Waterlands

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CobiaRetention open

Bay · Texas

Dunham Bay

28.14°N · 96.91°W · Bay · San Antonio, Mesquite, and Espiritu Santo Bays

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Best score today · 8 PM · Cobia

77/100Great
Now
371 PM CDT
Best window
6-11 PMEbb tide
Tide now
High0.3 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 1 PM · now

Time1PNOW
Score37Fair
Tide0.3 ftHigh
Current0.3 knmodeled · toward WSW
Wind10 kn Egusts 20 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.4 ft · 3 s
Air temp92°Hot
WeatherMostly cloudy67% chance of rain
Water87°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

Dunham Bay

Depth
About 1 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
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 Dunham Bay

Dunham Bay is a bay in San Antonio, Mesquite, and Espiritu Santo Bays, Texas. Depth is about 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.

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 southern flounder. 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

  • Cedar Dugout

    Channel · 2.1 mi

    71
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 71
    • Atlantic croaker 70
    • Crevalle jack 67

    10 kt EH 6:05 PM · 0.7 ftL 3:16 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Cape Carlos Dugout

    Channel · 1.7 mi

    70
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 70
    • Atlantic tarpon 59
    • Red drum 55

    10 kt EL 12:06 AM · 0.1 ftH 10:00 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Cedar Reef

    Bar · 1.7 mi

    69
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 69
    • Atlantic tarpon 68
    • Red drum 67

    10 kt EH 6:05 PM · 0.7 ftL 3:16 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Carlos Bay

    Bay · 1.5 mi

    66
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 66
    • Atlantic tarpon 57
    • Red drum 55

    10 kt EL 12:06 AM · 0.1 ftH 10:00 AM · 0.3 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.