Texas Hill Country
San Marcos Fishing Forecast
Should you go? A straight answer for San Marcos — scored 0–100 from the actual wind, sky and barometer, not just moon tables. Built around river tubing, swimming, paddling.
Today on the water
TodayWorth a trip — 10 mph N, gusts 24.
Boating: Great
Today’s bite windows
- 6–9 AMGoodmoon overhead or underfoot + first light
- 6–8 PMGoodmoon overhead or underfoot + last light
What’s driving it
- Wind10 mph N, gusts 24
- Sky13% rain chance
- Barometersteady
- Moonlast quarter
The week ahead
Best day this week: Friday (88/100, prime) — 9 mph NE, gusts 17, waning crescent.
| Day | Fishing | Boating | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Today | 74 Good | Great | 10 mph, gusts 24 |
| Sun, 10/4 | 58 Fair | Good | 13 mph, gusts 28 |
| Mon, 10/5 | 73 Good | Good | 12 mph, gusts 24 |
| Tue, 10/6 | 87 Prime | Great | 8 mph, gusts 14 |
| Wed, 10/7 | 86 Prime | Great | 6 mph, gusts 8 |
| Thu, 10/8 | 83 Prime | Great | 9 mph, gusts 15 |
| Fri, 10/9★ best | 88 Prime | Great | 9 mph, gusts 17 |
Ratings refresh through the day as the forecast models update. The dashboard shows the same scores with the charts behind them.
Best time to fish San Marcos
Nothing tidal about it — the springs are the constant. Clear, low-flow days are best for floating and swimming, high water after upstream rain is for experienced paddlers only, and the river stays busy well past Labor Day.
On any given day, the windows above are the honest answer: they weight the solunar periods (moon overhead and underfoot), first and last light, and they subtract for wind that makes the water unfishable and for lightning. A slow day still shows its best hour or two, because that’s when you’d go.
How the rating works
Every day gets a 0–100 score from the same data the rest of Salty Forecast runs on: wind carries the most weight (32%), because it decides whether you can even fish, then sky, barometer and moon phase — there’s no tide to score on fresh water, so those weights are redistributed rather than counted as zero. A falling barometer ahead of a front scores high; a hard post-frontal rise scores low. Nothing here is a black box — the factor bars above show exactly what helped and what hurt.
Generic solunar calculators give San Marcos the same “activity” times as a lake in Ohio, because they only look at the moon. The moon matters — it’s in here — but a 20 mph wind beats it every time, and that’s why this score reads the whole picture.
Live now on the dashboard
The full San Marcos dashboard has this rating beside live radar, hourly wind and the 14-day outlook — free, no account.
Open the live San Marcos dashboard →Common questions
- Is today a good day to fish San Marcos?
- Today rates 74/100 (good). Worth a trip — 10 mph N, gusts 24. This updates through the day as the forecast models refresh.
- What time should I fish San Marcos today?
- Today's best windows are 6–9 AM (moon overhead or underfoot + first light) and 6–8 PM (moon overhead or underfoot + last light). First and last light plus the solunar periods carry the most weight on fresh water.
- What's the best day to fish San Marcos this week?
- Friday looks strongest at 88/100 (prime) — 9 mph NE, gusts 17, waning crescent. The week-ahead table above updates as the outlook firms up.
- How is this different from a solunar calendar?
- Solunar tables only track the moon, so every town gets the same "activity" times. This rating starts with what actually cancels trips — wind and lightning — then adds barometric trend and the moon. When a day scores Prime here, it means the whole picture lines up, not just the calendar.
Nearby fishing forecasts
More for San Marcos: fishing weather
Scored from the Open-Meteo model blend and the marine models. A planning aid, not a guarantee — fish don’t read forecasts, and neither wind nor lightning cares about your plans. Check conditions before you run.