On This Water

Texas · Lower Laguna Madre

Redfish should be the day — the drops off Brazos Santiago and the spoil edges.

The clear-water classroom. South Bay, spoil banks, Brazos Santiago. Sight-casting reds in inches. Often the warmest Texas winter water.

  • This brief is for 2026-03-31. No wind forecast that far out — score is tide, moon, and season. Not a copper day.
8.8OF 10

Tide + moon

low confidence

Forecast brief for Tuesday, March 31. Back to this morning

Morning line

LLM 8.8 on Tuesday, March 31 — tide, moon, and season only. No wind forecast that far out. YOLO day is Monday, August 31. Scores are 1–10, not a bite.

Mail it
-0.20.30.71.21.7LHLHLHLHMon 7 PMTue 7 PMWed 7 PMThu 7 PMFri 7 PM
outgoing · 0.61 ftNOAA hourly · ft MLLW

Wind

NWS

NESWMPH

No wind reading

Sky

NWS

Sky not in

Sky not in

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

Moon

96% lit

Waxing gibbous

spring range · 96%

Water

No gauge

Water

48°92°

Today’s range 0.7 ft

outgoing

0.61 ft MLLW

Wind vs table

Observed − predicted

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

Clock

NOAA 8779770

  • LowTue 9:49 AM · 0.49
  • HighTue 3:44 PM · 0.96
  • LowTue 9:43 PM · 0.52
  • HighWed 4:17 AM · 1.26
  • LowWed 10:42 AM · 0.70

Monthly YOLO day

Monday, August 31 · 9.3

Best remaining dry day this month with a real wind forecast. waning gibbous · mid · tide range ~0.9 ft · wind to 20 mph · 6% chance of rain

Next two weeks

Pulling the 14-day strip…

Where

  • TX - South Padre north of Access 6

    sand dropoff · saved map · mid

    8.7

    Cameron Co. permit, primitive sand camping. Clearest TX surf. · camp-surf · GULF ATLAS! - FISH

    • sand dropoff on a outgoing tide is a classic match.
    • In-play: Redfish, Speckled trout, Snook, Mangrove / gray snapper.
    structurespinwade
  • South Padre - north of Beach Access 6

    sand dropoff · saved map · mid

    8.7

    Cameron Co. permit, primitive sand camping. Clearest surf water in TX; LLM flats behind the dunes. · 1 - BEACH CORRIDORS (yellow=2WD, orange=4WD, red=Big Shell) · Texas coast — corridors, jetties, flats

    • sand dropoff on a outgoing tide is a classic match.
    • In-play: Redfish, Speckled trout, Snook, Mangrove / gray snapper.
    structurespinwade
  • Brazos Santiago Pass

    pass jetty · public structure · deep

    8.4

    USGS GNIS 1372708. The south-end pass. Bulls and tarpon in season. Current over rock.

    USGS GNIS 1372708

    • pass jetty on a outgoing tide is a classic match.
    • In-play: Redfish, Snook.
    structureskiffspinfly
  • Mansfield Cut

    pass jetty · public structure · deep

    8.4

    NOAA 8778490 in the basin. Cut current, jetty granite, Laguna skinny a mile inside.

    • pass jetty on a outgoing tide is a classic match.
    • In-play: Redfish, Speckled trout.
    skiffstructurespinfly
  • South Bay

    grass flat · field manual · skinny

    7.7

    USGS GNIS 1376184 (Cameron). Clear-water classroom. Inches of grass. Sight-casting reds. Deep-south snook on warm years.

    USGS GNIS 1376184

    • grass flat on a outgoing tide is a workable match.
    • In-play: Redfish, Speckled trout, Snook.
    skiffwadekayakflyspin
  • SPI spoil banks

    spoil bank · public structure · skinny

    7.7

    Classic Laguna edges. Pole the leeward spoil when the wind is up.

    • spoil bank on a outgoing tide is a workable match.
    • In-play: Redfish, Speckled trout.
    skiffwadeflyspin

When

  • Outgoing water

    9.4

    Tue 8:00 AMTue 11:00 AM

    Moving water in the right part of the day.

  • Incoming water

    8.0

    Tue 11:00 AMTue 5:00 PM

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

  • Outgoing water

    9.1

    Tue 5:00 PMTue 11:00 PM

    Moving water in the right part of the day.

  • Incoming water

    8.0

    Tue 11:00 PMWed 6:00 AM

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

  • Outgoing water

    9.4

    Wed 6:00 AMWed 12:00 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.

  • Isla Blanca Park

    Cameron County / GLO beach access

    South end of SPI. Ramps, jetties, Brazos Santiago. County beach plan governs 2WD/4WD.

    Official source
  • Andy Bowie Park

    Cameron County / GLO beach access

    North SPI. County beach plan. 2WD/4WD posted at the entrance.

    Official source
  • Adolph Thomae Jr. County Park

    Cameron County / TPWD-listed launch

    Arroyo Colorado into the Lower Laguna. Ramp and park. The LLM classroom starts here.

    Official source
  • Port Mansfield public ramps

    Willacy County / TPWD-listed launch

    Basin and cut. NOAA 8778490. Laguna skinny a mile inside.

    Official source
  • Boca Chica / Beach Access 6

    Cameron County beach-access plan / Texas GLO

    South of SPI. County plan is the 2WD/4WD law here. Closures shift with SpaceX and storms — confirm before you drop a tire.

    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 outgoing from NOAA.
  • Waxing gibbous moon — spring tide range. Sight water often prefers a moderate range and clean water over a huge spring.

Redfish

Sciaenops ocellatus

8.4

Thermal window

48°92°

In peak season for this water. This tide stage (outgoing) 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

8.4

Thermal window

44°90°

In peak season for this water. This tide stage (outgoing) 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.

Snook

Centropomus undecimalis

6.6

Thermal window

56°92°

Present, not peak. This tide stage (outgoing) matches how they hunt.

Texas: 1/day, 24–28 in. Rare this far west — verify before you keep one.

Mangrove / gray snapper

Lutjanus griseus

6.6

Thermal window

64°92°

Present, not peak. This tide stage (outgoing) matches how they hunt.

Texas: typically 12 in, 4/day under snapper rules — verify TPWD.

Jack crevalle

Caranx hippos

4.8

Thermal window

64°94°

Bycatch and beach noise — not the reason you came. Off-season here. This tide stage (outgoing) matches how they hunt.

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.