TEXAS WEEKLY FISHING REPORT

Week of May 2–9, 2026

MOON PHASE & FEEDING WINDOWS

• Moon Phase: Waning Gibbous → Last Quarter (midweek)
• Best Feeding Periods:
  • Early morning: Sunrise to ~9 AM
  • Evening: 6 PM to dark
• Why it matters: Fish activity remains solid post-full moon, with consistent but slightly declining peak intensity as we move toward quarter phase (Almanac)

Strategy:

• Freshwater → focus on low light + wind-blown banks
• Saltwater → fish moving tides (incoming preferred) (Farmers’ Almanac)

TEXAS GULF COAST

TIDES (Upper Coast – Galveston/Trinity Bay Reference)

• Pattern this week:
  • Early morning low tides (~5–8 AM)
  • Evening high tides (~6–11 PM) (Tide Forecast)

Key Insight:

• This is a classic spring evening bite pattern week
• Best window: 2 hours before sunset through dark incoming tide

SALTWATER FLY FISHING OUTLOOK

Upper Coast (Galveston / Trinity / East Bay)

• Conditions: Warming water, moderate winds, improving clarity
• Best Targets: Redfish, speckled trout
• Where to Fish:
  • Back lakes on incoming tide
  • Marsh drains late afternoon
  • Wind-protected shorelines

Flies:

• Redfish: Kwan, spoon fly, shrimp patterns
• Trout: Clouser Minnow (chartreuse/white), baitfish patterns

Trend: Fish pushing shallow with rising tides—tailing redfish opportunities increasing

Mid-Coast (Matagorda / Port O’Connor / Rockport)

• Pattern: Strong spring transition
• Hot Zones:
  • Sand/grass potholes in 2–3 ft water
  • Drop-offs near flats (Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine)

Fly Strategy:

• Sight cast reds in clear potholes
• Strip slow for trout over grass

Lower Laguna Madre (South Padre / Port Isabel)

• Status: One of the best regions in Texas right now
• Why: Stable temps + strong tidal push
• Best Play:
  • Wade fishing shallow flats early
  • Look for bright sand pockets (“potholes”)

Top Flies:

• Small shrimp (tan/white)
• Bonefish-style patterns
• Weedless setups for grass

FRESHWATER FLY FISHING

North Texas (DFW / Denton Area)

• Water temps rising into prime spring range
• Best Targets:
  • Carp are showing up!
  • Largemouth bass (post-spawn transition)
  • Sand bass (white bass runs tapering but still active)

Where to Fish:

• Wind-blown banks
• Creek inflows after rain
• Shallow structure early, deeper by midday

Flies:

• Clousers, woolly buggers, baitfish patterns and bugs for carp

Hill Country Rivers (Guadalupe, Llano, San Marcos)

• Conditions: Stable flows (check releases)
• Best Opportunities:
  • Guadalupe: trout still hanging in deeper runs (early/late) *** REALLY?***
  • Llano/San Marcos: bass and sunfish heating up

Flies:

• Dry-dropper setups – DO YOU AGREE?
• Small streamers for bass

East Texas

• Lakes & Creeks:
  • Good bass bite around vegetation
  • LET ME KNOW IF YOU SEE CARP in East Texas! We can make them eat!
  • Crappie transitioning deeper

Fly Angle:

• Fish edges of timber and brush + edge of visible submerged weed beds
• Slower retrieves outperform fast strips as their metabolism starts to ramp up from spawn weeks

BEST BETS THIS WEEK (STATEWIDE)

🥇 #1 – Evening Redfish (Gulf Coast)

• Incoming tide + low sun
• Flooding marsh = highest success window

🥈 #2 – Lower Laguna Madre Flats

• Most consistent fly fishing in Texas right now
• Sight casting conditions improving daily

🥉 #3 – North Texas Bass & Carp Heating Up Now! 

Post-spawn feeding = aggressive fish in places but depends on timing

• Wind-blown banks = key pattern
• Carp in the flats on Pre Spawn
• Gar in flats as well
• Some bass lingering in super shallow flats

⚠️ CONDITIONS TO WATCH

• Wind: Spring southeast winds will impact coastal clarity
• Water Temps: Rising quickly—accelerating fish metabolism
• Storms: Rain = excellent freshwater bite, but muddy water short-term

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MY NOTES FROM COLLECTING INFORMATION

• SALT
• SPI DOING WELL at the Long Bar
• NORTH GULF COAST 
• still going strong in Galveston system and Sabine Lake
• Palacios and Karankawa reporting good
• higher new water in Corpus Christi bay
• transitioning to summer tides 
• port o jetties redfish and black drum are there in numbers
• check the shell reefs
• black drum are on spring run
• winds are tough for offshore

THE UPPER TEXAS FRESHWATER REGION

• UPPER FRESH
• Tons of pressure on Lake Fork fish
• Still some spawning but wind making it hard
• Some topwater early
• Same for Tawakoni
• TEXOMA smallmouth HOT
• FOCUS: FISH Tawakoni and Texoma as it turns on this month

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STRATEGIC TAKEAWAYS

• Fish are transitioning into summer patterns early
• Evening bite is outperforming mornings on the coast
• Freshwater = cover water, find bait, then slow down
• Saltwater = tides matter more than anything this week

FINAL WORD

This is one of those weeks where Texas really opens up:

• Saltwater: Improving daily, especially for fly anglers
• Freshwater: Reliable and aggressive
• Statewide: You can fish almost anywhere and find increasing success

If you had to choose one move this week:
👉 Be on a Texas coastal flat at sunset with an incoming tide