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CobiaRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 11 PM · Cobia
- Now
- 342 PM CDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.8 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Outer Bar Channel 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 · 2 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
25Tide: EbbingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 9 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
44Water temp: 89°F, hotLight: Partly cloudySolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.2 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
40Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Texas state waters (shore to 9 nautical miles, bays included)
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)
Source: TPWD · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Cobia is best here
Shoulder season for Cobia · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Outer Bar Channel
- Depth
- 35-50 ftSlope
- Structure
- Channel · Outer · 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 Outer Bar Channel
Outer Bar Channel is a channel in Galveston Bay, Texas. Depth is 35-50 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, outer water and 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 black drum, gray triggerfish, red snapper and gray snapper. Atlantic croaker peak from June through September. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Red drum peak from August through November.
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 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
- Bolivar Roads68
Channel · 5.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Atlantic tarpon 66
- Crevalle jack 58
9 kt ENEL 8:20 PM · 0.5 ftH 4:07 AM · 1.8 ft
- Inner Bar Channel68
Channel · 5.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Atlantic tarpon 62
- Red drum 54
9 kt ENEL 9:01 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:38 AM · 1.7 ft
- Bolivar Roads Channel67
Channel · 6.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Atlantic tarpon 64
- Red drum 57
9 kt ENEL 9:01 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:38 AM · 1.7 ft
- Fort Point59
Cape · 6.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 59
- Atlantic tarpon 56
- Gray triggerfish 52
9 kt ENEL 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.