Waterlands

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CobiaRetention open

Channel · Texas

Inner Bar Channel

29.35°N · 94.76°W · Channel · Galveston Bay

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Best score today · 11 PM · Cobia

83/100Great
Now
495 PM CDT
Best window
11 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.3 ft ▼

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 5 PM · now

Time5PNOW
Score49Good
Tide1.3 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.7 kn · toward ENE
Wind11 kn Egusts 15 · easing
Sea stateLight chop1.2 ft · 3 s
Air temp87°Hot
WeatherClear11% cloud
Water90°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Texas state waters (shore to 9 nautical miles, bays included)

IN EFFECT NOW

Cobia

Retention open
Daily limit
1 per day
Possession
2 in possession
Size
Minimum 40 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, Cobia Bag & Length Limits, read Sep 13

Other species here

  • Black drum Retention open (5 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)
  • Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
  • Spotted seatrout Retention open (3 per day)
  • Striped bass Retention open (5 per day)
  • Tarpon Retention open (1 per day)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Cobia is best here

Shoulder season for Cobia · 1 more week at shoulder

Cobia season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Cobia · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Cobia in Texas

Spot profile

Inner Bar Channel

Depth
35-50 ftSlope
Structure
Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · slope
Season
Shoulder seasonCobia

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 Inner Bar Channel

Inner Bar Channel is a channel in Galveston Bay, Texas. Depth is 35-50 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 15 species here; the best right now are Atlantic tarpon, Atlantic croaker and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic tarpon, Atlantic croaker, crevalle jack and red drum, and shoulder season for black drum, gray snapper, gray triggerfish and red snapper. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Atlantic croaker peak from June through September. Crevalle jack peak from June through September.

Tackle & technique

Cobia
Cobia cruise inlets, beaches, buoys, wrecks and the backs of rays in 5 to 100 feet of water. On calm, sunny days sight-cast bucktails or live eels to fish near the surface. Otherwise anchor up-current of structure, chum, and fish live eels, crabs or menhaden near the bottom.
Atlantic tarpon
Tarpon roll along beaches, in passes and channels, and under bridges from late spring through fall, and in South Florida some fish stay through winter in warm canals and backcountry rivers. Live crabs, mullet or pinfish drifted through a pass on the outgoing tide, or a fly or soft plastic cast ahead of a rolling string of fish, are the main approaches. Use a long heavy leader, bow to the jumps, and keep big fish in the water for release.
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

  • Bolivar Roads

    Channel · 0.3 mi

    77
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 77
    • Atlantic croaker 70
    • Crevalle jack 70

    11 kt EL 8:20 PM · 0.5 ftH 4:07 AM · 1.8 ft

  • Bolivar Roads Channel

    Channel · 1.2 mi

    77
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 77
    • Atlantic croaker 70
    • Crevalle jack 69

    11 kt EL 9:01 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:38 AM · 1.7 ft

  • Point Bolivar

    Cape · 1.7 mi

    70
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 70
    • Crevalle jack 66
    • Red drum 65

    11 kt EL 9:01 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:38 AM · 1.7 ft

  • Fort Point

    Cape · 0.9 mi

    69
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 69
    • Gray triggerfish 65
    • Red snapper 65

    11 kt EL 9:01 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:38 AM · 1.7 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.