11 bait counters between Oyster Creek and San Luis Pass, with what each one keeps live. Saltgrass Bait Shop, Flattie Daddy's Bait Camp and Hook'Ers Bait Stop open at 5:00 a.m.; Surfside Marina runs around the clock; Fat Boys Bait & Tackle and Texas Gulf Marina sell licences over the counter. Every row shows the shop's own published hours, and the ledger carries the date we checked them.
11 shops · all listings checked against each shop's own listing, site or Facebook page, August 2026
Pin popups open the matching ledger row · Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Live shrimp is stocked at 11 shops from the Old Brazos to San Luis Pass, live croaker at 6 of them, and the Hwy 332 beach road has the densest run of bait camps on this coast, most open before dawn. The two marinas on Bastrop Bayou and Oyster Creek and the 24-hour dock at Surfside Marina cover boaters; call ahead for croaker on summer weekends.
The densest run of bait camps on this coast, numbered from Lake Jackson toward the beach.
On Hwy 332 between Buc-ee's and the Surfside bridge, a family bait shop for 30 years.
Live bait: shrimp, croaker, finger mullet, crab
Opens: 6:00 a.m.
Also sells: frozen bait, tackle, ice, licences
Find it: Directions Facebook Bait posts on Facebook, most mornings (979) 239-4300
Boat and kayak ramp on site on the Hwy 332 beach road; live mullet when the tanks have it.
Live bait: shrimp, croaker, mullet
Opens: 5:00 a.m.
Also sells: frozen bait, tackle, ice, boat ramp
Find it: Directions Facebook (979) 264-6402
Formerly Denver's Bait Camp; Google still carries both names for the same stand.
Live bait: shrimp
Opens: 5:00 a.m.
Also sells: frozen bait, tackle
Find it: Directions Facebook (979) 239-3474
Bait camp on the Hwy 332 beach road, open before dawn.
Live bait: shrimp, croaker
Opens: 5:00 a.m.
Also sells: —
Find it: Directions Facebook (979) 534-9143
Shares the Hwy 332 block with Flattie Daddy's; reported to open early, so call for the day's hours.
Live bait: shrimp, croaker, mullet, mud minnows
Opens: Not published
Also sells: frozen bait, tackle
Find it: Directions shadillacbait.com (979) 330-7423
Fishing shack on the Intracoastal under the Surfside bridge with a renovated ramp; its TPWD-certified scale makes it an official weigh station for state-record fish.
Live bait: shrimp, croaker, crab
Opens: 6:00 a.m.
Also sells: frozen bait, tackle, ice, boat ramp
Find it: Directions Facebook (979) 239-2248
Riverfront fishing pier on the Old Brazos: buy bait, walk out and fish it, two minutes from the free public ramp.
Live bait: shrimp, blue crab
Opens: 5:30 a.m.
Also sells: frozen bait, tackle
Find it: Directions Facebook (979) 233-0722
The 24-hour fuel, ice and bait stop nearest the Freeport jetties, and an official CCA STAR weigh station; frozen offshore baits stocked, live species vary.
Live bait: Yes; species not published, call ahead
Opens: 24 h
Also sells: frozen bait, tackle, ice, fuel, boat ramp
Find it: Directions surfside-marina.com (979) 230-9400
Last bait stop before San Luis Pass, at the entrance to Blue Water RV Resort; call the day before for an early tournament opening.
Live bait: shrimp, croaker, mud minnows, finger mullet, crabs
Opens: 6:00 a.m.
Also sells: frozen bait, tackle
Find it: Directions Facebook (979) 824-2734
The two marinas boaters launch from; both answer bait questions by phone.
Full-service marina and bait camp on Oyster Creek with a fuel dock.
Live bait: shrimp, mullet, piggy perch, mud minnows, crabs
Opens: 7:00 a.m.
Also sells: frozen bait, tackle, ice, fuel, licences
Find it: Directions texasgulfmarina.com (979) 239-1081
Bait camp, ramp and RV park on Bastrop Bayou; publishes its own tournament calendar and hosts weigh-ins.
Live bait: Yes; species not published, call ahead
Opens: 6:00 a.m.
Also sells: frozen bait, tackle, ice, fuel, boat ramp
Find it: Directions captmarksbastropmarina.com (979) 233-4091
green rows sell live bait · ordered along the route, nothing else
Every row verified · correct a listing
Online from TPWD is fastest, and Fat Boys Bait & Tackle and Texas Gulf Marina sell them over the counter. The convenience stores below are TPWD licence vendors too, open earlier and later than most bait stands, and the two on Surfside sell beach permits. Every angler 17 or older needs a Texas fishing licence with the saltwater endorsement; the captain's permit does not cover you on a charter. TPWD fishing licences
| Stop | Sells | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Surfside Food Mart #2 2111 Bluewater Hwy, Surfside Beach, TX 77541 · (979) 871-9419 TPWD licence vendor on Bluewater Highway; also sells Surfside beach permits. | licences, tackle, ice | Sun to Fri 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sat to 11 p.m. |
| Surfside Food Mart 111 Fort Velasco Dr, Surfside Beach, TX 77541 · (979) 871-9419 TPWD licence vendor on the road to Surfside Jetty County Park. | licences, tackle | Daily 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. |
| Ocean SuperMarket 18 Fort Velasco Dr, Surfside Beach, TX 77541 · (832) 665-8018 Surfside's grocery, open later than any bait stand. | tackle, ice | Sun to Thu 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Fri and Sat to 11 p.m. |
| Academy Sports + Outdoors 120 TX-332, Lake Jackson, TX 77566 · (979) 373-5700 Big-box tackle and licences 15 minutes up Hwy 332. | licences, tackle | Mon-Sat 8:00-22:00; Sun 9:00-21:00 |
| Walmart Supercenter 121 TX-332 W, Lake Jackson, TX 77566 · (979) 297-9757 | licences, tackle | Open daily 6:00 AM - 11:00 PM (Google listing, all seven days) |
| Stewart's Food Store #2 102 E San Bernard St, Brazoria, TX 77422 · (979) 798-2600 Licence vendor nearest the River's End tournament station. | licences | Mon-Sun 6:00 AM - 9:00 PM (all seven days, per Google listing and Yelp) |
Most Freeport bait camps open between 5:00 a.m. and 6 a.m. in season and close by early evening; Bridge Bait and Saltgrass run to 9 p.m. The hours on each card are the shop's own published hours, with the source named, and where a shop publishes none we say so rather than guess. Bait tanks run out and winter hours shrink, so call before a dawn drive if the trip depends on croaker.
Bridge Bait, Saltgrass Bait Shop, Flattie Daddy's Bait Camp, Shadillac Bait Co., Fat Boys Bait & Tackle and Willie's Got Crabs all stock live croaker when the tanks have it, which in summer and early fall is most mornings. Croaker sells out early and supply follows the bait boats, so the shops that post their tanks on Facebook are the ones to check before you drive.
Saltgrass Bait Shop, Flattie Daddy's Bait Camp and Hook'Ers Bait Stop open at 5:00 a.m. every day, and Surfside Marina sells fuel, ice and bait around the clock. Most of the Hwy 332 bait camps are open by 6 a.m.; the published hours on each card come from the shop's own listing or page, and shops shorten them in winter.
Fat Boys Bait & Tackle and Texas Gulf Marina sell Texas fishing licences over the counter, and so do the licence stops listed further down. The fastest route is buying online from TPWD before you leave home, because the licence lives on your phone. Every angler 17 or older needs one with the saltwater endorsement.
Every bait and tackle shop on this coast is listed here free. No paid placement: Shops are listed in driving order along the route, nothing else — never by payment. The facts on each card come from your own listing, site or Facebook page, and each card carries the date we checked them.
Brazosport Fishing Guide sells nothing to shops and takes no commission; the directory exists so anglers find bait.
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