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Texas City Dike Fishing Report

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

Five miles of fishing pier disguised as a road: the world's longest man-made fishing structure, pointing straight into Galveston Bay.

3/5
Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.
Next tide
High 8:30 AM
Air / High
87 / 87 F
Wind
ESE 8 mph

Sources: NOAA tides 8771262, 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.

Texas City Dike serves up more heat: the productive hours are the dim ones. Today brings cloud cover, wind ESE around 8 mph, steady pressure near 1013 hPa and a high of 87. Tides: high 7:54 AM, low 7:15 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 89 F with a rain chance. 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 8771262 (Texas City, Galveston Bay). Fish the moving water either side of each change.

Fri
HIGH7:54 AM1.5 ft
LOW7:15 PM0.1 ft
Sat
HIGH8:30 AM1.5 ft
LOW8:33 PM0.0 ft

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp87 F
High / Low87 / 77 F
WindESE 8-9 mph
Pressure1013.2 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain88% cloud, 60%
Sunrise / Sunset06:58 / 19:38
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 · Storms, 87/77 F, wind 9 mph, rain 60%

Fair or better. Cloud and a rain chance can stretch the morning bite well past breakfast: keep moving baits tied on.

Species guide

The species that matter on Texas City Dike: 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 Texas City Dike 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 Texas City Dike today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Redfish (red drum) led the card at excellent. High of 89 F, wind to 13 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 91 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 83 F, wind to 11 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. Red drum slot 20-28 inches (one oversized tag). Flounder rules tighten in November: check TPWD.

Access

Drive-on access along the entire dike (small vehicle fee in season); lighted sections near the end; bait camps at the base.

About this water

Man-made granite dike, 5 miles long, Texas City, Galveston County. Built to protect the harbor; adopted by anglers since 1915.

Fishing Texas City Dike: the full guide

The dike idea

The Texas City Dike runs five miles into Galveston Bay, and every yard of it is fishable structure: rock edges, shell pads, and the deep ship-channel drop along its face. Drive out, park, and you are fishing water that boats work on purpose: bull reds in the channel, trout on the rocks, flounder on the sand pockets. It is the most democratic serious fishery on the Texas coast.

Working the wall

The channel side drops fast into 30-plus feet: free-lined live shrimp or croaker along the rocks for trout, heavy bottom rigs with cut mullet for the bull red parade (September-November is prime). The bay side fishes softer: wade the shell flats near the base at dawn for specks under birds. The lighted end draws night crowds for trout stacked in the glow.

Seasons of the dike

Spring brings the trout waves and sheepshead on the rocks; summer runs the full menu with sharks after dark; fall is the glory season (bull reds, flounder stacking for the run, birds working everywhere); winter slows to sheepshead, black drum, and the patient. Wind rules comfort: a north blow puts the channel side in your face; southeast breeze makes the whole dike livable.

Dike craft

Bring a pier net or drop net (the rocks eat stringers), long-handled gaffs for bulls, and heavier leaders than open-bay habits suggest: the rocks cost tackle. Popping corks with live shrimp cover the middle depths; Carolina rigs the bottom. Watch ship wakes: they surge the rocks without warning.

Common questions

Is the Texas City Dike free?

A small per-vehicle fee applies in season at the entrance; walk-ons free. The fee buys five miles of channel-edge access no boat ramp can match.

When do the bull reds run the dike?

September through November: cut mullet on bottom rigs along the channel face. Expect 30-40-inch fish, a required tag for one over the slot, and company on the good tides.

Is fishing good at Texas City Dike 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

Galveston8 miLake Houston42 miSabine Pass66 miSabine Lake72 miMatagorda81 miNeches River83 mi
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