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CobiaRetention openBar · Texas
Josephine Reef
28.33°N · 96.52°W · Bar · San Antonio, Mesquite, and Espiritu Santo Bays
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 455 AM CDT
- Best window
- 5 AM-3 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.1 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Josephine Reef 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 · 5 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
73Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
91Wind: 3 kt ESEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
34Water temp: 91°F, hotLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.4 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
55Season: 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)
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 yesterday
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
Josephine Reef
- Depth
- 6-7 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Reef · Inner · Semi-exposedReef · 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 Josephine Reef
Josephine Reef is a bar in San Antonio, Mesquite, and Espiritu Santo Bays, Texas. Depth is 6-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads reef, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 15 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, red drum and red snapper. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, red drum, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for red snapper, black drum, gray triggerfish and gray snapper. Atlantic croaker peak from June through September. Red drum peak from August through November. Red snapper peak from May through August.
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.
- Red drum
- Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Shoalwater Bay67
Bay · 3.7 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 67
- Red drum 65
- Atlantic croaker 64
3 kt ESEH 2:27 PM · 0.3 ftL 12:14 AM · 0.1 ft
- Espiritu Santo Bay66
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 66
- Atlantic croaker 64
- Red drum 60
3 kt ESEH 2:27 PM · 0.3 ftL 12:14 AM · 0.1 ft
- Rahal Bayou66
Bay · 2.2 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 66
- Red drum 64
- Atlantic croaker 63
3 kt ESEH 2:27 PM · 0.3 ftL 12:14 AM · 0.1 ft
- Lighthouse Cove61
Bay · 5.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 61
- Atlantic tarpon 58
- Red drum 53
3 kt ESEL 8:41 AM · 0.2 ftH 3:39 PM · 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.