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Texas · Galveston Bay

Redfish are the hunt — hold for moving water; Galveston slack is a boat ride.

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 2027-12-19, not this morning. Wind is a forecast. Observed water versus the table is a today-only instrument.
  • Tide · NOAA 8771450
  • NDBC 42035 quiet
  • Salinity probe quiet or stale
  • River · USGS 08066500
  • Red-tide check failed — not all-clear
  • Sargassum check failed — not all-clear
  • Glass · modeled
  • Water temp quiet
7.9OF 10

Forecast

medium confidence

Forecast brief for Sunday, December 19. Back to this morning

Morning line

Galveston 7.9 on Sunday, December 19. 8 mph SE. Clear. Scores are 1–10, not a bite.

Mail it
-0.8-0.20.30.91.5HLHLHLHLSat 6 PMSun 6 PMMon 6 PMTue 6 PMWed 6 PM
high slack · 0.82 ft · drag or hover for the clockNOAA tide gauge 8771450 · Galveston Pier 21 · ft MLLW · not a weather buoy

Wind

OPEN-METEO

NESW8MPH

From SE · gust 11

Buoy

NDBC 42035

Quiet

Galveston did not report. Witness only — not the tide clock.

Sky

OPEN-METEO

Clear

Clear

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

Glass

Open-Meteo modeled

29.95 inHg

1014 mb · no 3-hour change yet

Modeled mean sea level. Not a dock barometer. The glass is not a bite.

Moon

64% lit

Waning gibbous

neap range · 64%

Water

No gauge

Water

—

48°92°

Today’s range 1.2 ft

high slack

0.82 ft MLLW

Coast

No live coast layer

Red-tide check failed. That is not all-clear — open the agency page before you wade.

Sargassum check failed. Not a GPS pin. Not all-clear.

Salinity / color
Trinity River at Wallisville is quiet or stale. Not a color reading.

River

USGS 08066500

1,390 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

  • HighSun 7:24 AM · 0.83
  • LowSun 2:16 PM · 0.11
  • HighSun 9:42 PM · 0.95
  • LowMon 4:17 AM · 0.36
  • HighMon 10:06 AM · 0.76
Stay or drive · Galveston vs MatagordaOpen the calendarMorning dispatch

Next two weeks

Pulling the 14-day strip…

Where

This pip is that mark on this tide — not the day on the ring.

  • East Bay reefs / Hanna's

    oyster reef · field manual · mid

    8.1

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

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

  • TX - Galveston Island SP bayside trails

    grass flat · saved map · mid

    8.1

    Camp + 3 paddling trails into Carancahua Cove. · flats · GULF ATLAS! - FISH

    • — grass flat on a high slack tide is a workable match.
    • — In-play: Redfish, Speckled trout, Black drum, Sheepshead.
    skiffkayakwadeflyspin

  • Christmas Bay

    grass flat · saved map · mid

    8.1

    Upper coast's only true seagrass flat, coastal preserve. Fall tailing reds. Kayak launches off CR 257. Camp Follets = gulf camp + bay fish, one island. · 4 - FLATS ZONES - NO WADE REQUIRED (green) · Texas coast — corridors, jetties, flats

    • — grass flat on a high slack tide is a workable match.
    • — In-play: Redfish, Speckled trout, Black drum, Sheepshead.
    skiffkayakwadeflyspin

  • Galveston Island SP - Carancahua Cove trails

    grass flat · saved map · mid

    8.1

    Camp + 3 marked paddling trails (Dana Cove, Oak Bayou, Jenkins Bayou). Reds and drum in skinny water 400 yd from the tent. · 4 - FLATS ZONES - NO WADE REQUIRED (green) · Texas coast — corridors, jetties, flats

    • — grass flat on a high slack tide is a workable match.
    • — In-play: Redfish, Speckled trout, Black drum, Sheepshead.
    skiffkayakwadeflyspin

  • West Bay grass

    grass flat · field manual · skinny

    7.5

    Flooded grass on a rising tide. Windward mudline for reds; leeward clear for trout.

    • — grass flat on a high slack tide is a workable match.
    • — In-play: Redfish, Speckled trout.
    skiffwadekayakflyspin

  • Christmas Bay

    grass flat · public structure · skinny

    7.5

    USGS GNIS 1354478. Smaller, clearer pocket. Kayak and wade water. San Luis influence.

    USGS GNIS 1354478

    • — grass flat on a high slack tide is a workable match.
    • — In-play: Redfish, Speckled trout.
    kayakskiffwadeflyspin

When

When is moving water in a good hour — not the day. First light and last light are named when the clock is the story. Today’s ring mixes the best mark, the lead fish, and the best window, then taxes the sky. A strong incoming can sit under a weak day if the wind or the fish is off. Calendar cells are a third recipe: range, moon, and the day’s forecast.

  • Outgoing water

    10.0

    Sun 9:00 AM → Sun 4:00 PM

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

  • Last light · incoming

    10.0

    Sun 4:00 PM → Sun 11:00 PM

    Last light on incoming water.

  • Last light · outgoing

    8.1

    Sun 11:00 PM → Mon 6:00 AM

    Last light on outgoing water.

  • First light · incoming

    9.1

    Mon 6:00 AM → Mon 12:00 PM

    First light on incoming water.

  • Outgoing water

    10.0

    Mon 12:00 PM → Mon 4:00 PM

    Moving water in the right part of the day.

Long record · Galveston Bay · gill nets

182,686 fish in 1,710 overnight sets

Nets are out until April. Showing the spring record. 1982–2019. Random shoreline grids in this bay system — not a mark on your map. Trinity, East, West, and Christmas in the same TPWD bay system.

In the netsPer setSets
Redfish13.888%
Speckled trout10.084%
Black drum6.980%
Southern flounder0.635%
Sheepshead0.527%

Late file (2015–2019): Redfish 14.3/set · Speckled trout 13.5/set · Black drum 7.3/set. Same gear, last years in the public compilation.

TPWD still sets spring (Apr–Jun) and fall (Sep–Nov). This public file ends in 2019. It does not update with the tide.

BCO-DMO 1982–2019Ask TPWD for years after 2019

Long record · Galveston Bay · dock counts

5,989 fish on 2,922 interviews

Low-use dock (Nov 21–May 14) 1991–2023. Public ramps and wet slips in this bay system — the bay they launched from, not a honey hole. Trinity, East, West, and Christmas in the same TPWD bay system.

Across the dockPer tripWith fish
Speckled trout2.645%
Red snappergulf8.976%
Redfish0.418%

Late file (2019–2023): Speckled trout 2.0/trip · Redfish 0.3/trip · Red snapper 9.0/trip. Same ramps, last years in the public extract.

TPWD still interviews year-round, 10:00–18:00, about 1,000 survey-days and 14,000 interviews a year. This public extract is targeting trips, 1991–2023. It does not update with the tide.

PLOS One 1991–2023How the creel worksAsk TPWD for expanded landings

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 high slack from NOAA 8771450 Galveston Pier 21.
  • — Clear. Sky is workable.
  • — Wind 8 mph SE. Castable. Sight-fishing is on if the sun is out.
  • — Waning gibbous moon — neap tide range. Marsh and passes usually want the extra current of a spring.
  • — USGS salinity well Trinity River at Wallisville is quiet or stale — not all-clear, not a color reading.

Black drum

Pogonias cromis

8.4

Thermal window

—

46°88°

In peak season for this water. 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.

Sheepshead

Archosargus probatocephalus

7.3

Thermal window

—

48°84°

In peak season for this water.

Texas: 5/day, 15 in minimum.

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.

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 6 days. Texas bag and season roll every September 1. The stamp is the book we cited, not a license.