August 10–17, 2026

THE BIG FISH STORY THIS WEEK?

The heat is the fishing story—but the new moon gives Texas anglers an opportunity.

Texas is in the heart of the summer heat cycle now. Across much of the state, the best fishing will be concentrated in the first few hours after daylight and the last couple of hours before dark.

The other major factor this week is the August 12 new moon. The moon is a waning crescent Monday and reaches new moon Wednesday, then begins waxing again. That gives us a relatively dark sky during the middle of the week. (Moon Info)

For fly anglers, that’s particularly interesting because we’re looking at:

• Excellent low-light topwater opportunities
• Better sight-fishing before the sun gets high
• Stronger early-morning shallow-water activity
• A good reason to fish before recreational traffic builds

My advice: fish early, fish shallow, and get off the water before the Texas afternoon becomes a furnace, or the crowds run you over.

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🌑 MOON PHASE

August 10–11

Waning Crescent — approximately 6% down toward 1% illumination

August 12

NEW MOON

August 13–17

Waxing Crescent

The new moon occurs August 12. (Moon Info)

Fishing Implication?

I wouldn’t put too much emphasis on lunar theory by itself, but the timing is useful.

Monday through Wednesday: extremely low lunar illumination.

That favors the pre-sunrise through early-morning period.

By the weekend, the moon is becoming increasingly visible, but we’re still far from a bright full-moon period.

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🌡️ WEATHER OUTLOOK

The dominant Texas pattern remains hot summer weather, with scattered thunderstorms providing localized exceptions.

Houston’s current pattern illustrates the problem well: hot, humid conditions, with isolated Gulf thunderstorms possible, followed by another increase in heat. (Houston Chronicle)

For anglers, the important part isn’t whether it’s 97° or 101°.

It’s this:

The fish don’t care that you’re uncomfortable. You should.

Plan around the heat. HYDRATE!

Best fishing windows

🌅 First light–9:00 AM

🌇 Approximately two hours before sunset through dark

Midday should be reserved for deeper water, shaded cover, or—my preference—lunch.

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🌊 TEXAS GULF COAST

TIDES — THE GENERAL PATTERN

The August 12 new moon means we’re moving into a spring-tide period, with stronger tidal ranges around the new moon.

That’s important.

On the Texas coast, don’t simply look for “high tide” or “low tide.”

Look for moving water.

The Galveston tide cycle illustrates the progression: on August 10, for example, a high tide occurs early in the morning followed by a very low evening tide. (Tide Forecast)

That general pattern shifts each day down the coast, so anglers should check the specific bay or pass before leaving home.

What I’m looking for:

Incoming water + early morning + bait = go fishing.

And don’t overlook the outgoing tide around:

• marsh drains
• bayou mouths
• cuts
• passes
• grass edges
• sand pockets

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🧂 UPPER TEXAS COAST

Galveston • Trinity Bay • East Bay

Recent rainfall has created an unusual coastal factor: freshwater and lower salinity are affecting bait availability, including shrimp availability for live-bait operations. (Chron)

That doesn’t mean the fishing is bad.

It means find the salinity gradient.

Best targets

• Redfish
• Speckled trout
• Black drum
• Flounder around appropriate structure

Fly Fishing

Fish the:

• Marsh drains
• Shoreline grass
• Oyster edges
• Current seams

Flies to Take?

🎣 White/olive Clouser
🎣 Small shrimp patterns
🎣 EP-style baitfish
🎣 Seaducers

For sight fishing, don’t overlook shallow redfish simply because the water isn’t perfectly clear.

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🌾 MID-COAST

Matagorda • Port O’Connor • Rockport

This is one of my top regions this week.

The Coastal Bend has been producing steady summer action, with redfish on shallow grass flats and trout around clean water and bait. Recent Rockport reports describe strong early-morning fishing and active trout and redfish. (FishingBooker)

Orvis’ Texas Gulf Coast fly report specifically recommends large streamers and topwaters early, followed by sight-casting as the sun rises. It also recommends small shrimp and crab patterns for selective fish. (Orvis Fishing Reports)

Fly Fishing

This is where I’d spend serious time with the fly rod.

Early:

🎣 Large white/gray Seaducer
🎣 Mullet-style baitfish
🎣 Popper/topwater

Once the sun gets up:

🎣 Small crab
🎣 Grass shrimp
🎣 Subtle baitfish

My tactic

Don’t just run around looking for fish.

Find bait first.

Then look for:

• wakes
• pushes
• nervous water
• tailing reds
• mullet getting nervous

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🌴 LOWER LAGUNA MADRE

South Padre • Port Isabel

⭐ FLY-FISHING BEST BET

This remains one of my favorite Texas fly-fishing choices this week.

The Lower Laguna’s combination of shallow grass, sand pockets, spoil islands and redfish habitat makes it particularly attractive during the early-morning low-light period.

Recent Texas saltwater reporting has also described strong redfish activity around spoil-island shorelines and protected areas. (Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine)

Fly targets

Redfish first.

Then:

• Speckled trout
• Jack crevalle when conditions cooperate
• Other shallow-water predators

Flies

🎣 Small crab
🎣 Shrimp
🎣 White/olive baitfish
🎣 Seaducer

Best strategy

Get on the flat before sunrise.

Look for:

• tails
• wakes
• nervous mullet
• pushes
• birds
• bait concentrated along grass edges

If I had one Texas fly-fishing trip this week, the Lower Laguna would be very high on my list.

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🏞️ HILL COUNTRY RIVERS

Guadalupe • San Marcos • Llano

This is a morning-only proposition for me this week.

The San Marcos has been reported as fishing well recently, with anglers targeting bass and sunfish on streamers and Woolly Buggers. (Reddit)

Best fly targets

🎣 Guadalupe bass
🎣 Largemouth bass
🎣 Sunfish
🎣 Rio Grande cichlid where appropriate

Flies

Fly of the week here:

Woolly Bugger

Have them in:

• black
• olive
• brown

Also carry:

• small Clousers
• crawfish
• foam poppers
• terrestrial patterns

Tactic

Fly Fish The:

• shade
• riffle edges
• current seams
• plunge pools
• undercut banks

Do not wade blindly after thunderstorms.

A clear-looking river upstream can become dangerous quickly after rainfall.

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🌲 EAST TEXAS

Lake Fork • Sam Rayburn • Toledo Bend • Caddo Lake

East Texas remains one of the best freshwater regions for anglers who can get on the water early.

Lake Fork

The latest Water Data for Texas reading I could verify had Lake Fork at approximately 88% full. (Water Data For Texas)

That’s a healthy water level for a major bass lake.

Lake Fork remains one of Texas’ premier trophy largemouth destinations. (Texas Parks & Wildlife Department)

Fly Fishing

This is a dawn topwater game.

Try:

🎣 Large foam poppers
🎣 Baitfish streamers
🎣 Black Woolly Buggers
🎣 Clousers

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Sam Rayburn

The latest verified Water Data reading puts Sam Rayburn around 72% full. (Water Data For Texas)

That is substantially lower than some of the East Texas reservoirs, but it remains a major bass destination.

Strategy

Early:

• shoreline vegetation
• timber
• shallow cover

Later:

• deeper structure
• creek channels
• offshore cover

Fly Fishing

I’d concentrate on first-light bass, rather than trying to grind out a fly bite in the middle of the afternoon.

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Toledo Bend

Toledo Bend is running around 92% full in the latest verified data. (Water Data For Texas)

That’s a very different water situation than Sam Rayburn.

Best bet

Early morning around:

• grass
• timber
• creek mouths
• shallow points

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Caddo Lake

Caddo is still a very interesting fly-fishing option.

If you’re looking for a distinctly East Texas fly-fishing experience, give Caddo a serious look.

Best fly

A big foam popper.

Work the edges of:

• lily pads
• cypress
• grass
• shaded pockets

And be ready for a violent strike.

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🏞️ CENTRAL TEXAS LAKES

Travis • Buchanan • LBJ • Austin • Georgetown

The biggest story here is water level.

Lake Travis has been at or essentially at its conservation pool in the latest verified data, following a dramatic rise from late June. Water Data for Texas showed Travis at 100% full on July 27–28. (Water Data For Texas)

Lake Buchanan was approximately 99.5% full in late July. (Water Data For Texas)

Lake Georgetown was also at 100% full in the latest verified data. (Water Data For Texas)

Lake Austin was around 95% full. (Water Data For Texas)

Those are important numbers because they tell us Central Texas has plenty of water going into this summer’s heat.

Fly Fishing

The best opportunities remain:

• early topwater
• rocky shorelines
• creek inflows
• shade
• submerged brush

Flies

🎣 Poppers
🎣 Clousers
🎣 Woolly Buggers
🎣 Crawfish

For Guadalupe bass, don’t be afraid to throw a streamer.

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🏙️ NORTH TEXAS / DFW

Texoma • Ray Roberts • Grapevine • Lewisville

Summer means one thing:

Get there early.

Lake Texoma is essentially full in the latest verified reservoir data. (Water Data For Texas)

That’s significant for a lake that attracts enormous summer recreational traffic.

Best targets

• Largemouth bass
• Smallmouth bass
• Striped bass
• Catfish

Texoma’s striped-bass fishery remains one of the state’s signature freshwater fisheries. (Texas Fishing Reports)

Fly Fishing

If you’re throwing a fly rod:

Dawn is your friend.

Try:

🎣 White Clouser
🎣 Baitfish streamer
🎣 Poppers around shoreline cover

Don’t expect the fly rod to beat conventional tackle for deep summer stripers.

But for shallow bass at first light?

Absolutely.

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🌵 WEST TEXAS & SOUTH TEXAS

Amistad • Falcon • Rio Grande

This is where the water story gets very different.

The latest statewide Water Data for Texas figures showed:

• Amistad: approximately 38% full
• Falcon: approximately 28% full

The Rio Grande basin overall was only about 34% full. (Water Data For Texas)

Falcon’s latest verified level was approximately 28% full and more than 36 feet below its conservation-pool elevation. (Water Data For Texas)

What that means for anglers

Fish are increasingly concentrated around remaining habitat.

Early mornings are critical.

Best targets

• Largemouth bass
• Catfish
• Rio Grande species

Fly Fishing

I’d favor:

🎣 Clousers
🎣 Crawfish
🎣 Streamers

And I’d concentrate on structure rather than simply fishing water.

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💧 IMPORTANT TEXAS LAKE LEVELS

Lake	Latest verified level	Fishing significance
Lake Fork	~88%	Excellent overall water level
Sam Rayburn	~72%	Lower, concentrate fish around structure
Toledo Bend	~92%	Strong water position
Lake Texoma	~100%	Excellent water supply; heavy summer traffic
Lake Travis	~100%	Very high; abundant water
Lake Buchanan	~99%	Excellent water level
Lake Georgetown	~100%	Very high
Lake Austin	~95%	High
Falcon	~28%	Low-water structure important
Amistad	~38%	Low-water pattern

Reservoir figures are the latest verified Water Data for Texas readings available in the sources I checked, generally from July 27–31—not instantaneous August 9 readings. Reservoir percentages can change daily. (Water Data For Texas)

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🪰 FLY OF THE WEEK

The White/Olive Clouser

If I could carry only one freshwater/saltwater crossover fly this week, I’d take a Clouser.

Why?

Because it works for:

• bass
• redfish
• trout
• stripers
• Guadalupe bass

Change the size to match the target.

For shallow redfish, go lighter.

For bass and stripers, go heavier.

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🎯 BEST BETS IN TEXAS THIS WEEK

🥇 #1 — LOWER LAGUNA MADRE

Fly fishing

Redfish on shallow flats.

Go: before sunrise.

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🥈 #2 — ROCKPORT / PORT O’CONNOR / MID-COAST

Fly + conventional

Redfish and trout around grass, bait and moving water.

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🥉 #3 — SAN MARCOS / HILL COUNTRY

Fly fishing

Guadalupe bass, largemouth and sunfish.

Go: early and get off the river before the heat builds.

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#4 — EAST TEXAS

Conventional + fly

Lake Fork, Toledo Bend and Caddo.

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#5 — NORTH TEXAS

Conventional + fly

Texoma and the DFW-area lakes.

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⚠️ CONDITIONS TO WATCH

Heat

This is the biggest concern.

Don’t turn a fishing trip into a heat illness event.

Thunderstorms

Summer storms can change river conditions rapidly.

Coastal wind

A beautiful sunrise can become a difficult fly-casting day quickly on the coast.

Recreational traffic

On Central Texas and North Texas lakes, the earlier you get there, the better.

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🧭 WHERE WOULD I FISH THIS WEEK?

If I wanted to fly fish:

1. Lower Laguna Madre

2. Rockport / Mid-Coast

3. San Marcos River

4. Caddo Lake

5. Central Texas bass lakes at first light

If I wanted conventional fishing:

1. East Texas bass lakes

2. Texoma (East Texas?)

3. Mid-Coast redfish/trout

4. Central Texas lakes

5. South Texas reservoirs

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