On This Water

Texas · Aransas / Copano / Redfish

Redfish are the hunt — pole the remaining water; slack here is short.

Grass-and-oyster working water. Lydia Ann, Copano reefs, Redfish Bay. The mid-coast skiff and wade theater.

  • This brief is for 2026-08-29, not this morning. Wind is a forecast. Observed water versus the table is a today-only instrument.
7.5OF 10

Forecast

medium confidence

Forecast brief for Saturday, August 29. Back to this morning

Morning line

Rockport 7.5 on Saturday, August 29. 3 mph S. Mostly Sunny · 14%. YOLO day is Wednesday, August 26. Scores are 1–10, not a bite.

Mail it
0.00.20.40.60.7HLHLHLHLFri 7 PMSat 7 PMSun 7 PMMon 7 PMTue 7 PM
high slack · 0.37 ftNOAA hourly · ft MLLW

Wind

NWS

NESW3MPH

From S

Sky

14% rain

Clear

Mostly Sunny · 14%

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

Moon

98% lit

Waning gibbous

spring range · 98%

Water

No gauge

Water

48°92°

Today’s range 0.2 ft

high slack

0.37 ft MLLW

Wind vs table

Observed − predicted

No live gauge this hour — the printed tide is the forecast.

Clock

NOAA 8774770

  • HighSat 7:05 AM · 0.37
  • LowSat 9:07 AM · 0.37
  • HighSat 11:25 AM · 0.37
  • LowSat 2:01 PM · 0.36
  • HighSat 5:52 PM · 0.40

Monthly YOLO day

Wednesday, August 26 · 8.9

Best remaining dry day this month with a real wind forecast — and it is a copper day. waxing gibbous · spring · tide range ~0.4 ft · wind to 12 mph · 0% chance of rain

Next two weeks

Pulling the 14-day strip…

Where

  • Copano Bay reefs

    oyster reef · public structure · mid

    7.5

    NOAA 8774513 nearby. Winter trout and mixed drum. Shell that still has water on a blowout.

    • oyster reef on a high slack tide is a workable match.
    • In-play: Speckled trout, Redfish.
    skiffwadeflyspin
  • Redfish Bay grass

    grass flat · field manual · skinny

    7.5

    The mid-coast skinny game. Incoming floods the grass. Do not fish it like the Laguna.

    • grass flat on a high slack tide is a workable match.
    • In-play: Redfish, Speckled trout.
    skiffwadekayakflyspin
  • TX - Army Hole, Matagorda Island WMA

    grass flat · saved map · mid

    7.5

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

    • grass flat on a high slack tide is a workable match.
    • In-play: Redfish, Speckled trout.
    skiffkayakwadeflyspin
  • TX - Pringle Lake (boat-in via POC)

    grass flat · saved map · skinny

    7.5

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

    • grass flat on a high slack tide is a workable match.
    • In-play: Redfish, Speckled trout.
    skiffkayakwadeflyspin
  • TX - Goose Island State Park

    grass flat · saved map · mid

    7.5

    Camp base; kayak St. Charles/Copano. Winter reds + whoopers. · flats · GULF ATLAS! - FISH

    • grass flat on a high slack tide is a workable match.
    • In-play: Redfish, Speckled trout.
    skiffkayakwadeflyspin
  • TX - Mustang Island SP bayside launch

    serpulid reef · saved map · skinny

    7.5

    Shamrock Cove reds year-round. · flats · GULF ATLAS! - FISH

    • serpulid reef on a high slack tide is a workable match.
    • In-play: Redfish, Speckled trout.
    skiffkayakwadeflyspin

When

  • Incoming water

    9.5

    Sun 5:00 AMSun 7:00 AM

    Moving water in the right part of the day.

  • Outgoing water

    9.5

    Mon 9:00 AMTue 5:00 PM

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

  • Incoming water

    9.2

    Tue 7:00 PMWed 3:00 AM

    Moving water in the right part of the day.

  • Outgoing water

    9.5

    Wed 10:00 AMWed 6:00 PM

    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.

  • Goose Island State Park

    TPWD state park

    Ramp, pier, wade shore. Copano / St. Charles.

    Official source
  • Packery Channel County Park

    Nueces County / TPWD-listed launch

    Ramp both sides of the cut. Wade the bars on a moving tide.

    Official source
  • Fulton Harbor

    Aransas County / TPWD-listed launch

    Copano and Aransas. Goose Island is the other public door.

    Official source
  • Rockport Beach

    City of Rockport / GLO beach access

    Bay beach, pier, and park. Not a Gulf drive-on corridor.

    Official source
  • Indian Point Park

    San Patricio County / TPWD-listed launch

    Corpus / Nueces. Pier and ramp. Winter drum water from the bank.

    Official source
  • Port Aransas Beach Access 1A

    City of Port Aransas / Texas GLO beach access

    Typical 2WD when packed. City + GLO plan. Jetties are a short walk north.

    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 high slack from NOAA.
  • Mostly Sunny · 14%. Sky is workable.
  • Wind 3 mph S. Castable. Sight-fishing is on if the sun is out.
  • Waning gibbous moon — spring tide range. Marsh and passes usually want the extra current of a spring.

Redfish

Sciaenops ocellatus

5.5

Thermal window

48°92°

Present, not peak.

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

5.5

Thermal window

44°90°

Present, not peak.

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.

Black drum

Pogonias cromis

4.8

Thermal window

46°88°

Off-season here. This tide stage (high slack) 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

64°94°

Bycatch and beach noise — not the reason you came. In peak season for this water.

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.