Bite's on for Shreveport Red River Winter Bass, Crappie & Catfish - Lure's Fishing Report

Name’s Artificial Lure, checkin’ in with your Red River Shreveport fishing report. Red River’s in pretty good shape this morning, running a little stained with that usual winter push, but not blown out. Light north breeze early, building to a stiff north wind this afternoon with a cool, clear high in the upper 50s to low 60s. National Weather Service Shreveport has a wind advisory just east and south of us, so expect it to be choppy on the main channel by midday. Sunrise was right around 7:15, sunset near 5:30, giving us a short, bright window. We don’t worry about saltwater tides here, but river current is the deal. They’ve been bumping flow on and off; when the gauges show a slight rise, the bite’s better on inside bends and behind rock. According to the solunar forecast sites for central Louisiana, the stronger activity window today lines up mid‑morning into early afternoon, with a secondary push right before dark. Fish activity’s classic winter Red River: not a numbers fest, but the quality’s there if you grind. Local bass clubs reported decent bags last weekend out of Shreveport-Bossier pools, with 12–16 pounds winning on five fish and a couple kicker largemouths in the 4–5 pound class. Most came off barge tie‑offs, laydowns on the first break, and rock around the revetments. Crappie anglers on the oxbows have been putting together solid messes, 20–30 slabs a trip when they find brush in 12–18 feet. Catfishermen are still picking up blues and channels on the deeper bends with cut shad. Best baits right now: - For **largemouth bass**: • Shallow to mid: squarebill crankbaits in red craw or brown/chartreuse ticking rock and wood. • Slower bite: 3/8–1/2 oz black/blue or green pumpkin jigs with a chunk trailer, pitched to laydowns and barge walls. • Finesse: green pumpkin shaky heads and small creature baits when the sun gets high and the wind lays. - For **crappie**: • 1/16–1/8 oz jigs in monkey milk, chartreuse/white, or blue ice, fished vertical over brush. • Live minnows still outfishing plastics when the front has ’em tight to cover. - For **catfish**: • Cut shad, skipjack, or punch bait on the outside bends in 20+ feet, just off the ledge. A couple of local hot spots to check: - **Clark’s Marina/Lock & Dam 5 area**: Work the rock and any current breaks just up and down from the lock. Bass are holding on the first drop off the bank; crank the shallows early, then drag a jig deeper once the sun’s up. - **Caddo and Cross Lake backwaters off the main river corridor**: Not the main channel, but close enough that river flow still matters. Oxbow cuts and bar pits with 8–12 feet and brush have been good for crappie, especially mid‑day. If you’re launching in town, those riprap banks and barge tie‑ups right along the Shreveport-Bossier stretch are always worth a pass with a squarebill and a jig, especially when barge traffic’s been quiet and the water clears just a bit. That’s the word from the river. Thanks for t This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.