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Rio Grande Fishing Report: Trout, Reds, Flounder Highlight South Texas Fall Bite
Published 6 months, 1 week ago
Description
Artificial Lure here, coming to you with your Rio Grande, Texas, fishing report for Thursday, October 23, 2025. Air’s warming fast under clear skies and we’re seeing those classic south Texas fall patterns roll in. Sunrise hit at 7:36 a.m., with sunset coming at 6:47 p.m. The weather’s plenty warm—upper 80s by afternoon, water temps hanging in the low 80s. A subtle north breeze has kept things bearable out on the flats.
For the *tidal scoop*, we’re on a mixed tide cycle that’s been productive. Expect a morning low tide around 7:15 a.m., climbing to a healthy high tide at 11:45 a.m., dipping again before dark. These tidal swings are pushing plenty of bait, especially finger mullet and shrimp, straight into the mouths of hungry fish, so watch for moving water near marsh drains and channel edges—prime feeding zones right now.
This past week has been classic October action. According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife weekly reports, speckled trout have fired up over the grass flats and potholes in Laguna Madre at first light and late afternoon. Most keepers are running 17–22 inches, but the occasional big girl in the 24-inch range is being reported by waders near Gas Well Flats and the spoil islands.
Redfish remain thick along the surf and jetties, with the bull run in full swing. Most reds are coming in between 25 and 34 inches, often in loose pods, chasing mullet schools up shallow. A few brutes were beached along Boca Chica by patient soakers using cut mullet. In the bay, slot reds are feeding aggressively on falling water along south-facing shorelines, especially in the afternoons after the tide flips.
Flounder are starting to stage up around cut banks and creek outflows, prepping for that November migration. If you’re after flatties, work Gulp or live mud minnows slowly along drop-offs near the Brownsville Ship Channel—the giggers have been taking quality fish on calm nights.
Along deeper rocks and jetties, Spanish mackerel have been blitzing fast-moving bait, with the occasional snook ambushing lures tight to the structure, mostly at dawn. The best report on snook is from angler chatter around the San Martin Pier—live shrimp freelined under the lights at night have hooked a few upper 20-inchers, though the bite remains streaky.
Best baits and lures for today:
- **For trout:** topwater plugs at dawn (think Super Spooks, Skitter Walks), then switch to soft plastic paddletails or live shrimp under a popping cork as the sun rises.
- **For reds:** gold spoons are king right now, followed by soft plastics on 1/8 oz. jigheads; cut mullet and crab if you’re bait fishing.
- **For flounder:** Gulp Swimming Mullet (chartreuse or white) on a jig, or live finger mullet bounced on the bottom.
- **For jetties and surf:** flashy spoons, Gotchas, or silver swimbaits will get mackerel and bonus species.
If you’re looking for hot spots, don’t skip these:
- **South Bay:** Trout and reds early over the scattered grass, with the channel edges heating up as the tide starts moving in late morning.
- **Boca Chica surf and jetties:** Still a bull red magnet with mullet running strong and flounder staging near the guts.
- **San Martin Lake cut:** Steady action on reds and the occasional snook, especially at daybreak as that tide starts to push.
Fish activity is definitely best before 10 a.m. and picks up again an hour or so before sunset. Look for bird activity—gulls and terns diving is a dead giveaway that predator fish are pushing bait shallow.
Thanks for tuning in to your daily report. Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a bite. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelli
For the *tidal scoop*, we’re on a mixed tide cycle that’s been productive. Expect a morning low tide around 7:15 a.m., climbing to a healthy high tide at 11:45 a.m., dipping again before dark. These tidal swings are pushing plenty of bait, especially finger mullet and shrimp, straight into the mouths of hungry fish, so watch for moving water near marsh drains and channel edges—prime feeding zones right now.
This past week has been classic October action. According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife weekly reports, speckled trout have fired up over the grass flats and potholes in Laguna Madre at first light and late afternoon. Most keepers are running 17–22 inches, but the occasional big girl in the 24-inch range is being reported by waders near Gas Well Flats and the spoil islands.
Redfish remain thick along the surf and jetties, with the bull run in full swing. Most reds are coming in between 25 and 34 inches, often in loose pods, chasing mullet schools up shallow. A few brutes were beached along Boca Chica by patient soakers using cut mullet. In the bay, slot reds are feeding aggressively on falling water along south-facing shorelines, especially in the afternoons after the tide flips.
Flounder are starting to stage up around cut banks and creek outflows, prepping for that November migration. If you’re after flatties, work Gulp or live mud minnows slowly along drop-offs near the Brownsville Ship Channel—the giggers have been taking quality fish on calm nights.
Along deeper rocks and jetties, Spanish mackerel have been blitzing fast-moving bait, with the occasional snook ambushing lures tight to the structure, mostly at dawn. The best report on snook is from angler chatter around the San Martin Pier—live shrimp freelined under the lights at night have hooked a few upper 20-inchers, though the bite remains streaky.
Best baits and lures for today:
- **For trout:** topwater plugs at dawn (think Super Spooks, Skitter Walks), then switch to soft plastic paddletails or live shrimp under a popping cork as the sun rises.
- **For reds:** gold spoons are king right now, followed by soft plastics on 1/8 oz. jigheads; cut mullet and crab if you’re bait fishing.
- **For flounder:** Gulp Swimming Mullet (chartreuse or white) on a jig, or live finger mullet bounced on the bottom.
- **For jetties and surf:** flashy spoons, Gotchas, or silver swimbaits will get mackerel and bonus species.
If you’re looking for hot spots, don’t skip these:
- **South Bay:** Trout and reds early over the scattered grass, with the channel edges heating up as the tide starts moving in late morning.
- **Boca Chica surf and jetties:** Still a bull red magnet with mullet running strong and flounder staging near the guts.
- **San Martin Lake cut:** Steady action on reds and the occasional snook, especially at daybreak as that tide starts to push.
Fish activity is definitely best before 10 a.m. and picks up again an hour or so before sunset. Look for bird activity—gulls and terns diving is a dead giveaway that predator fish are pushing bait shallow.
Thanks for tuning in to your daily report. Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a bite. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelli