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164,104-acre bay near Port O'Connor. The water tops out around 103 ft. The depth chart is built from real agency bathymetric surveys, so measured depths remain distinct from source interpolation. The channels, holes and drop-offs come from the source data, not a distance-from-shore model. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
The drawn water covers 163,436 acres wrapped in 180 miles of bank, with 7 islands in the mix. The 3.2 development index tells the story — a convoluted bank whose fishable edge far outruns the acreage. Every acre of it sits shallower than ~15 ft: one big littoral zone, cover and forage throughout. The basin spans about 34 mi end to end and 16 mi across at its widest. It sits in Matagorda County. Its nearest charted neighbour, Espiritu Santo Bay, is 19 mi to the southwest.
Come spring, look for red drum (redfish) tight to the bank in 1 to 8 ft. Expect a summer slide to 2 to 12 ft, then a winter hold in 3 to 15 ft. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 3 ft of water and rates prime come summer. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A weedless gold spoon or a paddletail swimbait is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Gold weedless spoon, Paddletail on 1/4 oz jighead |
| Summer | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Weedless gold spoon, Paddletail swimbait |
| Fall | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & midday | Colorado River inflow (2 ft) | 1/2 oz spoon (schools), Big paddletail |
| Winter | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Old creek channel (6 ft) | Scented soft plastic on 1/8 oz head, Slow-rolled paddletail |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: spotted seatrout in 2 to 10 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 4 to 15 ft before dropping to 5 to 20 ft for winter. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for spotted seatrout in spring. Plan around early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a popping cork + shrimp or a 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Topwater walker, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn | Break off the point (12 ft) | Popping cork + shrimp, 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Popping cork rig, Soft plastic jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 20 ft | midday & dusk | Old creek channel (6 ft) | Suspending twitchbait (long pauses), Scented plastic crawled on bottom |
Come spring, look for southern flounder tight to the bank in 2 to 15 ft. They move out to 3 to 18 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Old creek channel: a creek channel around 6 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning. A jighead + gulp swimming mullet or a bucktail tipped with shrimp is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 15 ft | dawn | Old creek channel (6 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (white/chartreuse), Bucktail + Gulp shrimp |
| Summer | 3 to 18 ft | dawn | Old creek channel (6 ft) | Jighead + Gulp swimming mullet, Bucktail tipped with shrimp |
| Fall | 5 to 25 ft | midday | Break off the point (12 ft) | 3/8 oz bucktail + Gulp (passes), Big paddletail on the jetty edge |
| Winter | 15 to 40 ft | midday | Deep basin (39 ft) | Slow jig + scented grub in the holes |
When the water first warms, sheepshead slide up into 5 to 25 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 3 to 15 ft, winter 10 to 30 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Dock / pier line: a dock line around 10 ft that scores prime in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Keep a small jig + crab piece rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Rock reef (2 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + fiddler, Sheepshead jig + shrimp piece |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn | Dock / pier line (10 ft) | Small jig + crab piece |
| Fall | 5 to 20 ft | midday | Dock / pier line (10 ft) | Jighead + shrimp, Small crab jig |
| Winter | 10 to 30 ft | midday | Dock / pier line (10 ft) | Heavier jig + crab (deep pilings) |
39 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 39 ft, is the deepest of them.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Texas waters are set by the Texas Parks & Wildlife (saltwater) — and special regulations can apply to Matagorda Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Texas fishing regulations →
Matagorda Bay is about 103 ft (31 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart is built from real agency bathymetric surveys, so measured depths remain distinct from source interpolation. The contours reflect measured and quality-assessed source depths.
Anglers target red drum (redfish), spotted seatrout, southern flounder, sheepshead on Matagorda Bay.
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for spotted seatrout in spring. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
For red drum (redfish), the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Matagorda Bay is regulated by the Texas Parks & Wildlife (saltwater). Check the official Texas regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Espiritu Santo Bay 19 mi · Lavaca Bay 23 mi · East Matagorda Bay 29 mi · Lake Texana 36 mi · San Bernard River 54 mi · Aransas Bay 58 mi · Copano Bay 59 mi · Coleto Creek Reservoir 60 mi · Redfish Bay 68 mi · Fayette County Reservoir 102 mi · Lake Corpus Christi 105 mi · San Jacinto River 112 mi
See how Matagorda Bay stacks up: best red drum (redfish) lakes in Texas · best spotted seatrout lakes in Texas · best southern flounder lakes in Texas
Browse all Texas fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA Office of Coast Survey (ENC soundings, MLLW datum). How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.