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Texas · Lower Laguna Madre

Redfish should be the day — sight-cast reds in inches on South Bay and the spoils.

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 2026-04-12, not this morning. Wind is a forecast. Observed water versus the table is a today-only instrument.
9.1OF 10

Forecast

medium confidence

Forecast brief for Sunday, April 12. Back to this morning

Morning line

LLM 9.1 on Sunday, April 12. 8 mph S. Clear. YOLO day is Monday, August 31. Scores are 1–10, not a bite.

Mail it
0.00.40.81.21.6LHLHLHLHSat 7 PMSun 7 PMMon 7 PMTue 7 PMWed 7 PM
incoming · 0.37 ftNOAA hourly · ft MLLW

Wind

OPEN-METEO

NESW8MPH

From S · gust 17

Sky

OPEN-METEO

Clear

Clear

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

Moon

23% lit

Waning crescent

mid range · 23%

Water

No gauge

Water

—

48°92°

Today’s range 1.1 ft

incoming

0.37 ft MLLW

Wind vs table

Observed − predicted

—

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

Clock

NOAA 8779770

  • LowSun 6:04 AM · 0.23
  • HighSun 3:07 PM · 1.27
  • LowMon 7:05 AM · 0.34
  • HighMon 2:50 PM · 1.17
  • LowMon 8:20 PM · 0.90

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 · 10% chance of rain

Stay or drive · LLM vs BaffinOpen the calendarMorning dispatch

Next two weeks

Pulling the 14-day strip…

Where

  • South Bay

    grass flat · field manual · skinny

    9.0

    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 incoming tide is a classic match.
    • — In-play: Redfish, Speckled trout, Snook.
    skiffwadekayakflyspin

  • TX - Fred Stone County Park (Port Mansfield)

    grass flat · saved map · mid

    9.0

    Camping + kayak launch at the LLM mecca. · flats · GULF ATLAS! - FISH

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

  • TX - Adolph Thomae Jr. Park (Arroyo City)

    grass flat · saved map · mid

    9.0

    Camp + ramp to LLM west side. Snook begin. · flats · GULF ATLAS! - FISH

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

  • TX - Isla Blanca Park (South Padre)

    grass flat · saved map · mid

    9.0

    Camp at island tip; launch to South Bay + Mexiquita. · flats · GULF ATLAS! - FISH

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

  • LLM mecca. Fred Stone County Park = camping + kayak launch o

    grass flat · saved map · mid

    9.0

    LLM mecca. Fred Stone County Park = camping + kayak launch on the edge of the most famous flats water in Texas. · 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, Snook, Mangrove / gray snapper.
    structurespinwade

  • LLM west side - Green Island / Rattlesnake

    grass flat · saved map · mid

    9.0

    Arroyo Colorado feeds this. Adolph Thomae Jr. Park = camp + ramp. Snook start appearing this far south. · 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, Snook, Mangrove / gray snapper.
    skiffkayakwadeflyspin

When

  • Incoming water

    10.0

    Sun 8:00 AM → Sun 4:00 PM

    Moving water in the right part of the day.

  • Outgoing water

    10.0

    Sun 5:00 PM → Mon 9:00 AM

    Moving water in the right part of the day.

  • Incoming water

    10.0

    Mon 9:00 AM → Mon 4:00 PM

    Moving water in the right part of the day.

  • Outgoing water

    9.7

    Mon 4:00 PM → Mon 10:00 PM

    Moving water in the right part of the day.

  • Incoming water

    8.7

    Mon 10:00 PM → Tue 2:00 AM

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

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 incoming from NOAA.
  • — Clear. Sky is workable.
  • — Wind 8 mph S. Castable. Sight-fishing is on if the sun is out.
  • — Waning crescent moon — mid 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 (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

8.4

Thermal window

—

44°90°

In peak season for this water. 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.

Snook

Centropomus undecimalis

8.4

Thermal window

—

56°92°

In peak season for this water. This tide stage (incoming) 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 (incoming) matches how they hunt.

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

Jack crevalle

Caranx hippos

5.8

Thermal window

—

64°94°

Bycatch and beach noise — not the reason you came. Present, not peak. 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 7 days. Texas bag and season roll every September 1. The stamp is the book we cited, not a license.