Late November Gulf Fishing Recap - Reds, Trout, Flounder, Offshore Action

This is Artificial Lure with your Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana fishing report for November 24, 2025. Sun’s up early today at 6:00 AM, setting around 5:00 PM. The tide’s rolling in strong—at South Pass and Empire, we’re looking at a high coefficient tide, which means lots of water movement and active fish. The high tide peaked just after 7:00 AM, and you’ll see the water dropping out all day with a solid low around 5:00 PM according to Tides4Fishing. The Farmer’s Almanac says we’ve got a fair bite peaking this evening, so timing your trip late afternoon into sunset could pay off. Weather’s cool and clear, calm to light winds out on the water and seas running around 1 to 2 feet, as reported by the National Weather Service in New Orleans. That makes for smooth boating—you can work the rigs, jetties, and those inshore marsh cuts without getting beat up by chop. This past week, action’s been classic late November Gulf fishing. Local captains with Captain Experiences and folks outta Buras and Venice have been filling boxes with redfish, speckled trout, and plenty of flounder. Best catches have come drifting edges of the marsh with soft plastics under corks, but anglers putting in miles offshore saw runs of mahi mahi and kings, too—especially around the oil rigs and deeper bluewater rips. If you’re after those big reds and trout inshore, I’ve got to tip my cap to hard-bodied lures. Louisiana Sportsman and guides agree the MirrOlure and Matrix Shad in glow or chartreuse has been on fire, especially when paired with a popping cork early or slow-rolled on deeper points after midday. For live bait, you can’t go wrong with a frisky shrimp or finger mullet, especially fishing the falling tide as bait spills out of the marsh cuts. Topwater bite has been decent at sunrise—hit the grass edges in Delacroix or Breton Island with a bone-colored Zara Spook or a classic Heddon One Knocker. If it’s flounder you want, Cajun cork setups with Gulp! swimming mullet fished just off the bottom have been the ticket, especially at sandy cuts and near jetties. Hot spots to hit right now—Empire Jetty is loaded up with bait and drawing gamefish, while South Pass spillways have produced bull reds when you match the tide right. Don’t overlook the MRGO rocks for slot trout or the bridges in Lake Pontchartrain, where the deeper holes are holding numbers of specks—jigging a Vudu Shrimp or Matrix on a 3/8-ounce jighead is pulling limits, especially if you work dawn or dusk. Offshore crews trolling around the Lump had joy hooking up to king mackerel and the occasional blackfin tuna, particularly on Yo-Zuri deep divers and feathered jigs. Mangrove snappers are hugging structure—try live pogies or even cut squid if you’re bottom fishing some of the deeper rigs. Boat traffic’s light this time of year, so you’ll have plenty of elbow room at local launches. Just be mindful—weather can swing fast in late fall, so keep an eye on those marine forecasts before you head out. That’s your Gu This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.