CatchWindow fishing intelligence

Port Lavaca, TX Daily Water Report — August 28, 2026

Boating is the clear winner today, and it’s not even close. With a 9 out of 10 suitability score, this is a near-perfect morning to get a vessel underway, and the real window is the early stretch before the afternoon breeze stiffens. The representative wind is 6 knots from the east-southeast, but gusts are forecast to climb past 17 knots by 3 p.m., so plan accordingly. Waves stay negligible—0.1 to 0.2 meters all day—and with zero cloud cover and 30 kilometers of visibility, you’ll see every ripple coming. This is a marked improvement over last week’s gustier conditions; compare it to August 22, when wind averaged over 11 knots and boating scored only 8.2. Today’s calm baseline is a gift. Kayaking and diving also shine. Kayaking scores 8.3, and the calmest water arrives around 9 a.m., when wave height dips to just 0.08 meters. That’s the same sweet spot as yesterday, though today’s slightly higher afternoon wind might push paddlers off the water earlier. Diving matches yesterday’s 7.8, helped by stable pressure and light wind. Water temperature is unavailable, but the sea-surface temperature anomaly sits half a degree below average—nothing to write home about, but not a dealbreaker for a dive in these flat seas. Fishing sits at 7.3, which is fair but not stellar. The solunar setup is strong: a full moon, with major periods centered on 1 a.m. and 1 p.m., plus minor windows around dawn and dusk. But the midday low tide is shallow—0.25 meters at 2:52 p.m.—and the pressure is high and stable, which can mute feeding activity. Compare with August 26, when fishing hit 7.9 under lower pressure and lighter wind. Today’s heat is real: 34°C feels like 40.7°C, so morning hours are your friend for any hook-and-line effort. Surfing remains a 4.5—don’t bother. Swell is a mere 0.08 meters at 2.8 seconds, and that won’t change. Sailing scores 6.9, decent if you catch the moderate SE breeze before it ramps up, but the afternoon gusts make it a sport for experienced hands only. Looking ahead, the next few days stay similarly calm: waves 0.1 to 0.3 meters through August 31, with wind peaking around 13–14 knots. No significant rain is expected, and the heat holds. Your best bet: launch before 10 a.m. while the bay is glassy, the full moon is setting, and the only decision left is whether to fish or just drift.