Gulf Coast Fishing Report - October 12, 2025

Artificial Lure here, bringing you your Gulf of Mexico and New Orleans fishing report for Sunday, October 12th, 2025. Sunrise cracked just after 6:59 AM and we’re looking at sunset rolling in around 6:40 PM. Early risers made the most of the pre-dawn outgoing tide. Tidal cycles today have the water moving well most of the morning, then slackening midday—prime for targeting reds and specks as they move out from the marsh edges and oyster reefs. Weather’s classic fall Gulf—mild morning at about 71°F, light northeast breeze creeping in and scattered high clouds but mostly clear. Humidity sits near 80% so keep the ice chest loaded and your sunscreen handy. Action has been steady on the rigs just offshore and around classic marsh haunts. This weekend’s numbers from the Venice Marina crew show limits of redfish and nice boxes of speckled trout coming off live shrimp and croaker. Anglers fishing the passes and jetties report black drum and sheepshead picking up on fresh dead shrimp. Venice Marina reminds everyone their "You hook ‘em, we cook ‘em" service is still running—bring in your fillets and let them handle lunch right. Reports from the Louisiana Fishing Report Daily say bull reds are running strong all around Shell Beach and the Rigolets, especially on outgoing tide. Specks are schooling up early, and a flurry of slot reds hit gold spoons and soft plastics mid-morning. Artificial bite’s been best on Matrix Shad in “Shrimp Creole” and Vudu shrimp under popping corks. Live bait is king right now, but Gulp! swimming mullet in white chartreuse produced limits for several boats out of Hopedale yesterday. On the rigs, chunk bait and big live croaker are putting anglers on slot red snapper for catch-and-release, and those dropping deep have found some nice mangrove snapper in the mix. A handful of boats overnighted for swordfish with one lucky crew reporting a 150-pounder boated after midnight. Locals swear by these hotspots for the week: - **Eloi Bay near Shell Beach**: Early bite for specks and redfish. - **South Pass out of Venice**: Outstanding action for big reds and jack crevalle on cut mullet. - **Bayou Bienvenue**: Good numbers of sheepshead and black drum. The water’s clear enough for sight-casting reds along protected shorelines, so keep a gold spoon or weedless soft plastic rigged and ready. If you’re headed out from Venice, Captain Warren says anchoring near the outer marsh points and casting live shrimp under a cork is the ticket for trout this week. Quick lure rundown: - **Best lures**: Gold spoon, Matrix Shad “Lemon Head,” Vudu shrimp, Gulp! swimming mullet. - **Best live baits**: Shrimp, croaker, finger mullet. Keep an eye on shifting winds this afternoon—may push those schools a bit deeper. As always, respect the marsh, watch those oyster beds, and if you catch a beauty, stop by the marina for a cold one while they cook it up. Thanks for tuning in to this morning’s line drop with Artificial Lure. Don’t forget to subscribe for d This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.