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Spotted seatroutRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 PM · Spotted seatrout
- Now
- 508 AM CDT
- Best window
- 6 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.1 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Melager 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 · 8 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
42Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
64Wind: 4 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
53Water temp: 87°F, hotLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.9 ftSeason & habitat · Spotted seatrout
Species seasonality
77Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Texas state waters (shore to 9 nautical miles, bays included)
Spotted seatrout
Retention open- Daily limit
- 3 per day
- Possession
- 6 in possession
- Size
- Slot 15 to 20 in, total length. Release seatrout over 20 inches, except one fish over 28 inches per license year with the Spotted Seatrout Tag, plus one more with a Bonus Spotted Seatrout Tag.
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- 1 seatrout over 28 inches per license year with the Spotted Seatrout Tag, plus 1 with a Bonus Spotted Seatrout Tag
- Other
- Tagged seatrout over 28 inches do not count toward the daily bag or possession limit. Attach the tag right away, or report a digital tag in the Texas Hunt & Fish app. 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, Seatrout 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)
- Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
- Striped bass Retention open (5 per day)
- Tarpon Retention open (1 per day)
Source: TPWD · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Spotted seatrout is best here
Shoulder season for Spotted seatrout · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Melager Cove
- Depth
- Up to 3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonSpotted seatrout
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 Melager Cove
Melager Cove is a gut in Galveston Bay, Texas. Depth is up to 3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 15 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon, red drum and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for southern flounder, black drum, gray snapper and spotted seatrout. Atlantic croaker peak from June through September. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Red drum peak from August through November.
Tackle & technique
- Spotted seatrout
- Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Starvation Cove73
Gut · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Atlantic tarpon 69
- Red drum 65
4 kt NNEH 8:45 AM · 1.1 ftL 12:00 PM · 1.0 ft
- Gangs Bayou68
Gut · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 68
- Red drum 64
- Atlantic croaker 63
4 kt NNEL 10:46 AM · 1.4 ftH 1:29 PM · 1.5 ft
- Ganas Bayou68
Gut · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 68
- Red drum 64
- Atlantic croaker 63
4 kt NNEL 10:46 AM · 1.4 ftH 1:29 PM · 1.5 ft
- Gangs Bayou68
Gut · 1.7 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 68
- Red drum 64
- Atlantic croaker 63
4 kt NNEL 10:46 AM · 1.4 ftH 1:29 PM · 1.5 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.