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Red River Fishing Report Oct 18, 2025: Topwater Bass, Steady Catfish, and Crappie Staging Up
Published 2 months, 3 weeks ago
Description
Good morning anglers, this is Artificial Lure coming to you with the latest Red River fishing report for Saturday, October 18, 2025, right here in Shreveport. The air’s cool, the coffee’s hot, and the fish are biting—just the way we like it this time of year.
Let’s get started with the **weather**. At dawn today, we’re looking at clear skies and a light breeze, with temps starting in the mid-50s and climbing to the upper 70s by afternoon. Humidity’s staying decent and the wind’s east-northeast around 5-10mph—perfect for casting but not enough to get you tossed around in the jon boat.
**Sunrise rolled in at about 7:17 this morning, and sunset will pull the curtain on us around 6:42 this evening**. That means a nice, long day to chase your limit. Water clarity is good, sitting at a stained-green typical for the Red, with levels stable after last week’s mild rains.
Although the Red River doesn’t have true tides like the coast, the **solunar table puts the major fish activity windows** around mid-morning, from about 9:00 AM to noon, and a minor feeding spell coming just before dusk. That matches up with what local guides and dock talk have been buzzing about the last few days.
**Fish activity has been top notch for October**. Folks are hauling in healthy numbers of **largemouth bass**, especially near the cuts and backwaters around the I-220 bridge and down by Stoner Avenue. Fish are relating to submerged brush, rock piles, and that first drop-off from the shoreline. Some reports from local guides say the morning topwater bite has been hot—walk-the-dog stickbaits and buzzbaits fished along grass edges are getting hit hard. Once the sun’s up, anglers are switching to **Texas-rigged creature baits, green pumpkin or watermelon red**, and **medium-diving crankbaits** in shad colors.
**Catfish** have been steady too, with good catches of blues and channels coming from deeper holes and along the river bends. Cut shad, fresh skipjack, and nightcrawlers are still the top baits. Folks running lines or fishing straight down from the rocks at the Red River National Wildlife Refuge are having luck with eaters in the 2-5 lb range, though there’s always that chance for a real river monster.
Crappie are staging up on main river laydowns and among the pilings near the downtown bridges. Best bite’s been **mid-to-late morning**, and jigs in chartreuse or blue/white combos are pulling slabs. Minnows rigged under a slip float are working for those who like live bait. Reports from Shreveport-Bossier anglers also mention a few decent white bass schools chasing shad near river intersections, so keep a small silver spoon handy.
As for **hot spots**, you can’t go wrong hitting:
- The area behind the Stoner Boat Launch—bass and crappie alike are active in those coves.
- The big bend near the Arthur Teague Parkway—always a catfish producer, especially after a fresh rainfall.
The river’s not crowded yet with the cooler weather, so it’s a fine time to get out there before the late-fall tournaments kick in. Remember to wear your PFDs and watch for the occasional barge or debris.
Thanks for tuning in, folks! If you found today’s report helpful, don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a bite-by-bite update. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
Let’s get started with the **weather**. At dawn today, we’re looking at clear skies and a light breeze, with temps starting in the mid-50s and climbing to the upper 70s by afternoon. Humidity’s staying decent and the wind’s east-northeast around 5-10mph—perfect for casting but not enough to get you tossed around in the jon boat.
**Sunrise rolled in at about 7:17 this morning, and sunset will pull the curtain on us around 6:42 this evening**. That means a nice, long day to chase your limit. Water clarity is good, sitting at a stained-green typical for the Red, with levels stable after last week’s mild rains.
Although the Red River doesn’t have true tides like the coast, the **solunar table puts the major fish activity windows** around mid-morning, from about 9:00 AM to noon, and a minor feeding spell coming just before dusk. That matches up with what local guides and dock talk have been buzzing about the last few days.
**Fish activity has been top notch for October**. Folks are hauling in healthy numbers of **largemouth bass**, especially near the cuts and backwaters around the I-220 bridge and down by Stoner Avenue. Fish are relating to submerged brush, rock piles, and that first drop-off from the shoreline. Some reports from local guides say the morning topwater bite has been hot—walk-the-dog stickbaits and buzzbaits fished along grass edges are getting hit hard. Once the sun’s up, anglers are switching to **Texas-rigged creature baits, green pumpkin or watermelon red**, and **medium-diving crankbaits** in shad colors.
**Catfish** have been steady too, with good catches of blues and channels coming from deeper holes and along the river bends. Cut shad, fresh skipjack, and nightcrawlers are still the top baits. Folks running lines or fishing straight down from the rocks at the Red River National Wildlife Refuge are having luck with eaters in the 2-5 lb range, though there’s always that chance for a real river monster.
Crappie are staging up on main river laydowns and among the pilings near the downtown bridges. Best bite’s been **mid-to-late morning**, and jigs in chartreuse or blue/white combos are pulling slabs. Minnows rigged under a slip float are working for those who like live bait. Reports from Shreveport-Bossier anglers also mention a few decent white bass schools chasing shad near river intersections, so keep a small silver spoon handy.
As for **hot spots**, you can’t go wrong hitting:
- The area behind the Stoner Boat Launch—bass and crappie alike are active in those coves.
- The big bend near the Arthur Teague Parkway—always a catfish producer, especially after a fresh rainfall.
The river’s not crowded yet with the cooler weather, so it’s a fine time to get out there before the late-fall tournaments kick in. Remember to wear your PFDs and watch for the occasional barge or debris.
Thanks for tuning in, folks! If you found today’s report helpful, don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a bite-by-bite update. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI