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Lower Rio Grande Fishing Report: Mild Winter Bites on Cats, Bass, and Reds
Published 4 months ago
Description
Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Lower Rio Grande fishing report, from the river bends near Rio Grande City on down toward Brownsville and Boca Chica.
We’ve got clear, mild winter weather this morning with light north to northeast breeze and cool starts in the 50s warming into the 70s by afternoon, according to the National Weather Service Brownsville/Rio Grande Valley office. Skies are mostly sunny, barometer steady, so the bite won’t be crazy wide‑open all day, but the windows we do get should be solid.
Sunrise on this stretch of the Rio Grande is right around 7:20 a.m., with sunset near 5:50 p.m. That puts your best low‑light feeding periods at first light to about 9 a.m., and then again the last hour before dark. Solunar tables for the lower Texas coast show stronger activity late morning into early afternoon, so don’t pack it in at 10 a.m.—fish through lunch.
Tide-wise, the river itself isn’t tidal, but the Brownsville Ship Channel and South Bay near Boca Chica are. NOAA’s December tide predictions for nearby coastal stations show a small winter tide swing today, with a low pre‑dawn and a slow rise through the morning. That incoming movement helps push bait into the mouths of the resacas and along the channel edges—perfect time to work those breaks for redfish and sheepshead if you slip out of the river and into salt.
Recent chatter from local anglers and shops in the Valley has the river giving up decent numbers of **blue and channel catfish**, scattered **largemouth bass**, and a pile of **Rio Grande cichlids** in the backwater pockets. The cats have been coming on fresh cut shad and shrimp fished on the bottom in deeper bends, especially where there’s a little current seam. Bass guys are reporting a slow but steady bite on rocky banks and laydowns—nothing giant, but good eater‑size fish.
On the salt side, around the jetties and ship channel, folks have been boxing **slot reds**, **black drum**, and some **trout** on the softer tide changes. Live and dead shrimp under popping corks, and gulp‑style plastics, have been the producers.
Best offerings right now:
- For cats: fresh cut shad, peeled shrimp, or punch bait on a simple Carolina rig. Size 1/0–3/0 circle hook, just enough weight to hold bottom.
- For bass in the river: small **squarebill crankbaits** in shad or firetiger, **Texas‑rigged worms** in green pumpkin or black/blue, and 1/8–1/4 oz **jigs** with a craw trailer.
- For Rio Grande cichlids and sunfish: tiny pieces of nightcrawler or shrimp under a small float tight to brush.
- For reds and drum near the coast: dead shrimp or crab on the bottom, or 3–4 inch paddle‑tails on 1/8 oz jigheads in new penny or root beer.
Couple of local hot spots to circle:
- The deep outside bends and brushy banks just downstream of **Roma and Rio Grande City**—anchor above the bend, cast baits back into the darker water and current breaks for cats and bass.
- The **Brownsville Ship Channel bends toward Boca Chica**, especially where old riprap and pilings meet a tide line—perfect for reds, drum, and the occasional snook if you keep a live bait handy.
Work slow, keep your presentations close to cover, and let that winter sun warm the water a bit before you expect them to really chew.
Thanks for tuning in to Artificial Lure. Don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next report. 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 Intelligence AI
We’ve got clear, mild winter weather this morning with light north to northeast breeze and cool starts in the 50s warming into the 70s by afternoon, according to the National Weather Service Brownsville/Rio Grande Valley office. Skies are mostly sunny, barometer steady, so the bite won’t be crazy wide‑open all day, but the windows we do get should be solid.
Sunrise on this stretch of the Rio Grande is right around 7:20 a.m., with sunset near 5:50 p.m. That puts your best low‑light feeding periods at first light to about 9 a.m., and then again the last hour before dark. Solunar tables for the lower Texas coast show stronger activity late morning into early afternoon, so don’t pack it in at 10 a.m.—fish through lunch.
Tide-wise, the river itself isn’t tidal, but the Brownsville Ship Channel and South Bay near Boca Chica are. NOAA’s December tide predictions for nearby coastal stations show a small winter tide swing today, with a low pre‑dawn and a slow rise through the morning. That incoming movement helps push bait into the mouths of the resacas and along the channel edges—perfect time to work those breaks for redfish and sheepshead if you slip out of the river and into salt.
Recent chatter from local anglers and shops in the Valley has the river giving up decent numbers of **blue and channel catfish**, scattered **largemouth bass**, and a pile of **Rio Grande cichlids** in the backwater pockets. The cats have been coming on fresh cut shad and shrimp fished on the bottom in deeper bends, especially where there’s a little current seam. Bass guys are reporting a slow but steady bite on rocky banks and laydowns—nothing giant, but good eater‑size fish.
On the salt side, around the jetties and ship channel, folks have been boxing **slot reds**, **black drum**, and some **trout** on the softer tide changes. Live and dead shrimp under popping corks, and gulp‑style plastics, have been the producers.
Best offerings right now:
- For cats: fresh cut shad, peeled shrimp, or punch bait on a simple Carolina rig. Size 1/0–3/0 circle hook, just enough weight to hold bottom.
- For bass in the river: small **squarebill crankbaits** in shad or firetiger, **Texas‑rigged worms** in green pumpkin or black/blue, and 1/8–1/4 oz **jigs** with a craw trailer.
- For Rio Grande cichlids and sunfish: tiny pieces of nightcrawler or shrimp under a small float tight to brush.
- For reds and drum near the coast: dead shrimp or crab on the bottom, or 3–4 inch paddle‑tails on 1/8 oz jigheads in new penny or root beer.
Couple of local hot spots to circle:
- The deep outside bends and brushy banks just downstream of **Roma and Rio Grande City**—anchor above the bend, cast baits back into the darker water and current breaks for cats and bass.
- The **Brownsville Ship Channel bends toward Boca Chica**, especially where old riprap and pilings meet a tide line—perfect for reds, drum, and the occasional snook if you keep a live bait handy.
Work slow, keep your presentations close to cover, and let that winter sun warm the water a bit before you expect them to really chew.
Thanks for tuning in to Artificial Lure. Don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next report. 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 Intelligence AI