Fishes East Matagorda Bay
Estuary · Upper Texas coast, Matagorda County, the shallow open bay between the Colorado River mouth and the Intracoastal Waterway at Matagorda · Texas
East Matagorda Bay Fishing Guides
A shallow, largely unconnected bay on the upper Texas coast with reef and grass bottom, one of the classic wade-fishing destinations for trout and redfish.
Gauge location. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Guides on the East Matagorda Bay
Claimed profiles take booking requests. Unclaimed profiles are built from public records so the river is never empty; the guide can claim or remove one any time.
About the East Matagorda Bay
East Matagorda Bay lies behind the barrier peninsula on the upper Texas coast, separated from West Matagorda Bay by the Colorado River delta and connected to the Gulf only indirectly. That relative isolation is the whole point of the place. Water exchange is limited, salinity is more stable than in the bays either side, and the bottom is a mix of oyster reef, shell and grass rather than open mud. The bay is shallow throughout, which makes it a wading bay as much as a boating one.
The gauge at the EMB site reads water temperature, specific conductance and salinity together, which is exactly the right instrument package for an estuary and genuinely useful for planning a trip. Salinity tells you how the bay has responded to river flow and to rain on the watershed, and temperature tells you where in the seasonal cycle the trout are. A freshwater push out of the Colorado moves fish east, and a long dry stretch pulls the whole fishery toward the passes.
Speckled trout are what East Matagorda is known for, and the bay has a long reputation for producing large ones over the scattered shell in the middle. Redfish work the shorelines, the grass and the back lakes, and black drum, flounder and sheepshead fill in around the reefs and the guts. Wade fishing over shell with a topwater at first light is the classic approach and still the best one.
Matagorda is a working guide town and the bay is as heavily guided as any on the coast, with good reason, since finding scattered reef in a shallow bay is exactly the kind of local knowledge worth paying for. The Intracoastal Waterway runs along the north shore and provides most of the boat access.
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Access
Matagorda - the town at the Colorado River mouth, with guides, ramps, lodging, fuel and tackle.
Intracoastal Waterway - the channel along the north shore, the main boat access into the bay.
Matagorda Harbor - the developed launch and marina at the river mouth.
Colorado River mouth - the Gulf access and the jetties, a fishery in its own right.
Matagorda Peninsula - the barrier beach on the south side, with surf fishing and back-lake access.
Bay City - the county seat inland, with groceries, supplies and additional lodging.
West Matagorda Bay - the larger bay to the west, the alternative when the east bay is blown out.
Seasons
Spring: warming water and the first strong trout fishing, with redfish moving onto the shorelines and the grass.
Summer: the peak of the wading season, with big trout over shell at first light and redfish in the back lakes.
Fall: the finest fishing of the year, with bait leaving the marsh, redfish schooling and trout feeding hard before winter.
Winter: cold and clear, with trout concentrated in the deeper guts and mud and the largest fish of the year on the line.
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Questions
What species can you catch on the East Matagorda Bay?
Anglers target Atlantic Croaker, Black Drum, Blue Crab, Bluefish, Crevalle Jack, Gafftopsail Catfish, Ladyfish, Red Drum, Sheepshead, Southern Flounder, Spot, Spotted Seatrout, Striped Mullet, Tarpon on the East Matagorda Bay in Texas.
Are there fishing guides on the East Matagorda Bay?
GuidedFloats lists 1 guide and outfitters on the East Matagorda Bay. Claimed profiles accept booking requests; unclaimed profiles are built from public records and link to the business.
Where can you access the East Matagorda Bay?
Matagorda - the town at the Colorado River mouth, with guides, ramps, lodging, fuel and tackle. Intracoastal Waterway - the channel along the north shore, the main boat access into the bay. Matagorda Harbor - the developed launch and marina at the river mouth. Colorado River mouth - the Gulf access and the jetties, a fishery in its own right. Matagorda Peninsula - the barrier beach on the south side, with surf fishing and back-lake access. Bay City - the county seat inland, with groceries, supplies and additional lodging. West Matagorda Bay - the larger bay to the west, the alternative when th...
When is the best time to fish the East Matagorda Bay?
Spring: warming water and the first strong trout fishing, with redfish moving onto the shorelines and the grass. Summer: the peak of the wading season, with big trout over shell at first light and redfish in the back lakes. Fall: the finest fishing of the year, with bait leaving the marsh, redfish schooling and trout feeding hard before winter. Winter: cold and clear, with trout concentrated in the deeper guts and mud and the largest fish of the year on the line.
Where are the fishing regulations for the East Matagorda Bay?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Texas agency site: https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/fishing