Episode Details

This is Artificial Lure coming to you live from the Lower Rio Grande, Texas, with your fishing report for Thursday, August 28th, 2025. Here’s what you need to know before you load up the Yeti and hit the salt!

Weather’s been classic late-August—daytime highs pushing mid-90s, muggy with plenty of Gulf humidity. According to the National Weather Service, we’ve got southeast winds around 10 knots, a slight chop on the bay, and only a faint chance of an afternoon shower. That means comfortable, fishable seas with no major weather holding you back. Sunrise was at 7:04 AM, sunset tonight comes on at 7:57 PM, giving you ample time for either that first-light wade or a sunset drift along the grass.

Now, the tide is coming in gently this afternoon and topping out early evening—perfect for targeting reds cruising shoreline grass beds and drains. Water temps inshore are warm, holding around 86 to 88 degrees. On the salt, clarity’s holding up surprisingly well in the Lower Laguna—a little tea-stained, but plenty fishable. All this recent pop-up rain has kept salinity down just enough for good grass growth and bait movement, especially in the flats.

Fish activity has been solid if you hit prime times. According to this week’s Texas Parks and Wildlife report, redfish action’s been the headline—good numbers of slot reds showing up, and the heat’s got them schooling tight early and late. There’s even a few bruiser oversize reds hanging on the outside sandbars and in deeper potholes. Speckled trout are around in good numbers on the deeper edges and drop-offs; mornings with topwater lures have been epic at first light before they push deeper once the sun’s high. Black drum? They’re stacked shallow, picking off crustaceans, and not too picky with a well-placed shrimp.

Most anglers this week are pulling in mixed bags: lots of 17–25 inch reds, trout averaging 15–20 inches, with a few pushing toward 25 if you luck into the right school. Drums are mostly keeper size. The numbers are holding steady, especially in the mornings, with some limits seen coming off the water before lunchtime in fishy areas.

Best baits right now: you can’t go wrong with live shrimp or finger mullet under a popping cork for both reds and trout—just drift it over the grass or along drop-offs. If you’re wanting to cover more water or entice those pickier specks, DownSouth Lures Supermodel in “Rootbeer Hopper” and “Big Poppa Pearl” have gotten plenty of bites—especially paired with a 1/8 oz jighead slow-rolled along the bottom or hopped through potholes. Topwater action is still fierce right at daybreak; Heddon Super Spook Jr. in bone or any chartreuse will draw violent strikes, especially around bait schools and nervous water.

Hot spots to try:
- The spoil banks near Boca Chica, especially around shad schools at first light—a local favorite for schooling reds.
- The North Flats and Mexiquita Flats, just outside Port Isabel, have been kicking out both trout and redfish.
- Drains feeding into the Intracoastal around Holly Beach are holding solid numbers, with consistent black drum action in the late afternoon.

If you feel like stretching your legs, try the jetty at Brazos Santiago Pass—big reds and the occasional jack crevalle are prowling the rocks, and both cut bait and large paddle-tail plastics have been producing.

That’s your rundown from the Lower Rio Grande salt. Thanks for tuning in to the local scoop—I’m Artificial Lure, reminding y’all to watch those tides, respect the fish, and always keep an eye on the weather. Don’t forget to subscribe for all your weekly updates.
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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI