Waterlands

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Spanish mackerelRetention open

Bay · Texas

Red Fish Bay

26.60°N · 97.43°W · Bay · Laguna Madre From 5 nm North Of Port Mansfield To Baffin Bay TX

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Best score today · 12 AM · Spanish mackerel

71/100Great
Now
462 PM CDT
Best window
10 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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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Mon · 76

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 2 PM · now

Time2PNOW
Score46Good
Tide1.3 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward W
Wind13 kn Egusts 25 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.2 ft · 4 s
Air temp93°Hot
WeatherMostly cloudy63% cloud
Water87°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

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

IN EFFECT NOW

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)
Always check with TPWD ↗Fishing license ↗

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

Spanish mackerel season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Spanish mackerel · 5 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Spanish mackerel in Texas →

Spot profile

Red Fish Bay

Depth
5-7 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 Red Fish Bay

Red Fish Bay is a bay in Laguna Madre From 5 nm North Of Port Mansfield To Baffin Bay TX, Texas. Depth is 5-7 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 red drum. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, Atlantic croaker, red drum and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for gray triggerfish, gray snapper, red snapper and Spanish mackerel. Crevalle jack peak from June through September. Atlantic croaker peak from June through September. Red drum peak from August through November.

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

View all on map →
  • Fourmile Slough

    Gut · 5.6 mi

    59
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 59
    • Crevalle jack 59
    • Red drum 57

    13 kt EL 7:58 PM · 0.7 ftH 3:27 AM · 1.7 ft

  • Port Mansfield Channel

    Channel · 5.7 mi

    58
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 58
    • Crevalle jack 57
    • Red drum 52

    13 kt EL 7:58 PM · 0.7 ftH 3:27 AM · 1.7 ft

Open in the tide map

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.