On This Water

Texas · Galveston Bay

Redfish should be the day — slide to guts and the ship-channel edges until it moves.

Largest Texas estuary. Trinity, East, West, and Christmas bays. Wind often moves more water than the tide table. Home water for drum, sheep, trout, and reds.

  • This brief is for 2026-11-21, not this morning. Wind is a forecast. Observed water versus the table is a today-only instrument.
  • Texas flounder season is closed Nov 1–Dec 14. Catch-and-release only if you hook one.
8.1OF 10

Forecast

medium confidence

Forecast brief for Saturday, November 21. Back to this morning

Morning line

Galveston 8.1 on Saturday, November 21. 4 mph NW. Clear. YOLO day is Wednesday, August 26. Scores are 1–10, not a bite.

Mail it
-1.1-0.20.61.52.3LHLHLHLHFri 6 PMSat 6 PMSun 6 PMMon 6 PMTue 6 PM
low slack · 0.30 ftNOAA hourly · ft MLLW

Wind

OPEN-METEO

NESW4MPH

From NW · gust 6

Sky

OPEN-METEO

Clear

Clear

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

Moon

90% lit

Waxing gibbous

mid range · 90%

Water

No gauge

Water

48°92°

Today’s range 1.2 ft

low slack

0.30 ft MLLW

River

USGS 08066500

1,450 cfs

Trinity Rv at Romayor, TX

Discharge into this bay. High water stains the flat.

Wind vs table

Observed − predicted

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

Clock

NOAA 8771450

  • LowSat 7:28 AM · 0.29
  • HighSat 3:02 PM · 1.48
  • LowSat 8:09 PM · 1.23
  • HighSun 12:02 AM · 1.35
  • LowSun 7:53 AM · -0.02

Monthly YOLO day

Wednesday, August 26 · 8.7

Best remaining dry day this month with a real wind forecast. waxing gibbous · spring · tide range ~0.9 ft · wind to 21 mph · Clouds · 4%

Next two weeks

Pulling the 14-day strip…

Where

  • East Bay reefs / Hanna's

    oyster reef · field manual · mid

    7.7

    Home-water trout and winter mixed schools. Shell next to mud. Do not invent a Tuesday — this is the bay.

    • oyster reef on a low slack tide is a workable match.
    • In-play: Speckled trout, Redfish, Black drum.
    skiffwadeflyspin
  • Galveston North Jetty

    pass jetty · public structure · deep

    7.3

    Winter sheep on granite. Fall bulls. Midday tide on the rocks.

    • pass jetty on a low slack tide is a secondary match.
    • In-play: Sheepshead, Redfish, Speckled trout.
    structurespinfly
  • Bolivar Roads Channel

    pass jetty · public structure · deep

    7.3

    USGS GNIS 1384775. The ship-channel throat between Galveston and Bolivar. Current over granite. Not a wade.

    USGS GNIS 1384775

    • pass jetty on a low slack tide is a secondary match.
    • In-play: Redfish, Speckled trout, Sheepshead.
    structureskiffspinfly
  • TX - Bolivar Peninsula west end / North Jetty

    pass jetty · saved map · mid

    7.3

    $10 annual sticker, camp anywhere. Wide sand near Rettilon Rd; walk to North Jetty. · camp-surf · GULF ATLAS! - FISH

    • pass jetty on a low slack tide is a secondary match.
    • In-play: Redfish, Speckled trout, Black drum, Sheepshead.
    structureskiffspinfly
  • TX - Follets Island CR 257 (free camping)

    pass jetty · saved map · mid

    7.3

    Free, no permit, 14-day max. Fish San Luis Pass gulf-side at dawn. · camp-surf · GULF ATLAS! - FISH

    • pass jetty on a low slack tide is a secondary match.
    • In-play: Redfish, Speckled trout, Black drum, Sheepshead.
    structurespinwade
  • Bolivar Peninsula beach - drivable/campable

    pass jetty · saved map · mid

    7.3

    $10 annual sticker, camp anywhere along ~27 mi. West end near Rettilon Rd is widest and house-free. NOTE: Rollover Pass was filled in - gone. · 1 - BEACH CORRIDORS (yellow=2WD, orange=4WD, red=Big Shell) · Texas coast — corridors, jetties, flats

    • pass jetty on a low slack tide is a secondary match.
    • In-play: Redfish, Speckled trout, Black drum, Sheepshead.
    structurespinwade

When

  • Incoming water

    9.5

    Sat 9:00 AMSat 5:00 PM

    Moving water in the right part of the day.

  • Outgoing water

    9.2

    Sat 4:00 PMSat 9:00 PM

    Moving water in the right part of the day.

  • Incoming water

    8.1

    Sat 10:00 PMSun 1:00 AM

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

  • Outgoing water

    9.5

    Sun 1:00 AMSun 10:00 AM

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

  • Incoming water

    9.5

    Sun 9:00 AMSun 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.

  • Seawolf Park

    TPWD / Galveston Parks — public ramp & pier

    Pelican Island. Ramp, pier, jetty-adjacent. County park fees.

    Official source
  • San Luis Pass County Park

    Brazoria County / GLO beach-access system

    Follets Island. Ramp and beach. Current at the pass — wade with respect.

    Official source
  • Galveston East Beach

    City of Galveston / Texas GLO beach access

    Drive-on beach. 2WD when packed; 4WD after rain. GLO + city plan, not a TPWD ramp.

    Official source
  • Galveston 61st Street / Offatts Bayou

    City of Galveston / TPWD-listed launch

    West Bay and Offatts. Trailer traffic. The bay side of the island.

    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 low slack from NOAA.
  • Clear. Sky is workable.
  • Wind 4 mph NW. Castable. Sight-fishing is on if the sun is out.
  • Waxing gibbous moon — mid tide range. Marsh and passes usually want the extra current of a spring.

Redfish

Sciaenops ocellatus

7.3

Thermal window

48°92°

In peak season for this water.

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

7.3

Thermal window

44°90°

In peak season for this water.

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

5.5

Thermal window

46°88°

Present, not peak.

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

Sheepshead

Archosargus probatocephalus

5.5

Thermal window

48°84°

Present, not peak.

Texas: 5/day, 15 in minimum.

Jack crevalle

Caranx hippos

3.7

Thermal window

64°94°

Bycatch and beach noise — not the reason you came. Off-season here.

Generally unregulated. Still, do not leave a pile.

Regs citedTPWD Outdoor Annual · Sep 1, 2025–Aug 31, 2026 · rolls in 7 days. Texas bag and season roll every September 1. The stamp is the book we cited, not a license.