West Bay & Chocolate Bay · Thursday, October 29, 2026 · updated 11:29 AM
Should I go today?
Yes — weather and water look good.
- Moderate E wind (up to 15 mph) — very fishable, a little chop on open water.
- NWS says the water will be smooth.
- Strong tide today (about 1.9 ft from low to high, one of the bigger tides this month) — moving water feeds the bite.
- Water temperature is 74.5°F — right in the comfort zone for trout and redfish.
- Water is 0.6 ft higher than predicted. Wind or a front has pushed water in. Fish can move up into flooded marsh and grass edges.
🎣 Best windows: first light (sunrise 7:30 AM), the low tide at 12:14 PM and the last hour before sunset (6:36 PM).
- Major periods
- 3:04–5:04 AM, 3:36–5:36 PM ★
- Minor periods
- 11:01 AM–12:01 PM, 9:12–10:12 PM
Tide range 1.9 ft · Waning Gibbous · ★ lines up with sunrise or sunset · Full fishing calendar →
🗓️ This week
- Today10/29 79° / 73° Mostly Sunny
- Fri10/30 79° / 73° Mostly Cloudy then Slight Chance Rain Showers
- Sat10/31 78° / 73° Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
- Sun11/1 78° / 73° Mostly Sunny
- Mon11/2 78° / 73° Mostly Sunny
- Tue11/3 78° / 67° Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Showers And Thunderstorms Likely
- Wed11/4 74° / 65° Slight Chance Rain Showers
National Weather Service forecast for Jamaica Beach (West Bay). Wind over 20 mph is flagged ⚠. The rating is from the fishing calendar (moon + tides) — weather is still the final call.
🌊 Tides — San Luis Pass
| Low | 12:14 PM | 0.0 ft |
| High | 11:09 PM | 1.9 ft |
Reading this: heights are water above the zero line on fishing maps and charts (mean lower low water). Add them to the depth on your map: a 3 ft spot has about 3 + 1.5 = 4.5 ft of water when the tide reads 1.5 ft. Strong winds can push actual levels higher or lower — see "Water level & quality" for today's measured difference.
💨 Marine forecast — Galveston Bay
- Today
- East winds 5 to 10 knots. Bay waters smooth.
- Tonight
- East winds 5 to 10 knots. Bay waters smooth.
- Friday
- East winds 10 to 15 knots. Bay waters slightly choppy.
National Weather Service, zone GMZ335 · issued 6:46 AM
⛅ Weather forecast
- Today · 79°F
- Mostly sunny, with a high near 79. East wind around 15 mph.
- Tonight · 73°F
- Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73. East wind 10 to 15 mph.
- Friday · 79°F
- A slight chance of rain showers after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 79. East wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. New rainfall amounts less than a tenth of an inch possible.
🌙 Moon phases — rest of October
- Thu 29 83%
- Fri 30 74%
- Sat 31 63%
New and full moons bring the strongest moon pull of the month. Phase days use Central time.
💧 Water level & quality
Water is 0.6 ft higher than predicted. Wind or a front has pushed water in. Fish can move up into flooded marsh and grass edges.
measured predicted
Measured 0.7 ft at 11:24 AM vs. 0.0 ft predicted.
River flow is normal (16 cfs). Clear water is likely.
Water clarity isn't measured on West Bay, so it's judged from river flow — a high, rising river means fresh, muddy water. Readings as of the last update (12:01 AM and 5 AM).
📏 Limits at a glance
| Fish | Size | Daily |
|---|---|---|
| Speckled trout | 15–20 in. | 3 per person |
| One over 28 in. allowed with a Spotted Seatrout Tag (plus one with a Bonus Tag). | ||
| Redfish (red drum) | 20–28 in. | 3 per person |
| One over 28 in. with a Red Drum Tag (plus one with a Bonus Tag). | ||
| Flounder | 15 in. minimum | 5 per person |
| Closed Nov 1 – Dec 14 (bag limit zero) | ||
| Black drum | 14–30 in. | 5 per person |
| One over 52 in. may be kept. | ||
- Possession limit is generally twice the daily bag (flounder: same as the daily bag).
- You need a Texas fishing license with a saltwater endorsement.
Texas saltwater, recreational. Checked Oct 25, 2026 — rules change, so confirm with TPWD before you keep fish.
🌅 Sun & moon
Moonrise 9:42 PM · moonset 11:31 AM. Next full moon in 26 days.
📝 This Week's Fishing Report
This week on West Bay
- Best bet: Sunday — Good rating with E 5 to 10 mph wind. No standout days this week, so pick your windows around the major feeding periods.
- Watch out: Saturday (chance showers and thunderstorms) and Tuesday (chance showers and thunderstorms then showers and thunderstorms likely).
- Water: Water is 0.6 ft higher than predicted. Wind or a front has pushed water in. Fish can move up into flooded marsh and grass edges. River flow is normal (16 cfs). Clear water is likely.
- Water temperature: 74.5°F. Fall-style water temperatures: trout and reds feed hard, and birds working over shrimp are worth chasing.
- Moon: New moon on Monday, Nov 9 — expect stronger tides around it.
Written automatically from this week's forecast, tides, moon and water data.
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