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Texas · Matagorda Bay

Mahi-mahi should be the day — work East Matagorda reefs and the ICW exchange — there is almost no Gulf inlet. Heat is the clock — first light or last light.

East Matagorda has almost no Gulf inlet — ICW and Mitchell's Cut do the exchanging. Mid-bay reefs in winter. Port O'Connor jetties and the ship channel on the west side.

  • ⚠ Extreme water temperature. Fish stress quickly — keep them wet, or don't boat them.
6.6OF 10

Today

high confidence

Morning line

Matagorda 6.6 this morning. 14 mph SSE. Clear · 0%. YOLO day is Thursday, August 27. Scores are 1–10, not a bite.

Mail it
-0.10.20.50.81.1LHLHLHLHNOWSun 7 PMMon 7 PMTue 7 PMWed 7 PMThu 7 PM
incoming · 0.11 ftNOAA hourly · ft MLLW

Wind

OPEN-METEO

NESW14MPH

From SSE · gust 19

Sky

0% rain

Clear

Clear · 0%

A 20% shower chance is not a cancel. A soaker is.

Moon

91% lit

Waxing gibbous

mid range · 91%

Water

NOAA 8773701

Water

90.5°

48°92°

Today’s range 0.9 ft

incoming

0.11 ft MLLW

River

USGS 08162500

2,310 cfs

Colorado Rv nr Bay City, TX

Discharge into this bay. High water stains the flat.

Wind vs table

Observed − predicted

-0.21 ft

Observed minus predicted. On this coast the wind often is the tide.

Clock

NOAA 8773701

  • LowMon 10:49 PM · 0.05
  • HighTue 10:19 AM · 0.96
  • LowTue 11:27 PM · 0.07
  • HighWed 10:43 AM · 0.92
  • LowThu 12:00 AM · 0.14

Monthly YOLO day

Thursday, August 27 · 8.9

Best remaining dry day this month with a real wind forecast. full · spring · tide range ~0.7 ft · wind to 15 mph · Clouds · 5%

Stay or drive · Matagorda vs RockportOpen the calendarMorning dispatch

Next two weeks

Pulling the 14-day strip…

Where

No marks match this method on this water.

When

  • Incoming water

    9.5

    Tue 1:00 AM → Tue 11:00 AM

    Moving water in the right part of the day.

  • Outgoing water

    9.5

    Tue 1:00 PM → Wed 1:00 AM

    Water is moving, but the clock is against you — heat or dark.

  • Incoming water

    9.5

    Wed 1:00 AM → Wed 11:00 AM

    Moving water in the right part of the day.

  • Outgoing water

    9.5

    Wed 2:00 PM → Thu 1:00 AM

    Water is moving, but the clock is against you — heat or dark.

  • Incoming water

    9.5

    Thu 2:00 AM → Thu 11:00 AM

    Moving water in the right part of the day.

Launch and beach access

Cited to TPWD, Texas GLO beach-access plans, and NPS. 2WD/4WD is the county plan, not a guess.

  • Matagorda Bay Nature Park

    LCRA / TPWD coastal access

    Colorado mouth. Ramp and park. River stain after rain.

    Official source

  • Matagorda Harbor

    Matagorda County / TPWD-listed launch

    East Matagorda and the Colorado mouth. The Nature Park is next door.

    Official source

  • Port O'Connor public harbor

    Calhoun County / TPWD-listed launch

    West Matagorda, the ship channel, and the jetties. NOAA 8773701.

    Official source

Legal water

No-take and closed water cited to the agency that owns it. Only the Keys box is FKNMS.

No FKNMS polygon in this box. Mainland Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Mexico, and the Bahamas are not Keys sanctuary closures.

Why — and who

  • — Tide is incoming from NOAA.
  • — Observed water is close to the astronomical prediction — the table is telling the truth today.
  • — Water 90.5°F. Heat is the locator: early, late, deeper.
  • — Clear · 0%. Sky is workable.
  • — Wind 14 mph SSE. Troll and jig are on.
  • — Waxing gibbous moon — mid tide range. Marsh and passes usually want the extra current of a spring.

Mahi-mahi

Coryphaena hippurus

7.0

Thermal window

90.5°

66°92°

Bluewater. Weedlines, humps, and the edge — this is the method. In peak season for this water. Water 91°F is the hot edge for this fish. This tide stage (incoming) matches how they hunt.

Florida: typically 10/person, 60/vessel, 20 in fork. Texas: 3/day in federal waters under HMS/coastal rules — verify NOAA HMS and TPWD. Mexico: verify CONAPESCA. Bahamas: check current bag.

Tuna (blackfin / yellowfin)

Thunnus atlanticus / Thunnus albacares

7.0

Thermal window

90.5°

66°92°

Bluewater. Weedlines, humps, and the edge — this is the method. In peak season for this water. Water 91°F is the hot edge for this fish. This tide stage (incoming) matches how they hunt.

Federal HMS rules. Yellowfin typically 27 in curved fork. Blackfin often more liberal — verify NOAA HMS and FWC/TPWD the morning you leave the inlet.

Blue marlin

Makaira nigricans

7.0

Thermal window

90.5°

68°90°

Bluewater. Weedlines, humps, and the edge — this is the method. In peak season for this water. Water 91°F is the hot edge for this fish. This tide stage (incoming) matches how they hunt.

Federal HMS. Canyon water. Treat as catch-and-release. Verify NOAA HMS.

White marlin

Kajikia albida

7.0

Thermal window

90.5°

66°88°

Bluewater. Weedlines, humps, and the edge — this is the method. In peak season for this water. Water 91°F is the hot edge for this fish. This tide stage (incoming) matches how they hunt.

Federal HMS. Canyon water. Treat as catch-and-release.

Swordfish

Xiphias gladius

5.2

Thermal window

90.5°

60°84°

Bluewater. Weedlines, humps, and the edge — this is the method. Present, not peak. Water 91°F is the hot edge for this fish. This tide stage (incoming) matches how they hunt.

Federal HMS. Canyon water. Verify NOAA HMS. Not a jetty.

Sailfish

Istiophorus platypterus

3.4

Thermal window

90.5°

66°90°

Bluewater. Weedlines, humps, and the edge — this is the method. Off-season here. Water 91°F is the hot edge for this fish. This tide stage (incoming) matches how they hunt.

Florida: catch-and-release for Atlantic sail except a rare harvest tag. Federal HMS permit in federal waters. Texas/Bahamas: treat as C&R.

Wahoo

Acanthocybium solandri

3.4

Thermal window

90.5°

66°88°

Bluewater. Weedlines, humps, and the edge — this is the method. Off-season here. Water 91°F is the hot edge for this fish. This tide stage (incoming) matches how they hunt.

Texas: verify TPWD and NOAA. Way offshore, not the jetty.

Jack crevalle

Caranx hippos

5.8

Thermal window

90.5°

64°94°

Bycatch and beach noise — not the reason you came. In peak season for this water. Water 91°F is the hot edge for this fish. This tide stage (incoming) matches how they hunt.

Generally unregulated. Still, do not leave a pile.

Regs citedTPWD Outdoor Annual · Sep 1, 2025–Aug 31, 2026 · rolls in 8 days. Texas bag and season roll every September 1. The stamp is the book we cited, not a license.