TEXAS COAST SPOTS · PORT O'CONNOR
Port O'Connor fishing spots
9 verified locations · tide station Port O'Connor (8773701) · library verified 2026-08-14
9 source-verified places to fish around Port O'Connor — 2 piers, 1 jetty, 1 surf, 1 bay. The bite here is led by Speckled Trout, Red Drum, Southern Flounder and Black Drum, and every entry below carries its access rules, best conditions, and the sources it was verified against.
Live bite scores for Port O'Connor → · What's in season →
POC Little Jetties (Washington Blvd)
Jetty · MAP ↗
When it fishes: Moving tide funneling bait through the ICW cut; TPWD notes trout and large redfish year-round, with fall runs strongest.
Access: Free public right-of-way where Washington Blvd meets the ICW on the east edge of Port O'Connor, with a small parking lot; walkable bank and rock fishing where the ICW enters Matagorda Bay, plus a county kayak launch (start of the TPWD Port O'Connor Paddling Trail). No restrooms - nearest are at King Fisher Beach.
- Live shrimp or cut mullet on bottom in the channel current seam.
- Barge wakes push bait against the rocks - work the edges after traffic passes.
- Sheepshead tight to the rocks in winter and early spring - small hooks with shrimp.
⚠ Rocks are uneven and slick near the water; strong current and heavy barge traffic in the cut - never wade the cut itself.
King Fisher Beach & Pier (POC)
Pier · MAP ↗
When it fishes: Incoming tide with light SE breeze; dawn and dusk off the pier; calm green water along the beachfront wades well either side of the pier.
Access: Free Calhoun County beachfront park at the end of TX-185 (Adams St) at Park St, Port O'Connor. Free fishing pier plus a sandy family beach, restroom with shower, covered picnic tables and pavilion. No entry fee or gate hours published; glass prohibited on the beach.
- Free-line live shrimp or popping-cork rigs off the pier end for trout and reds.
- Summer weekends get busy with swimmers - fish early morning or after dark.
- The shallow protected beach wades well either side of the pier.
⚠ No lifeguards; watch hooks where swimmers and anglers share the pier; wet decking is slick.
Lighthouse Beach Pier (Port Lavaca)
Pier · MAP ↗
When it fishes: Incoming tide at dawn, dusk or after dark under the lights; the spring black drum run and fall redfish schools are the peak windows.
Access: 700 Lighthouse Beach Dr, Port Lavaca, on Lavaca Bay. The Harvey-destroyed pier was rebuilt and reopened October 2021: 900 ft, built 5 ft higher, LED lighting, shade awnings, cleaning station. Beach entrance fee reinstated 2025: $5 all-day or $25 annual via automated gate. City RV park and swimming beach adjacent.
- Dead shrimp or crab on bottom rigs handles the drum and redfish traffic.
- The rebuilt deck stands high off the water - bring a pier or drop net for bigger fish.
- Use the cleaning station on the pier and the lighted walkway for night sessions.
⚠ Railed and lighted, but supervise children; check locally for pier condition after tropical weather - this structure has a storm history.
Magnolia Beach - Indianola Shoreline
Surf · MAP ↗
When it fishes: Calm to light-SE wind with clear bay water; spring and fall tide movement is best for bank and light-surf fishing along this shoreline.
Access: Free Calhoun County drivable shell-sand beach along N Ocean Dr on Matagorda/Lavaca Bay, from Magnolia Beach south past Millers Point to Indianola Beach Park. Free parking and free beach camping zones, restrooms with shower at Magnolia Beach, two county ramps with rock groynes, and a county fishing pier at Indianola Beach Park.
- Cut mullet or crab on bottom rigs soaked off the beach for reds and big black drum.
- Drive the beach to find bait activity; the groynes by the ramps hold sheepshead and drum.
- Beach camping is free - overnight rod-watching is easy here.
⚠ Soft spots bog vehicles - air down and stay on hard-packed shell. Crushed shell is hard on bare feet; little shade in summer.
Army Hole (Matagorda Island WMA)
Bay · MAP ↗
When it fishes: Late fall through winter after strong cold fronts, when deep protected water concentrates fish; also a lee-shore option on big south winds. Tide movement through the adjacent cuts keys the bite.
Access: Historic deep basin at the old Air Force base docks on Matagorda Island, inside the Matagorda Island Wildlife Management Area — a 7-9 nm run southwest from Port O'Connor across Espiritu Santo Bay to the TPWD-published WMA landing point. Boat-access-only public land; a storied cold-weather refuge hole where fish stack when fronts drop bay temperatures.
- Fish slow on bottom in winter — soft plastics or fresh dead shrimp worked through the deeper basin near the bulkheads and old docks.
- The WMA shoreline and back-lake flats nearby are wade and drift water in spring and fall for reds.
- It's a state WMA: check TPWD access rules before landing, and pack out everything — no services on the island.
⚠ Espiritu Santo Bay crossing is shallow with scattered reefs and exposed in wind over ~15 kt; no fuel, water, or help on Matagorda Island. Winter norther arrivals can strand small boats.
Port O'Connor Nearshore Reef
Nearshore · MAP ↗
When it fishes: Calm summer mornings (June-September) with seas 2 ft or less; the pyramid field fishes best on light current with clean green water.
Access: 381-acre TPWD nearshore reef — the largest permitted in Texas — about six miles off the Port O'Connor big jetties and Matagorda Island in 66-70 ft of water. Built 2017 with ~500 limestone-embedded concrete pyramids funded by CCA Texas, TPWF and Building Conservation Trust; a quick Gulf run for POC charters and inside state waters for year-round red snapper.
- The 500 pyramids are scattered across the 381-acre permit block — idle and mark clusters on sonar instead of fishing one number.
- Drop live croaker or piggy perch for the bigger snapper; squid and cut bait draw smaller fish first.
- Two derelict platforms stood in the footprint slated for rigs-to-reefs conversion — extra structure worth scanning for.
⚠ The Matagorda Ship Channel jetties carry heavy barge and crew-boat traffic and a strong tidal rip at the entrance. Summer squalls develop fast over the beachfront — keep an eye west after noon.
Matagorda Island Liberty Ship Reef
Offshore · MAP ↗
When it fishes: Federal snapper season openings in June-August with light winds; big high-pressure calms in late summer let six-packs make the run comfortably.
Access: Liberty ship reef in 107 ft of water roughly 22 nm southeast of the Matagorda Ship Channel jetties / Pass Cavallo — the classic first deep stop for Port O'Connor offshore charters, part of TPWD's original 1970s liberty-ship reefing program. Beyond the 9-nm state line, so red snapper here follows the federal season.
- The sunken hulls hold fish high in the column — count baits down and stop short of the wreck to cull smaller snapper.
- Deep-drop jigs or big live baits near the hull pick off ling and the occasional wahoo-class king.
- Current can be strong at 107 ft; bring 16 oz-plus leads and fluorocarbon leaders for pressured fish.
⚠ A 20-plus-nm open-Gulf run — check the offshore forecast, not just the bay forecast, and carry EPIRB/PLB and VHF. Pass Cavallo shoals break heavily in any swell; use the ship channel jetties instead.
Indianola Fishing Marina
Marina · MAP ↗
When it fishes: Night fishing under the lighted pier on an incoming tide is the signature bite; the bayou mouth funnels bait on tide changes.
Access: 8 Bell St, Indianola (Port Lavaca), at the mouth of Powderhorn Bayou: lighted fishing pier, covered fishing deck, launch, live bait and tackle store, fuel/ice, kayak rentals, cleaning station, waterfront restaurant. Store open daily (6-8am to 11pm-midnight by day); pier/launch fees paid at the store, 361-552-5350.
- Fish the lighted water at night with live shrimp under a cork.
- The bayou mouth is a proven fall flounder lane - drag mud minnows or Gulp on jigheads.
- Licenses, bait and food all sold on site.
⚠ Boat traffic in the bayou mouth; shoes on the shell shoreline; care on the pier at night despite the lighting.
Sources: [1]
Froggie's Ramp (POC Public Ramp)
Boat ramp · MAP ↗
When it fishes: Quick access to Espiritu Santo, the ICW and Matagorda Bay; light dawn winds for the bay run, moving tide for the flats beyond.
Access: Calhoun County public ramp on the ICW at the west end of Port O'Connor, beside the private Froggie's Bait Dock: 4 wide concrete lanes, ~8 acres of trailer parking, fish cleaning table; restroom at the bait stand. No county launch fee published; bait and ice at the adjacent dock. TPWD paddling-trail access point.
- The busiest launch in POC - arrive before daylight on summer weekends.
- Buy live shrimp or croaker at the bait dock before launching.
- Bank fishing along the ICW edge near the ramp works when boat traffic is light.
⚠ Heavy barge and boat traffic in the ICW; keep kids clear of the ramp lanes; strong current loading in a running tide.
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