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Autumn Fishing Forecast: Bass, Crappie, and Cats on the Red River near Shreveport
Artificial Lure here, bringing you the Thursday morning fishing report for Red River and the Shreveport area. Today’s sunrise came at 7:19 a.m., with sunset expected around 6:34 p.m.—you’ve got just over eleven hours to chase your next trophy under some classic autumn skies.
Let’s talk weather first. It’s humid and mild early, with temperatures rising into the mid 70s by midday and cloud cover building up before lunch. According to the Red River Parish Journal, Shreveport’s bracing for scattered thunderstorms by late afternoon, with the NOAA Storm Prediction Center marking our zone at Level 2—meaning damaging wind gusts and heavy rain are possible. That unstable atmosphere is a double-edged sword: bass and crappie will get active in pre-frontal conditions, but keep an eye out and stay close to safe haven if the sky starts boiling.
Hydrology-wise, the Red is running near seasonal norm, no flood warnings in effect per National Weather Service Shreveport. Water temps are cooling into the upper 60s, clarity’s decent but expect a slight stain from feeder creek runoff after last night’s light shower.
Fish activity is up. Locals have been hammering solid numbers of **largemouth bass** this week—most catches in the 2- to 4-pound range, with a couple of 5-pounders landed near Stoner Boat Launch. **White crappie** schools are suspending just off the first channel drop-offs; jigs tipped with shiners are producing limits in the late afternoon, especially off the oxbows near Hamel’s Park. **Blue catfish** are biting best at dawn on fresh cutbait from the pump station outflows. A few slabs of **channel cats** turned up near the Fourth Street Bridge, mostly on punch bait.
Best bait right now:
- Morning: Topwater frogs near hydrilla edges for bass; Gulp! minnow-paddle tails on 1/16 oz jig heads for crappie.
- Midday: Switch to spinnerbaits with white/chartreuse skirts after the wind picks up. Crappie slide deeper—vertical jigging with silver tube jigs works well.
- Cats: Fresh shad, skipjack, or chicken liver—best fished on a Carolina rig during the low-light hours.
Top lures:
- Bass: Black/blue or watermelon red soft plastics, square-bill crankbaits in shad pattern, and white buzzbaits.
- Crappie: Bobby Garland Baby Shad in monkey milk or blue ice.
- Catfish: Stick with bait, but those who swear by dip baits say Sonny’s Super Sticky has the edge.
Recent reports from the boat dock say one lucky angler pulled eighteen crappie in two hours yesterday, biggest fish hit 1.7 pounds. Bass tournament boys are averaging ten to fifteen fish per day, with four keepers per angler being typical. Catfish trotliners have run four lines near Bishop Point and took home sixteen blues, most weighing 2–5 pounds.
Hot spots:
- **Stoner Launch cove mouth**: Lots of baitfish moving in, bass stacked up early.
- **Hamel’s Park oxbow**: Crappie gather deep at the timber edges after daybreak.
- **Fourth Street Bridge riprap**: Catfish and drum hitting well as the current speeds up.
Pro tip: As that front moves in today, fish will be feeding up—this is the time to toss reaction baits and work faster presentations. Keep an eye for a tide change as storm runoff affects water flow by evening.
Thanks for tuning in, y’all! Hit that subscribe button for your daily dose of local fishing wisdom. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
Published on 2 months, 2 weeks ago