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Matagorda Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The two-bay town: East Bay's wade-fishing purism and West Bay's redfish marsh, split by the Colorado's mouth and blessedly under-built.

3/5
Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.
Next tide
High 7:23 AM
Air / High
89 / 90 F
Wind
SE 13 mph

Sources: NOAA tides 8773146, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.

Matagorda serves up more heat: the productive hours are the dim ones. Today brings a mixed sky, wind SE around 13 mph, steady pressure near 1013 hPa and a high of 90. Tides: high 6:23 AM, low 6:20 PM: the moving water either side of each change is when this place feeds. Water sits around 85 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Redfish (red drum)Excellent

Dawn topwater over grass flats and shorelines, then follow them to deeper guts and channel edges with gold spoons and paddletails. Look for wakes and nervous bait.

Speckled troutGood

First light topwater over grass and shell, then deeper: free-lined live shrimp or croaker over 4-8 ft structure. The bite dies with the sun; night lights fish well.

Tomorrow: Similar at 90 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

Tides

NOAA station 8773146 (East Matagorda Bay). Fish the moving water either side of each change.

Fri
HIGH6:23 AM0.8 ft
LOW6:20 PM0.4 ft
Sat
HIGH7:23 AM0.9 ft
LOW7:34 PM0.4 ft

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp89 F
High / Low90 / 81 F
WindSE 13-14 mph
Pressure1012.7 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain31% cloud, 39%
Sunrise / Sunset07:03 / 19:42
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~85 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Showers, 90/81 F, wind 13 mph, rain 39%

Fair or better. A 13 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Matagorda: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Redfish (red drum) illustration

Redfish (red drum)

Best: Sep-Nov bull run

The copper-flanked king of the flats and surf: tailing in inches of water, schooling by the hundred in fall. Dawn topwater over grass flats and shorelines, then follow them to deeper guts and channel edges with gold spoons and paddletails. Look for wakes and nervous bait.

Speckled trout illustration

Speckled trout

Best: spring and fall

The Gulf coast's everyday obsession: soft mouths, violent topwater strikes and a fishery that lives by tide and bait. First light topwater over grass and shell, then deeper: free-lined live shrimp or croaker over 4-8 ft structure. The bite dies with the sun; night lights fish well.

When to come: the Matagorda calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Redfish (red drum)
Speckled trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 85 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~85 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Matagorda today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Redfish (red drum) led the card at excellent. High of 94 F, wind to 14 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Redfish (red drum) led the card at excellent. High of 94 F, wind to 14 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Redfish (red drum) led the card at excellent. High of 93 F, wind to 13 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Texas requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Texas saltwater license + endorsement. Trout: mid-coast limits: review current TPWD. Beach driving permit for the peninsula.

Access

Matagorda Harbor ramps, Diversion Channel access, beachfront drive-on east of the river.

About this water

The Colorado River's two-bay town, Matagorda County, TX. Wade-fishing's quiet capital.

Fishing Matagorda: the full guide

Matagorda's split personality

The town sits where the Colorado River splits two great bays: East Matagorda (deep-for-Texas, shell-bottomed, a wade-fisherman's trophy trout factory) and West Matagorda (marsh lakes, grass shorelines, redfish country). Few coastal towns this quiet control water this good: Matagorda is the middle coast's best-kept open secret.

East Bay doctrine

East Bay's scattered shell over mud grows big trout: the wade culture works it with slow-sinking plugs and topwaters at dawn (Brown Cedar's flats, the mid-bay reefs), drifting the same water when the wind allows. No passes feed it directly: the bay fishes moody but the average fish runs heavy: quality water, patience required.

West Bay and the river

West Bay's back lakes (Oyster Lake, Crab Lake) run classic marsh redfishing: pole or troll the shorelines watching for wakes and tails: while the Colorado's mouth adds a river-mouth wildcard: trout and reds staging on the color changes, tarpon rumors in late summer, and the jetty's surf-side access to the Gulf's green water.

Working the quiet coast

Matagorda Harbor's ramps serve both bays (the Diversion Channel connects), the beach drives east for surf casters (permit rules: check), and the town stays true: two bait camps, a few guides, no towers. Wind rules everything: East Bay demands calm: West's lee shorelines forgive: the two-bay choice is the daily strategy.

Common questions

Which Matagorda bay should I fish?

East for trophy trout wading (calm days, dawn plugs), West for redfish marsh (wind-tolerant, kayak-friendly). The harbor's ramps reach both: let the forecast pick.

Is Matagorda good without a boat?

The jetty and drive-on beach fish truly (surf trout in green summer water, reds in the fall), and kayak launches open West Bay's lakes. It is the coast's best low-infrastructure trip.

Is fishing good at Matagorda right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.

Nearby waters

Rockport81 miTexas City Dike81 miGalveston82 miPort Aransas89 miLake Fayette97 miLake Houston100 mi
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