Bountiful Bites: Red River's Late Summer Fishing Bonanza

Good morning from Red River, Shreveport—Artificial Lure here with your local fishing report for Friday, September 5, 2025. Shreveport’s waking up to mild, soupy late-summer weather. As of sunrise at 6:49 a.m., temperatures are starting out around 74 degrees, climbing to a humid high near 89 by late afternoon, with light southern breeze and a mix of sun and cloud. It won’t be the coolest day on the water, but that humidity promises good fish activity as we ease into fall. Tidal influence on the Red River itself is slight, but September flow rates should be steady—expect good clarity, especially at pools near the main channel and bayou mouths. Recent scattered showers have kept backwater and oxbow lakes healthy, so those coves are holding plenty of baitfish and cooling off just enough to wake up the big bass bite. The best fishing action lately has come from the early morning and just before sunset, which is at 7:38 p.m. today. Water temps are holding upper 70s to low 80s. The moving dawn light is seeing schoolie bass busting on shad, with plenty of action from drum, white bass, and the occasional big cat on deeper runs. Word from the launch is folks have been hauling in good numbers of largemouth—ranges of 2 to 4 pounds are common, but a couple of hawgs up to 6 pounds were weighed near the Stoner Avenue boat ramp. Local anglers are also reporting healthy strings of channel catfish upriver around the Lock and Dam #5 as well as wandering blue cat caught on cut shad and crawfish tails. Best lures this week: topwaters like Zara Spooks and Whopper Ploppers just after sunrise have been producing smashing strikes in shallow grass beds, especially close to sandbars around Hamel’s Park and the river islands. As the sun gets higher, switch to soft plastic flukes in pearl and watermelon red, or pitch a 3/8 oz black-and-blue jig into the brushpiles. Crankbaits in sexy shad or chartreuse blue-back are ideal when schools push out to midriver ledges—work it slow around channel swings. If cats are on your list, fresh chicken liver or cut shad on a Carolina rig has been the local favorite. Folks targeting crappie in the backwaters are switching up with live minnows or chartreuse tube jigs, vertical jigging next to submerged timber. Hot spots: Don’t overlook the pocket just upriver of Bossier City’s CenturyLink Center; schooling white bass and the occasional hybrid have been crashing bait at first light. The long oxbow near Charles and Marie Hamel Memorial Park is holding both bass and panfish among the cypress knees. Late in the afternoon, locals have found it worth working jigs around the submerged rocks below the downtown Shreveport boat ramp. With the Red River Revel arts and music fest coming up at the end of the month, expect some company on the downtown stretches soon, but for now the fish are biting and crowds are light. Plenty of parking, easy ramps, and the bite is on. Thanks for tuning in to this Red River fishing update, folks. Don’t forget to s This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.