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Lower Rio Grande Fishing Report: Specks, Reds and More in Mild South Texas Winter
Published 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Description
Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Lower Rio Grande fishing report, from Boca Chica and Brazos Santiago up through Port Isabel and South Padre.
According to the National Weather Service Brownsville office, we’re looking at mild Gulf winter: morning temps in the upper 50s to low 60s, afternoons pushing low 70s, light to moderate southeast wind, and only a slight coastal shower chance. That onshore breeze has the bays riding a little off‑color but fishable. Sunrise is right around 7:15 a.m. with sunset near 6:00 p.m., giving you a nice stretch of low‑angle light for wade sessions.
NOAA tide predictions for the South Padre/Port Isabel area show a classic winter two‑tide day: a weaker incoming mid‑morning building water onto the flats, then another push later afternoon. That incoming is when you want to be parked on a grass flat or drain; the bait and the reds slide up as soon as there’s a little depth.
Texas Parks and Wildlife’s saltwater report for South Padre and Port Isabel says fishing is **good** with water temps around 70, and that pattern is holding. They’re still seeing impressive numbers of speckled trout over 25 inches mixed in with redfish in 1–3 feet of water over grass and potholes. Light‑tackle folks are boxing solid keeper trout and slot reds, and bull reds are still available off the jetties, with a few late‑season tarpon reported offshore on the beachfront.
Best lures right now:
- Soft plastics on light jigheads (1/16–1/8 oz) in **bone, white, and new penny** over grass.
- Gulp‑style shrimp under a popping cork when you need a confidence bait.
- Tan crab or shrimp patterns for you fly folks on the skinny flats.
- Later in the afternoon, topwaters like a Super Spook Jr. in bone or chrome/black are still drawing big trout when the sun has warmed that knee‑deep water.
Best bait:
- Live shrimp is king at the jetties and ICW edges.
- Finger mullet or cut mullet for reds along channel edges and guts.
- Fresh dead shrimp on the bottom for sheepshead and drum around rocks and pilings.
Recent catch talk from local guides and bait camps around Port Isabel and South Padre is steady:
- Bay side: mixed boxes of speckled trout, plenty of slot reds, and a few oversized reds on deeper edges.
- Jetties: bull reds, sheepshead starting to stack up, plus scattered pompano and whiting.
- Surf at Boca Chica: redfish and drum on shrimp and Fishbites worked in the first and second guts when the water’s green.
A couple of local hot spots for you:
- **Three Islands / South Bay grass flats**: Wade or drift 1–3 feet over grass and potholes on the incoming tide with plastics or topwaters. Watch for nervous mullet; that’s where the big specks and reds are cruising.
- **Brazos Santiago Jetties**: Work the channel side rocks with live shrimp on a Carolina rig for sheepshead, drum, and slot reds; step out toward the end with heavier gear and cut bait for bull reds and the odd lingering tarpon if the water’s warm and green.
Fish slow and deliberate in that 68–70 degree water. Let those plastics sink, “dust” the bottom, and don’t be afraid to fan‑cast a spot once you get a bump—winter fish are bunched up, and one bite often means there’s a whole school parked there.
Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe for more local fishing intel.
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
According to the National Weather Service Brownsville office, we’re looking at mild Gulf winter: morning temps in the upper 50s to low 60s, afternoons pushing low 70s, light to moderate southeast wind, and only a slight coastal shower chance. That onshore breeze has the bays riding a little off‑color but fishable. Sunrise is right around 7:15 a.m. with sunset near 6:00 p.m., giving you a nice stretch of low‑angle light for wade sessions.
NOAA tide predictions for the South Padre/Port Isabel area show a classic winter two‑tide day: a weaker incoming mid‑morning building water onto the flats, then another push later afternoon. That incoming is when you want to be parked on a grass flat or drain; the bait and the reds slide up as soon as there’s a little depth.
Texas Parks and Wildlife’s saltwater report for South Padre and Port Isabel says fishing is **good** with water temps around 70, and that pattern is holding. They’re still seeing impressive numbers of speckled trout over 25 inches mixed in with redfish in 1–3 feet of water over grass and potholes. Light‑tackle folks are boxing solid keeper trout and slot reds, and bull reds are still available off the jetties, with a few late‑season tarpon reported offshore on the beachfront.
Best lures right now:
- Soft plastics on light jigheads (1/16–1/8 oz) in **bone, white, and new penny** over grass.
- Gulp‑style shrimp under a popping cork when you need a confidence bait.
- Tan crab or shrimp patterns for you fly folks on the skinny flats.
- Later in the afternoon, topwaters like a Super Spook Jr. in bone or chrome/black are still drawing big trout when the sun has warmed that knee‑deep water.
Best bait:
- Live shrimp is king at the jetties and ICW edges.
- Finger mullet or cut mullet for reds along channel edges and guts.
- Fresh dead shrimp on the bottom for sheepshead and drum around rocks and pilings.
Recent catch talk from local guides and bait camps around Port Isabel and South Padre is steady:
- Bay side: mixed boxes of speckled trout, plenty of slot reds, and a few oversized reds on deeper edges.
- Jetties: bull reds, sheepshead starting to stack up, plus scattered pompano and whiting.
- Surf at Boca Chica: redfish and drum on shrimp and Fishbites worked in the first and second guts when the water’s green.
A couple of local hot spots for you:
- **Three Islands / South Bay grass flats**: Wade or drift 1–3 feet over grass and potholes on the incoming tide with plastics or topwaters. Watch for nervous mullet; that’s where the big specks and reds are cruising.
- **Brazos Santiago Jetties**: Work the channel side rocks with live shrimp on a Carolina rig for sheepshead, drum, and slot reds; step out toward the end with heavier gear and cut bait for bull reds and the odd lingering tarpon if the water’s warm and green.
Fish slow and deliberate in that 68–70 degree water. Let those plastics sink, “dust” the bottom, and don’t be afraid to fan‑cast a spot once you get a bump—winter fish are bunched up, and one bite often means there’s a whole school parked there.
Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe for more local fishing intel.
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