Matagorda is the third oldest Anglo town in Texas. Even before Texas independence, Stephen F. Austin had led a group of settlers here to the mouth of the Colorado River. Although Mexico had decreed that there would be no settlement within ten leagues inland from the coast, Austin was able to convince the Mexican government that a military post was needed to protect incoming settlers, and the town of Matagorda was born. Matagorda has a population of 1,752, but a week-end and summer influx swells that number considerably. Located at the end of Highway 60 South, the town is seven miles by car from the Gulf of Mexico. The main industries are commercial and recreational fishing and ranching.


Matagorda offers some of the finest saltwater fishing on the entire Gulf Coast. Its vast coastlines stretch for over 50 miles, from Sargent to the east, to the Port O'Conner Jetties to the west, and north to Palacios. The historic town of Matagorda is located in the center of the coastline on the Colorado River. More and more metropolitan Houston anglers are discovering that the short two-hour drive places them within a cast of the trophy fish that the Matagorda area has to offer.