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Rio Grande Valley Fishing Report: Reds, Trout, and More on the Bite
Published 5 months, 2 weeks ago
Description
Rio Grande Valley anglers, Artificial Lure here with your Friday morning fishing report for November 14, 2025, coming at you straight from the Lower Texas coast, where the action’s heating up even if the weather’s keeping us guessing.
Let’s start off with **weather and tides**. The National Weather Service in Corpus Christi says we’re waking up to mild November warmth, highs nudging into the low 90s and overnight lows holding in the 70s. The marine forecast for the stretch from Port Mansfield down to the Rio Grande River calls for soft southern winds right around 5 knots this morning, shifting southeast later today, and 2–3 foot seas—easy going, but that bit of humidity means storms could pop up later, so keep an eye on the horizon. Tidal predictions have high tide hitting midafternoon, around 3:30 p.m., and a low just before sunrise, so plan those flats walks or kayak launches accordingly. Sunrise just rolled in at 6:54 a.m., and sunset will light up the water at 5:48 p.m., giving you a solid window for prime-time bites.
**Recent catches and water conditions:** According to TPWD records, folks fishing the Rio Grande proper and adjacent lower Laguna Madre have reported a mixed bag lately—fall’s transition means a real buffet. Reds have been pushing shrimp up into the cuts, and the cooler weather’s bringing in solid numbers of slot reds and some bruiser trout, especially early and late. Channel edges and the shallow grass have put out flounder, and the occasional drum is lurking deeper near the drop-offs and bridge pilings.
Just this week, a few local guides noted limits of specks in the 16–20" range, with several redfish pushing 27", most falling for paddle tails in new penny or chicken-on-a-chain. Drum are running smaller, mainly slot keepers, but black drum up to 20" have shown near the mouths of resacas and deeper holes with current. Flounder catches are up but mostly unders, so make sure to check those sizes.
On the river side, catfish and gar anglers are still pulling blues and channels—cut shad and shrimp are getting it done, especially at night. For Rio Grande cichlid fanatics, a few big ones over a pound have come in on live worms near submerged brush according to Texas Parks & Wildlife’s all-tackle records.
**Bait and lure pick:** The bite’s been best on live shrimp under popping corks and soft plastics bounced slow. Gulp! swimming mullet, 3” paddle tails in dark colors, and topwaters like Skitter Walks for that early blow-up have all scored. Folks wading the grassflats should stay stealthy—downsized jigheads and fluorocarbon leaders help in these clear, late-fall waters.
**Hot Spots today:**
- The Brownsville Ship Channel, especially the edges near the jetties, for a chance at a mix of redfish and flounder.
- Boca Chica flats and spoil islands should be productive on the incoming tide for specks and slot reds.
- On the freshwater side, head up along the Arroyo Colorado’s deeper bends for catfish after dark, or near the confluence with the Rio for bigger gar and an occasional drum.
**Fish activity forecast:** According to SolunarForecast.com, today’s best fishing periods are clustered around sunrise and sunset—happens to line up with those common-sense times when fish feed more aggressively.
Remember to respect bag limits and watch out for sudden weather swings this week, and if you’re wading those flats, shuffle your feet—'tis stingray season.
That’s the scoop for Friday, November 14th, down here by the river and bay. Thanks for tuning in to your local line and lure report from Artificial Lure! 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
Let’s start off with **weather and tides**. The National Weather Service in Corpus Christi says we’re waking up to mild November warmth, highs nudging into the low 90s and overnight lows holding in the 70s. The marine forecast for the stretch from Port Mansfield down to the Rio Grande River calls for soft southern winds right around 5 knots this morning, shifting southeast later today, and 2–3 foot seas—easy going, but that bit of humidity means storms could pop up later, so keep an eye on the horizon. Tidal predictions have high tide hitting midafternoon, around 3:30 p.m., and a low just before sunrise, so plan those flats walks or kayak launches accordingly. Sunrise just rolled in at 6:54 a.m., and sunset will light up the water at 5:48 p.m., giving you a solid window for prime-time bites.
**Recent catches and water conditions:** According to TPWD records, folks fishing the Rio Grande proper and adjacent lower Laguna Madre have reported a mixed bag lately—fall’s transition means a real buffet. Reds have been pushing shrimp up into the cuts, and the cooler weather’s bringing in solid numbers of slot reds and some bruiser trout, especially early and late. Channel edges and the shallow grass have put out flounder, and the occasional drum is lurking deeper near the drop-offs and bridge pilings.
Just this week, a few local guides noted limits of specks in the 16–20" range, with several redfish pushing 27", most falling for paddle tails in new penny or chicken-on-a-chain. Drum are running smaller, mainly slot keepers, but black drum up to 20" have shown near the mouths of resacas and deeper holes with current. Flounder catches are up but mostly unders, so make sure to check those sizes.
On the river side, catfish and gar anglers are still pulling blues and channels—cut shad and shrimp are getting it done, especially at night. For Rio Grande cichlid fanatics, a few big ones over a pound have come in on live worms near submerged brush according to Texas Parks & Wildlife’s all-tackle records.
**Bait and lure pick:** The bite’s been best on live shrimp under popping corks and soft plastics bounced slow. Gulp! swimming mullet, 3” paddle tails in dark colors, and topwaters like Skitter Walks for that early blow-up have all scored. Folks wading the grassflats should stay stealthy—downsized jigheads and fluorocarbon leaders help in these clear, late-fall waters.
**Hot Spots today:**
- The Brownsville Ship Channel, especially the edges near the jetties, for a chance at a mix of redfish and flounder.
- Boca Chica flats and spoil islands should be productive on the incoming tide for specks and slot reds.
- On the freshwater side, head up along the Arroyo Colorado’s deeper bends for catfish after dark, or near the confluence with the Rio for bigger gar and an occasional drum.
**Fish activity forecast:** According to SolunarForecast.com, today’s best fishing periods are clustered around sunrise and sunset—happens to line up with those common-sense times when fish feed more aggressively.
Remember to respect bag limits and watch out for sudden weather swings this week, and if you’re wading those flats, shuffle your feet—'tis stingray season.
That’s the scoop for Friday, November 14th, down here by the river and bay. Thanks for tuning in to your local line and lure report from Artificial Lure! 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