophy-only; nearly all tarpon are released)

Closed season

No closed season

Why these rules exist

Same statewide. Texas state waters. The 85" minimum conserves the trophy fishery. (The bag/length page lists no tarpon-tag requirement; do not represent a tarpon tag as required without separate confirmation.)

Source & verification

These limits are pulled from the TPWD saltwater bag and length limits. Last verified June 2026.

Always check the official guide before keeping any fish. Regulations change. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department updates its guide annually and occasionally mid-year. Fines for over-bag or undersized fish are significant.

Texas requires a fishing licence plus a Saltwater Fishing Endorsement (stamp) to fish in public salt water. Texas fishing licences.

See related

Written by
Olli-Mikael Vaittinen, founder of Fishare, holding a yellowfin tuna boatside
Olli-Mikael Vaittinen

Olli-Mikael Vaittinen has fished his whole life. Fifteen years of fly fishing, guiding seasons on Norway's Lakselva — his favourite Atlantic salmon river — and a blue marlin landed in Vava'u, Tonga. Founder of Fishare — the app that puts the data behind the decisions every angler makes on the water.

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