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Texas · Matagorda Bay

Redfish are the hunt — 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.
8.1OF 10

Today

high confidence

Morning line

Matagorda 8.1 this morning. 14 mph SSE. Clear · 0%. YOLO day is Monday, August 24. 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

Monday, August 24 · 8.4

Best remaining dry day this month with a real wind forecast — and it is a copper day. waxing gibbous · mid · tide range ~0.9 ft · wind to 13 mph · 0% chance of rain

Stay or drive · Matagorda vs RockportOpen the calendarMorning dispatch

Next two weeks

Pulling the 14-day strip…

Where

  • Port O'Connor jetties

    pass jetty · public structure · deep

    9.3

    NOAA 8773701. High wind: hide on the protected side. Big drum on crab.

    • — pass jetty on a incoming tide is a classic match.
    • — In-play: Redfish, Speckled trout.
    • — Water is hot — deeper guts, passes, and shade hold oxygen and fish.
    structureskiffspinfly

  • Matagorda Ship Channel

    pass jetty · public structure · deep

    9.3

    USGS GNIS 1381067. The west-side pass. Jetty granite and ship-channel current.

    USGS GNIS 1381067

    • — pass jetty on a incoming tide is a classic match.
    • — In-play: Redfish, Speckled trout.
    • — Water is hot — deeper guts, passes, and shade hold oxygen and fish.
    structureskiffspinfly

  • TX - Army Hole, Matagorda Island WMA

    grass flat · saved map · mid

    8.4

    Boat-in designated campsite; TPWD LPU permit. Expedition base. · flats · GULF ATLAS! - FISH

    • — grass flat on a incoming tide is a classic match.
    • — In-play: Redfish, Speckled trout.
    skiffkayakwadeflyspin

  • TX - Pringle Lake (boat-in via POC)

    grass flat · saved map · skinny

    8.4

    Storied clear sight-casting backlake. The one guide-trip splurge. · flats · GULF ATLAS! - FISH

    • — grass flat on a incoming tide is a classic match.
    • — In-play: Redfish, Speckled trout.
    skiffkayakwadeflyspin

  • Pringle Lake / Matagorda Island backlakes

    grass flat · saved map · skinny

    8.4

    Storied clear-water sight-casting backlake. Gin-clear, grass bottom, reds pushing wakes. Boat/towed-kayak via Port O'Connor. THE one guide-trip splurge. · 4 - FLATS ZONES - NO WADE REQUIRED (green) · Texas coast — corridors, jetties, flats

    • — grass flat on a incoming tide is a classic match.
    • — In-play: Redfish, Speckled trout.
    skiffkayakwadeflyspin

  • TX - Matagorda Beach / Jetty Park FM 2031

    pass jetty · saved map · mid

    8.1

    72-hr free camping, restrooms at Jetty Park. East Matty drift bay behind you. · camp-surf · GULF ATLAS! - FISH

    • — pass jetty on a incoming tide is a classic match.
    • — In-play: Redfish, Speckled trout.
    structureskiffspinfly

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. Work the leeward shore. Fly gets harder.
  • — Waxing gibbous moon — mid tide range. Marsh and passes usually want the extra current of a spring.

Redfish

Sciaenops ocellatus

5.2

Thermal window

90.5°

48°92°

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

Texas (Sep 1 2025–Aug 31 2026): 3/day, 20–28 in slot. One over 28 in per license year with a Red Drum Tag.

Speckled trout

Cynoscion nebulosus

5.2

Thermal window

90.5°

44°90°

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

Texas: 3/day, 15–20 in slot. One over 28 in per license year with a Spotted Seatrout Tag (plus bonus). Soft mouth + slot = measure every fish.

Southern flounder

Paralichthys lethostigma

3.4

Thermal window

90.5°

46°88°

Off-season here. Water 91°F is the hot edge for this fish. This tide stage (incoming) matches how they hunt.

Texas: 5/day, 15 in minimum (verify Outdoor Annual). Closed Nov 1–Dec 14.

Black drum

Pogonias cromis

3.4

Thermal window

90.5°

46°88°

Off-season here. Water 91°F is the hot edge for this fish. This tide stage (incoming) matches how they hunt.

Texas: 5/day, 14–30 in. One over 52 in allowed as part of the bag.

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.