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Spanish mackerelRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 513 PM CDT
- Best window
- 6-11 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.8 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Little Shamrock Cove scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions · rolling from now
Conditions · 3 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
69Tide: EbbingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
72Wind: 12 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
60Water temp: 88°F, warmLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.9 ftSeason & habitat · Spanish mackerel
Species seasonality
60Season: ShoulderHabitat: Structure unmappedDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Texas state waters (shore to 9 nautical miles, bays included)
Spanish mackerel
Retention open- Daily limit
- 15 per day
- Possession
- 30 in possession
- Size
- Minimum 14 in, total length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- The possession limit is double the daily bag and does not count fish stored at your residence. While fishing, you may not hold more than the daily bag.
From TPWD 2026-27 Outdoor Annual, Mackerel Bag & Length Limits, read Sep 13
Other species here
- Black drum Retention open (5 per day)
- Cobia Retention open (1 per day)
- Gag grouper Retention open (2 per day)
- Gray triggerfish Retention open (20 per day)
- Greater amberjack Retention open (1 per day)
- King mackerel Retention open (3 per day)
- Red drum Retention open (3 per day)
- Red snapper Retention open (4 per day)
- Sailfish Retention open
- Sheepshead Retention open (5 per day)
- Snook Retention open (1 per day)
- Southern flounder Retention open (5 per day)
- Spotted seatrout Retention open (3 per day)
- Striped bass Retention open (5 per day)
- Tarpon Retention open (1 per day)
Source: TPWD · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Spanish mackerel is best here
Shoulder season for Spanish mackerel · 5 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Little Shamrock Cove
- Depth
- 1-9 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonSpanish mackerel
NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 13 on a 3.4 m grid. Depths are feet below NAVD 88, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.
About this spot
Fishing Little Shamrock Cove
Little Shamrock Cove is a bay in Corpus Christi and Nueces Bays, Texas. Depth is 1-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 15 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, Atlantic croaker and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon and red drum, and shoulder season for gray snapper, red snapper, gray triggerfish and Spanish mackerel. Crevalle jack peak from June through September. Atlantic croaker peak from June through September. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- Spanish mackerel
- Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.
- Crevalle jack
- Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.
- Atlantic croaker
- Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Sinclair Cut66
Channel · 2.0 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 66
- Atlantic croaker 65
- Crevalle jack 63
12 kt EL 11:28 PM · 0.3 ftH 3:03 PM · 0.8 ft
- Wilsons Cut65
Channel · 1.7 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 65
- Atlantic croaker 64
- Crevalle jack 62
12 kt EL 11:28 PM · 0.3 ftH 3:03 PM · 0.8 ft
- Shamrock Cove63
Bay · 0.5 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 63
- Atlantic croaker 62
- Atlantic tarpon 62
12 kt EL 11:28 PM · 0.3 ftH 3:03 PM · 0.8 ft
- Pink Shack Cove63
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 63
- Atlantic croaker 62
- Atlantic tarpon 62
12 kt EL 11:28 PM · 0.3 ftH 3:03 PM · 0.8 ft
Scores and forecasts are for planning only and can be wrong. Conditions on the water change fast; check the marine forecast before you go. Regulations change during the season, so confirm limits and closures with TPWD before you keep a fish.