Texas Sport Fish is the big game specialist in South Padre Island, the operation to call when the target is a blue marlin, a sailfish, or a tuna run rather than a cooler of snapper. Captain Daniel Cole, who has fished the Gulf professionally since 1992, and Captain Mark Villarreal run two 38 foot Topaz sportfishers, the Miss Guided and the Miss Directed, with the longest trip menu in the port and rates posted by the hour. It ranks third here on the strength of capable boats, an experienced billfish program, and clear pricing, held below the top two by prices at the top of the port and a public review trail that is moderate rather than deep.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 7.6 Texas Sport Fish is a strong choice and the third ranked operation in South Padre Island. It is the port’s billfish boat: where Chachi and What’s On Fishing are built around red snapper and bottom fishing, Texas Sport Fish runs the long trips offshore for marlin, sailfish, and tuna, and it carries two boats so a larger group can fish together. It sits behind the Reel Madness and Chachi mainly on track record, because its public review trail is thinner than the deep, multi platform records those two carry, and on value, because its rates run highest in the port. Book it for a serious big game day with a captain who has fished here for more than 30 years. For a red snapper half day at a lower price, Chachi or What’s On Fishing is the better fit.
The boats
Texas Sport Fish runs two boats. The headline is the Miss Guided, a 38 foot Topaz express sportfish powered by twin Cummins diesels, with an enclosed, air conditioned cabin, plenty of seating, a clean restroom, and an open fishing deck, which is what makes the long run to the shelf comfortable. The second boat, the Miss Directed, is the same size and built for the same work, so the operation can take a larger party out on two hulls at once. Each carries up to 6 anglers, the six pack limit. The pair is genuinely set up for offshore big game, with the room and the range for a 12 or 14 hour run, and that capability is the clearest reason the operation sits where it does. What the site does not detail is the electronics package in full, so we score the boats on the size, the diesels, and the cabin that are confirmed.
The fishing and what you target
This is the South Padre boat for the bluewater. On the shorter trips it fishes red snapper and bottom species when the federal season is open, June 1 to October 26 in 2026, along with ling and amberjack on the wrecks. The reason to book it, though, is the long program: the full day, extended, and 14 hour marlin and swordfish trips run out toward the continental shelf for blue marlin, sailfish, yellowfin tuna, wahoo, and mahi mahi in the summer, when the pelagics move in, with golden tilefish on the deep drop. Summer is the peak for that fishing, and the boats are rigged for it. An angler whose day is about a snapper limit is paying for range they will not use; an angler chasing a billfish is in the right place.
Trips and prices
Texas Sport Fish sells the whole boat for up to 6 anglers, private only, priced by the hour, and it posts the rates: $1,600 for a 6 hour half day, $2,000 for an 8 hour three quarter day, $2,500 for a 10 hour full day, $2,900 for a 12 hour extended day, and $3,400 for a 14 hour marlin or swordfish run. A 30 percent deposit reserves the date, and 5 days of notice is required to avoid losing the deposit, which is stated upfront. The deep sea tackle is provided, and you bring a Texas license for anyone 17 or older. The prices sit at the top of the South Padre field, which is fair for the range and the big game capability but worth weighing if your trip is a straightforward snapper half day, where cheaper boats do the same job. Our cost guide breaks down what the longer offshore trips buy.
The crew
Captain Daniel Cole anchors the operation, with a professional Gulf record going back to 1992, and Captain Mark Villarreal runs the second boat, so the experience is real and the two boat setup is a genuine advantage for a group. The reviews that exist are positive, with a 100 percent recommendation rate on the operation’s social pages and steady praise for the captains’ knowledge of the offshore grounds. The honest qualifier is volume: the public review trail is moderate, shallower than the deep, multi platform records behind the Reel Madness and Chachi, so the sentiment here rests on a smaller sample. That is the main reason the track record factor sits where it does, rather than anything negative in the reviews themselves.
Booking and what to know
Book by phone through the operator, and plan around the deposit: 30 percent reserves your date, with 5 days of notice needed to step back without losing it. The boats leave from South Padre Island, and the big game trips are long, so confirm the departure time and pack for a full day or more on the water: food, drinks, sunscreen, a hat, motion sickness medication if you need it, and a cooler for your catch. A Texas saltwater license is required for anyone 17 or older. For the choice between a private boat like this and a shared seat, see the party boat versus private charter guide.
How we scored it
Texas Sport Fish scores 7.6, the third ranked operation in South Padre Island. Boat and equipment and trips and access are its strongest factors, carried by two capable 38 foot sportfishers and the longest, most big game focused trip menu in the port. It is held below the top two by track record, since its public review trail is thinner than theirs, and by value, since its rates are the highest here. See how we scored this boat for the full rubric, and compare it against the rest of our South Padre Island rankings.