Nueces County, the Coastal Bend

Port Aransas, Texas: the town that used to be called Tarpon

Mustang Island's fishing village was named for a fish before it was named for a port, and the Texas Legislature now calls it the Fishing Capital of Texas. Our Port A Shrimp Shack seasoning is named for this town. Here is when the boats come back loaded, and what to do with the catch.

Five JollyGringo'z bottles on the counter of a bait and tackle shop

A fish camp that kept its name in the water

The Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce tells the island's story in a few steps. The Karankawa lived here first. Spanish horses gave Mustang Island its name. By the early 1890s the settlement was called Ropesville, and by 1899 it had become Tarpon, after the fish anglers were pulling from the pass in such numbers. Around 1910 residents started calling it Port Aransas, and the 1919 storm left only a few buildings standing.

Tarpon is still the right word for the place. Anglers came from all over the country for the silver king and fished from locally built wooden Farley boats, and Texas Highways reports that Franklin Roosevelt tried his luck here in 1937. The Tarpon Inn is one of the town's historical markers.

In 2025 the Legislature filed a concurrent resolution naming Port Aransas the official Fishing Capital of Texas for ten years, through 2035. The bill analysis lists red snapper, redfish, flounder, tarpon, marlin and tuna in the surrounding water, and calls the Deep Sea Roundup the oldest fishing competition on the Texas coast.

The food follows the fishing. The chamber keeps a list of island restaurants that will cook your catch: hand over a cleaned fillet and they will grill it, fry it, blacken it or sauce it the way you ask. Charter crews often clean the fish at the dock, so the trip and the dinner can happen on the same day.

Snapper season, and why the date moved this year

Red snapper is the summer prize offshore of Port A. In Texas state waters, out to nine nautical miles, the fishery is open all year with a four fish bag and a 15 inch minimum. Federal waters farther out have a shorter private angler season with a two fish bag and a 16 inch minimum.

That federal season usually opens June 1. Texas Parks and Wildlife opened it on May 22 in 2026 to take in Memorial Day weekend, while the federal charter season kept its June 1 start. The chamber says June through August is when most visitors book a snapper trip, with party boats running out of Fisherman's Wharf, Dolphin Dock and Deep Sea Headquarters.

What is in season

The Port A fishing calendar

Snapper and flounder rules are set by Texas Parks and Wildlife, the Gulf shrimp pause by NOAA Fisheries and the state together. Peak charter months are the chamber's. Any of it can shift next year.

What is in season in Port Aransas, by month
What	When	Months
Red snapper open in Texas state waters, four fish a dayIn season now	All year
Federal red snapper season opens for private anglers; May 22 in 2026In season now	Late May or June 1 Official dates for Federal red snapper season opens for private anglers; May 22 in 2026 (opens in a new tab)
Shrimp trawlers stay tied up while young brown shrimp growIn season now	Mid May until about mid July Official dates for Shrimp trawlers stay tied up while young brown shrimp grow (opens in a new tab)
Peak months for offshore snapper chartersIn season now	June to August
Deep Sea Roundup weigh ins at the harborIn season now	Second week of July
No flounder kept anywhere in Texas during the fall spawning runIn season now	November 1 through December 14

Festivals and events

Port Aransas weekends worth planning around

The chamber's annual calendar has something every month. These are the ones with the most to eat or the most fish on the scales. Dates update every month: confirmed means the organizers posted it, expected means it follows the usual pattern.

Deep Sea Roundup

July, Thursday to Sunday, at the Port Aransas Civic Center and harbor

Next Expected July 8 to 11, 2027

Started in 1932 as the Tarpon Rodeo among island guides and still run by the Port Aransas Boatmen. Offshore, bay, surf, fly and junior divisions, plus the Piggy Perch contest for young anglers.

Official site Add to Google Calendar

Port Aransas Restaurant Week

Every January

Next Usually January 2027

Island restaurants roll out special set menus built around local seafood in the quietest month of the year.

Official site

Texas SandFest

Three days each spring, on the beach

Next Usually March to May 2027

Not a food festival, but food trucks line the sand lanes between master sculptures, and the chamber counts more than 100,000 visitors a year.

Official site

The next twelve months in Port Aransas

Oct2026Nothing on the calendar
NovNothing on the calendar
DecNothing on the calendar
Jan2027TBA January: Port Aransas Restaurant Week, date to come
FebNothing on the calendar
MarTBA March: Texas SandFest, date to come
AprNothing on the calendar
MayNothing on the calendar
JunNothing on the calendar
Jul8 July: Deep Sea Roundup, expected
AugNothing on the calendar
SepNothing on the calendar

From the lineup

What we would bring to a Port A rental kitchen

One seasoning that carries the town's name, one for the fillets, and a sweet hot glaze for the grilled stuff.

Port A Shrimp Shack

Some Heat, 3.5 oz, $9

Named for this town. A shrimp boil blend you can shake on dry, with citrus over celery and coriander.

Gulf Coast Blackening

Some Heat, 3 oz, $9

Deep, smoky and herby with a pepper build. Our blend for red snapper, redfish and any firm white fillet from a charter cooler.

Knock Your Sauce Off

Some Heat, 8 fl oz, $12

Our wing sauce, made with fresno chiles, guajillo, honey and lime. It glazes shrimp in the final minute on the fire.

Cook it at home

Blackened snapper topped with Port A shrimp

A cook your catch plate for the rental condo: snapper fillets blackened in a hot skillet, then a handful of shrimp seared in the same pan and spooned over the top.

What you need

4 red snapper fillets, skin off, about 6 oz each
1 lb peeled Gulf shrimp, 31 to 40 count
Gulf Coast Blackening
Port A Shrimp Shack
4 tbsp butter, melted
Lemon wedges

How it goes

Pat the fillets dry, brush both sides with melted butter and coat them well with Gulf Coast Blackening.
Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat with the vent fan on. Lay in the fillets and cook about 2 to 3 minutes a side, until the crust is dark and the fish flakes at the thickest point.
Move the fish to a warm plate. Toss the shrimp with a little butter and a good shake of Port A Shrimp Shack.
Sear the shrimp in the same pan for 1 to 2 minutes a side, until they turn pink and feel just firm.
Pile the shrimp on the fillets, pour the pan butter over everything and serve with lemon.

Worth knowing. Blackening smokes. Cook it outside on a grill side burner if the condo smoke alarm is touchy.

Another one from our kitchen: Blackened Redfish

Questions

Questions about Port Aransas

Why is Port Aransas called the Fishing Capital of Texas?

The Texas Legislature gave it the title by concurrent resolution in 2025, for a ten year period ending in 2035. The resolution points to its snapper, redfish, flounder, tarpon, marlin and tuna, its charter fleet and the Deep Sea Roundup.

When is red snapper season in Port Aransas?

Texas state waters are open all year. The federal season for private anglers usually opens June 1, but in 2026 Texas opened it on May 22. Charter boats follow the federal for hire season, which opened June 1.

Is Port A Shrimp Shack named after Port Aransas?

Yes. It is our boil seasoning that also works as a dry rub, with citrus, celery and coriander, and it is made for fried and grilled shrimp first.

Will a Port Aransas restaurant cook the fish I catch?

Several will. The chamber keeps a cook your catch list of restaurants that take cleaned fillets and cook them to order, and many charters clean the fish for you at the dock.

Do you ship to Port Aransas?

Yes. We ship anywhere in the U.S. Orders go out within two business days, and shipping is free over $45.

Run a shop, market or kitchen in Port Aransas? Carry JollyGringo'z by the case. Tell us about the shop and the price sheet, the case packs and a sample bottle come straight back.

Get the price sheet

Keep going

More Texas towns near Port Aransas

San Patricio, Aransas and Nueces Counties

Aransas Pass, Texas

Shrimporee, Conn Brown Harbor and the old Shrimp Capital of Texas name

Aransas County

Rockport, Texas

Fulton Oysterfest, SeaFair crab races and Aransas Bay oysters

Nueces County

Corpus Christi, Texas

Birthplace of Whataburger in 1950, Buc Days and a bayfront built for eating

Nueces and Kleberg Counties

North Padre Island, Texas

Surf fishing, beach camping and 66 miles of national seashore

All 17 Texas town guides

Before you go

Texas Parks and Wildlife: fishingSeasons, bag limits and where the public water is
Texas fishing licensesWhat you need before you wet a line, resident or not
Travel TexasThe state tourism office, for rooms and what else is on
NOAA tide predictionsThe tide table for the nearest station, which decides most fishing mornings

The organizers

Deep Sea RoundupJuly, Thursday to Sunday, at the Port Aransas Civic Center and harbor
Port Aransas Restaurant WeekEvery January
Texas SandFestThree days each spring, on the beach

Where our facts come from

We checked every date and title on this page against these sources in October 2026. Festival dates move, so confirm with the organizers before you travel.

Ships anywhere in the U.S.

Cook like Port Aransas, wherever you are

Ten small batch rubs and sauces, low on salt so you can season heavy. Any four, 15% off, and free shipping over $45.

Shop the lineup All the recipes