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 2026-09-09, not this morning. Wind is a forecast. Observed water versus the table is a today-only instrument.
  • Thunderstorms in the forecast. Lightning is a stay-tied call. The score is not a safety brief.
5.1OF 10

Forecast

medium confidence

Forecast brief for Wednesday, September 9. Back to this morning

Morning line

LLM 5.1 on Wednesday, September 9. 7 mph SSE. Thunderstorms · 26%. Scores are 1–10, not a bite.

Mail it
-0.20.30.81.31.8LHLHLHLHTue 7 PMWed 7 PMThu 7 PMFri 7 PMSat 7 PM
outgoing · 1.51 ftNOAA hourly · ft MLLW

Wind

OPEN-METEO

NESW7MPH

From SSE · gust 13

Sky

26% rain

Storms

Thunderstorms · 26%

Lightning is a stay-tied call.

Moon

6% lit

Waning crescent

mid range · 6%

Water

No gauge

Water

48°92°

Today’s range 1.5 ft

outgoing

1.51 ft MLLW

Wind vs table

Observed − predicted

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

Clock

NOAA 8779770

  • LowWed 9:46 AM · 1.46
  • HighWed 12:59 PM · 1.54
  • LowWed 9:17 PM · 0.29
  • HighThu 5:08 AM · 1.42
  • LowThu 9:51 AM · 1.25

Next two weeks

Pulling the 14-day strip…

Where

  • TX - South Padre north of Access 6

    sand dropoff · saved map · mid

    5.9

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

    • sand dropoff on a outgoing tide is a classic match.
    • Thunderstorms — this mark is a stay-tied call, not a window.
    • In-play: Redfish, Speckled trout, Snook, Mangrove / gray snapper.
    structurespinwade
  • South Padre - north of Beach Access 6

    sand dropoff · saved map · mid

    5.9

    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.
    • Thunderstorms — this mark is a stay-tied call, not a window.
    • In-play: Redfish, Speckled trout, Snook, Mangrove / gray snapper.
    structurespinwade
  • Brazos Santiago Pass

    pass jetty · public structure · deep

    5.7

    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.
    • Thunderstorms — this mark is a stay-tied call, not a window.
    • In-play: Redfish, Snook.
    structureskiffspinfly
  • Mansfield Cut

    pass jetty · public structure · deep

    5.7

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

    • pass jetty on a outgoing tide is a classic match.
    • Thunderstorms — this mark is a stay-tied call, not a window.
    • In-play: Redfish, Speckled trout.
    skiffstructurespinfly
  • South Bay

    grass flat · field manual · skinny

    5.2

    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.
    • Thunderstorms — this mark is a stay-tied call, not a window.
    • In-play: Redfish, Speckled trout, Snook.
    skiffwadekayakflyspin
  • SPI spoil banks

    spoil bank · public structure · skinny

    5.2

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

    • spoil bank on a outgoing tide is a workable match.
    • Thunderstorms — this mark is a stay-tied call, not a window.
    • In-play: Redfish, Speckled trout.
    skiffwadeflyspin

When

  • Outgoing water

    9.1

    Wed 8:00 AMWed 11:00 AM

    Moving water in the right part of the day.

  • Incoming water

    7.8

    Wed 12:00 PMWed 2:00 PM

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

  • Outgoing water

    8.8

    Wed 3:00 PMWed 11:00 PM

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

  • Incoming water

    7.8

    Wed 11:00 PMThu 7:00 AM

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

  • Outgoing water

    9.1

    Thu 7:00 AMThu 11:00 AM

    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.
  • Thunderstorms · 26%. Lightning is a stay-tied call.
  • Wind 7 mph SSE. 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 (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.

Snook

Centropomus undecimalis

8.4

Thermal window

56°92°

In peak season for this water. 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

8.4

Thermal window

64°92°

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

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

Speckled trout

Cynoscion nebulosus

6.6

Thermal window

44°90°

Present, not peak. 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.

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