Late Spring Red River Bite: Bass on Wood, Whites Chasing Shad

This is Artificial Lure with your Red River Shreveport fishing report. We’re in a stable late‑spring pattern on the Red. No tides to worry about this far upriver, but the Corps gauges have the river running just a touch above normal pool with a gentle stain. Current’s steady, not ripping, and that’s helping the bite along edges and current breaks. Weather’s setting up nice: a mild, muggy morning, light south wind, warming quick into the afternoon with a slight chance of a pop‑up shower. Expect a classic Louisiana mix of clouds and sun. Sunrise comes early and the sun gets hot fast, so the best windows are first light and the last couple hours before dark. Fish activity has been good around wood and any kind of depth change off the main channel. Largemouth bass have been chewing along riprap, barge tie‑offs, and laydowns on the inside bends. Local anglers this past week have been averaging 5–10 bass a trip, with a few solid 3–5 pounders weighed at small evening tournaments out of the Shreveport/Bossier launches. Best bass producers have been moving baits early: white or shad‑pattern spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, and squarebill crankbaits banging off rock and wood in 2–6 feet. Once the sun gets up, folks are switching to Texas‑rigged creature baits and green pumpkin worms, plus black‑blue jigs pitched into shade pockets and eddies. Don’t be afraid to slow down and soak it; the bigger fish are coming on that slower presentation. White bass and the occasional striper have been chasing bait in the main river, especially where shad are pushed up on current seams. Small silver spoons, swimbaits, and lipless cranks are getting bit. Keep an eye out for surface boils and birds working; when they light up, it can be fast action for 1–2 pound whites. Catfish are steady for folks anchoring on bends and ledges. Fresh shad, cut bait, and nightcrawlers on bottom rigs are putting nice channel cats and the occasional blue in the box. Reports of 10–20 fish evenings are common when you sit on a good hole and give it time. Focus on the down‑current side of structure where the flow softens. For live bait, local shops are moving a lot of shiners and minnows, plus nightcrawlers. If you like artificials, pack spinnerbaits, squarebills, dark jigs, and a couple of topwaters—buzzbaits or frogs can shine at daybreak around shallow grass and flooded brush. A couple of local hot spots to try: – The stretch near the I‑220 bridge and the adjacent riprap banks: good mixed bag of bass and cats, with eddies behind the pilings holding better fish. – The oxbows and cuts just off the main river near the downtown Shreveport and Bossier launches: bass working the edges, plus bream and cats for folks soaking bait. Work the shade, mind the current, and keep an eye on floating debris—there’s still some trash moving with the river. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next report. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn