Local offshore trips out of Port O’Connor reach up to 60 miles, and the blue-water trolling window runs April to December. This guide follows the route in the order a boat meets it: the jetties, the flat out to Bird Island, two named reefs, then blue water. It covers when, how far, how mahi are fished and who runs trips here. For the Gulf-wide picture, see our Gulf of Mexico mahi guide (see also the Gulf of Mexico offshore fishing guide).
When mahi are around Port O’Connor
Cannan lists dorado on blue-water trolling trips from April to December. With a window that long, range and the forecast decide most run days more than the calendar does.
Check wind, wave height and period on the official marine forecast before you commit to a run, and read the numbers against your boat and your crew.
Running offshore from Port O’Connor
The run has two parts: clearing the Gulf entrance, then covering the miles to blue water.
The jetties and the flat to Bird Island
The Port O’Connor jetties, north and south, are the Gulf entrance for local boats, and the flat out to Bird Island is part of the approach. Boats leaving Matagorda Bay work through this stretch first. The Port O’Connor port page has the full map and conditions for the entrance.
How far boats run: 10 hours, up to 60 miles
Local 10-hour offshore trips go up to 60 miles. If you run your own boat, plan your range and run time against that reach before you leave the dock. Longer runs exist as well: Port O’Connor Coastal Outfitters sells an extended Fountain trip for snapper and mahi, covered below.
Grounds and structure on the way out
Two named reefs sit between the entrance and the blue water. In the order a boat meets them, they serve as checkpoints inside the 60-mile reach.
| Name | Type | Depth (ft) |
|---|---|---|
| Port O’Connor jetties (north and south) | Gulf entrance | – |
| Keeping it Wild Reef | Nearshore reef site | 66–70 |
| Matagorda Island 712 (MI 712) | Reef | 130 |
Both reefs can be saved as waypoints in Breakpoint. The chart layers are not for navigation.
Keeping it Wild Reef
Keeping it Wild Reef is a Port O’Connor nearshore reef site at 66 to 70 ft. It is the first named structure past the entrance on this route.
MI 712 reef
Matagorda Island 712 (MI 712) reef sits at 130 ft, deeper than Keeping it Wild Reef and later in the run.
How mahi are fished here
Cannan fishes mahi by trolling, on the blue-water trolling trips described above. For general trolling spreads and fish behavior, see our mahi-mahi species guide.
Who fishes for mahi out of Port O’Connor
Two local operators put mahi on the menu, and their trip formats show how the run is done.
POC Offshore Adventures
POC Offshore Adventures’ trip page lists mahi-mahi among its targets. They run a 31′ Twin Vee catamaran, and their 10-hour offshore trips go up to 60 miles.
Port O’Connor Coastal Outfitters
Port O’Connor Coastal Outfitters sells an extended Fountain trip for snapper and mahi.
FAQ: mahi-mahi fishing out of Port O’Connor
When is mahi season out of Port O’Connor?
Cannan lists blue-water trolling trips for the species from April to December. Check the official marine forecast for wind, wave height and period before each run.
How far offshore do Port O’Connor boats run for mahi?
Per POC Offshore Adventures, 10-hour trips run up to 60 miles offshore. Port O’Connor Coastal Outfitters also sells an extended Fountain trip for snapper and mahi.
How deep are Keeping it Wild Reef and MI 712?
Keeping it Wild Reef is 66 to 70 ft. Matagorda Island 712 (MI 712) is 130 ft.
How are mahi fished out of Port O’Connor?
The local method is trolling, per Cannan.
Where can I read about other offshore species?
Our coastal and offshore gamefish guides cover the other species you can run for out of the Gulf.
