Late November Lures: Reds, Trout, and Drum Bite in Gulf Coast Texas

Here’s your Gulf Coast Texas fishing report for Monday, November 24, 2025, brought to you by Artificial Lure. Sun popped up at 6:51 a.m. and’ll settle right into the western clouds at 5:21 p.m. With this crisp late November air, water temps are riding between upper 70s and low 80s, depending on the bay—pretty prime for fall fishing. Texas City tide chart shows a low set for 12:49 p.m. today, then the water pumps up for that evening high at 10:29 p.m. According to Freeport charts, expect a mid-morning slack before fish start moving with that rising evening tide. Redfish are on an absolute tear all around, from Galveston and Freeport to Port O’Connor. The slot reds are biting best on cut mullet and Spanish sardines, while bulls are hammerin’ big chunks like crab near the jetties and passes. Speckled trout have been fair to good—you’ll want to work soft plastics like Saltwater Assassin sea shads, or rig up a live shrimp under a popping cork, especially around the first light and dusk when they’re feeding shallow. Sheepshead and black drum are steady by pilings, structures, and deeper channel edges where you drop a fresh shrimp or crab. In the bays—East/West Galveston and Matagorda—the trout scene is best on soft plastics and the morning top-water bite. Rat-L-Trap Magnum Force, chrome/blue or chartreuse, is turning heads with reds, especially after the midday slack. If you fish deep structure, umbrella rigs tacked with swimbaits like the Strike King Rage Swimmer mimic those big fall mullets. Head south to Corpus Christi, Baffin, or South Padre, and you’ll see redfish patrolling the flats and marsh drains at daybreak, while trout stage right off grass beds and deeper potholes. Recent catches have included plenty of reds pushing twenty-four inches, with solid trout mixed in. Bull reds made a run last week at Port Aransas jetties, action should stay hot tonight as that tide rolls up. Best baits right now: - **Live shrimp**: Can’t beat it for trout, reds, and even drum. - **Cut mullet, Spanish sardines, or crab**: For stubborn reds and big drum. - **Soft plastics (Saltwater Assassin, Gulp! or Z-Man Jerk ShadZ)**: Coffee color mixed with chartreuse, or go natural if the water’s clear. - **Rat-L-Trap or Umbrella rigs** for dirty or pressured water. Hot spots along the coast you shouldn’t skip: - **Texas City Dike**: Rocks hold drum and sheepshead, with good reds running the channel. - **Bolivar pocket and East Galveston flats**: Early trout and reds, especially on high incoming tide. - **Port O’Connor jetties**: Mix of bull reds and black drum, slack tide just before sunset is prime. - **Laguna Madre flats and Bird Island**: Shallow redfish action on gold spoon or top-water right at first light. Weather’s calm inland, with brisk south wind pushing up 10 mph this afternoon. If the clouds thicken late, don’t worry—these fish seem hungry before the next cold front. Farmer’s Almanac also marks this as fair solunar activity with fish moving best just bef This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.