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"Lower Rio Grande Fishing Report: Reds, Trout, and Sheepshead on the Bite"
Published 5 months, 2 weeks ago
Description
Artificial Lure here, bringing you the latest in fishing intel from down here in the Lower Rio Grande Valley on this fine Thursday, November 13, 2025. We had ourselves another mild Texas morning, with sunrise at 6:54 AM and sunset coming up around 5:45 PM according to Tide-Forecast. The cool fronts held off, so we’re still getting those warm, muggy breezes out of the southeast, hovering around 71° at sunrise and creeping up into the upper 70s by midafternoon. Water temps along the Rio and out toward Boca Chica and South Bay should be hanging in the upper 60s to low 70s, which keeps the bite active.
Today’s tide report from NOAA shows a high tide hitting before dawn, slowly dropping to a low just after midday—prime time to ambush fish moving off the flats into deeper cuts and channels. With that falling tide, fish have been staged up and eager, especially where bait gets funneled out.
Let’s talk action. Over the past few days, both locals and winter Texans have reported strong numbers of redfish, speckled trout, and sheepshead around the Brownsville Ship Channel and jetties near Boca Chica. Redfish have been running thick, especially with the mullet schools pushing along the edges of the flats. Folks on the Arroyo have also picked up solid black drum and occasional snook, mainly during the early-morning bite when the water has a little chill.
Best baits this week? San Benito’s own Freddie Perez says the go-to for reds and drum has been live or fresh-dead shrimp around drop-offs, plus chunked cut mullet if you’re sitting tight and patient. For trout and smaller slot reds, nothing beats a soft plastic in natural shad or new penny on an eighth-ounce jighead—DownSouth Lures Supermodels in “Big Poppa Pearl” and Texas Custom Lure Double D in “Bay Mistress” have been doing work, especially when you twitch them just off the bottom. A few old-timers are still throwing topwaters like Skitter Walks right at sunrise with good results around shallow grass.
Don’t skip the jetties and the old causeway this week—sheepshead and mangrove snapper are stacked up around the pilings and structure, picking apart live shrimp and fiddler crabs. If you’re in the mood for something different, hit an evening outgoing tide for a chance at snook, especially working the mouth of the ship channel with slow-rolled big paddle tails or suspending twitch baits.
Now, let’s talk hot spots. First, the Brownsville Ship Channel is firing—work the east side from dawn until about mid-morning for reds and drum, especially where deeper water borders the shallow flat. South Bay, just inside Boca Chica, is also heating up—drift the west grass edge on a falling tide for hungry trout and flurries of keeper reds. And don’t forget the Arroyo Colorado, where catfish and bluegill action remains steady for anyone looking to fish with kids—large cut baits and punch baits in the bends have brought in some big blues, especially near Harlingen.
If you head inland, all reports show local stock tanks and Firemen’s Park in McAllen are still producing plenty of panfish and chunky largemouth on small crankbaits and worms, just right for families according to Texas Parks and Wildlife’s weekly round-up.
One last tip—make sure you’re out early or stay through dusk; that falling tide in combination with the waning light gets the game fish up and feeding. Best to have both finesse plastics and a few shad-like baits handy—change up often and watch for birds working the water.
That’s the scoop from the Lower Laguna and up the Rio Grande. Thanks for tuning in—remember to subscribe for more local bite reports and keep those lines tight. 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
Today’s tide report from NOAA shows a high tide hitting before dawn, slowly dropping to a low just after midday—prime time to ambush fish moving off the flats into deeper cuts and channels. With that falling tide, fish have been staged up and eager, especially where bait gets funneled out.
Let’s talk action. Over the past few days, both locals and winter Texans have reported strong numbers of redfish, speckled trout, and sheepshead around the Brownsville Ship Channel and jetties near Boca Chica. Redfish have been running thick, especially with the mullet schools pushing along the edges of the flats. Folks on the Arroyo have also picked up solid black drum and occasional snook, mainly during the early-morning bite when the water has a little chill.
Best baits this week? San Benito’s own Freddie Perez says the go-to for reds and drum has been live or fresh-dead shrimp around drop-offs, plus chunked cut mullet if you’re sitting tight and patient. For trout and smaller slot reds, nothing beats a soft plastic in natural shad or new penny on an eighth-ounce jighead—DownSouth Lures Supermodels in “Big Poppa Pearl” and Texas Custom Lure Double D in “Bay Mistress” have been doing work, especially when you twitch them just off the bottom. A few old-timers are still throwing topwaters like Skitter Walks right at sunrise with good results around shallow grass.
Don’t skip the jetties and the old causeway this week—sheepshead and mangrove snapper are stacked up around the pilings and structure, picking apart live shrimp and fiddler crabs. If you’re in the mood for something different, hit an evening outgoing tide for a chance at snook, especially working the mouth of the ship channel with slow-rolled big paddle tails or suspending twitch baits.
Now, let’s talk hot spots. First, the Brownsville Ship Channel is firing—work the east side from dawn until about mid-morning for reds and drum, especially where deeper water borders the shallow flat. South Bay, just inside Boca Chica, is also heating up—drift the west grass edge on a falling tide for hungry trout and flurries of keeper reds. And don’t forget the Arroyo Colorado, where catfish and bluegill action remains steady for anyone looking to fish with kids—large cut baits and punch baits in the bends have brought in some big blues, especially near Harlingen.
If you head inland, all reports show local stock tanks and Firemen’s Park in McAllen are still producing plenty of panfish and chunky largemouth on small crankbaits and worms, just right for families according to Texas Parks and Wildlife’s weekly round-up.
One last tip—make sure you’re out early or stay through dusk; that falling tide in combination with the waning light gets the game fish up and feeding. Best to have both finesse plastics and a few shad-like baits handy—change up often and watch for birds working the water.
That’s the scoop from the Lower Laguna and up the Rio Grande. Thanks for tuning in—remember to subscribe for more local bite reports and keep those lines tight. 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