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Fishing Matagorda Bay: what the data says
164,104-acre bay near Port O'Connor. The water tops out around 103 ft. The depth chart is built from real NOAA hydrographic survey soundings (depths referenced to low tide), so the channels, holes and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Red Drum (Redfish) fishing at Matagorda Bay
Start shallow in spring: red drum (redfish) sit in 1 to 8 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 2 to 12 ft, and winter fish settle into 3 to 15 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for red drum (redfish) in summer. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a weedless gold spoon or a paddletail swimbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | dawn & dusk | Gold weedless spoon, Paddletail on 1/4 oz jighead |
| Summer | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Weedless gold spoon, Paddletail swimbait |
| Fall | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & midday | 1/2 oz spoon (schools), Big paddletail |
| Winter | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Scented soft plastic on 1/8 oz head, Slow-rolled paddletail |
Spotted Seatrout fishing at Matagorda Bay
In spring, spotted seatrout run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 4 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 20 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 3 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Summer baits: a popping cork + shrimp or a 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Topwater walker, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn | Popping cork + shrimp, 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | dawn | Popping cork rig, Soft plastic jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 20 ft | midday & dusk | Suspending twitchbait (long pauses), Scented plastic crawled on bottom |
Southern Flounder fishing at Matagorda Bay
In spring, southern flounder run shallow here, mostly 2 to 15 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 3 to 18 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 40 ft. Old creek channel is the standout, a creek channel at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for spring southern flounder. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. A jighead + gulp swimming mullet or a bucktail tipped with shrimp covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 15 ft | dawn | 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (white/chartreuse), Bucktail + Gulp shrimp |
| Summer | 3 to 18 ft | dawn | Jighead + Gulp swimming mullet, Bucktail tipped with shrimp |
| Fall | 5 to 25 ft | midday | 3/8 oz bucktail + Gulp (passes), Big paddletail on the jetty edge |
| Winter | 15 to 40 ft | midday | Slow jig + scented grub in the holes |
Sheepshead fishing at Matagorda Bay
Start shallow in spring: sheepshead sit in 5 to 25 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 3 to 15 ft, and winter fish hold in 10 to 30 ft. The spot to know is Marina / dock area, a dock line in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for sheepshead in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Tie on a small jig + crab piece and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | 1/4 oz jighead + fiddler, Sheepshead jig + shrimp piece |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn | Small jig + crab piece |
| Fall | 5 to 20 ft | midday | Jighead + shrimp, Small crab jig |
| Winter | 10 to 30 ft | midday | Heavier jig + crab (deep pilings) |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 39 ft
- Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 19 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 12 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 12 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 7 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 6 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 5 ft
- Shallow flat: weed flat, around 5 ft
- Shallow flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 3 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 3 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 3 ft
Common questions
How deep is Matagorda Bay?
Matagorda Bay is about 103 ft at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real NOAA hydrographic surveys (charted soundings referenced to low tide), so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in Matagorda Bay?
Anglers target red drum (redfish), spotted seatrout, southern flounder, sheepshead on Matagorda Bay.
Where is the best fishing spot 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. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Matagorda Bay?
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.
Nearby waters
Espiritu Santo Bay · Lavaca Bay · East Matagorda Bay · Aransas Bay · Copano Bay · San Marcos River
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 every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA Office of Coast Survey (ENC soundings, MLLW datum). How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.