Red River Report: Linesider Bites, Hot Spots, and Top Baits for Shreveport Anglers

Fishing on the Red River around Shreveport this Friday, August 29, 2025, has started off with steamy, late-summer conditions. I’m Artificial Lure, your local linesider reporter, back to give you what’s biting, where the action’s hottest, and what’s working best so you can make the most of your day on the water. Sunrise was at 7:06 AM, with the sun set for 5:37 PM. Today clocks in just over 10 and a half hours of daylight. Early birds made the most of the cool pre-dawn, matching it up with the major Solunar period from 6:13 AM to 8:13 AM. That’s when the topwater bite really fired up. Minor peak is midday, between 11:50 AM and 12:50 PM, so expect another run of action around lunchtime. Though the Red isn’t a tidal river, local anglers know the low-flow summer conditions mean clearer water on the main channel, with snaggy structure and plenty of laydowns. Water temps are hovering in the low to mid-80s. Overnight lows gave fish a little relief, but midday will have them moving for deeper shade or current seams. Recent catches have been solid—word from the boat ramps and bait shops is that bass numbers are up, with several largemouths over 3 pounds and spots (Kentucky bass) in the pound-and-a-half range getting caught early along riprap and where feeder creeks come in. Good numbers of white bass have schooled up below the downtown bridges, especially when shad are pushed near the surface. Catfishing? The bite’s staying hot, especially on cut shad, chicken livers, and stinkbait, with folks from the Bossier launch reporting several blue cats over 10 pounds. Jug liners and rod-and-reel folks are finding active blues and channels from dusk into late evening. Your best bass baits right now: - Shad or bone-colored poppers and buzzbaits before 9 AM. - Texas-rigged creature baits (green pumpkin, watermelon red) and chartreuse spinnerbaits when fishing wood or weeds. - Crankbaits in craw or shad pattern along the rocks as the sun gets up. White bass are hitting small spoons and in-line spinners in chrome or white. Crappie have been a little slow, but a few keepers are coming off brushpiles 12–16 feet down, with pink and chartreuse jigs tipped with minnows. For fresh bait, Shreveport Bait & Tackle says live shad are hard to beat for cats, while nightcrawlers are pulling up a mix of bream and small panfish along the banks. Red River hot spots this week: - The rock jetties near the Shreveport-Barksdale Bridge—bass and white bass are busting shad schools at dawn. - Backwater cuts off the main channel north of Stoner Boat Launch—good for largemouth and a few crappie. - The downtown stretch near the casinos is great for catfishing, especially after sundown. The day’s shaping up to be sultry, with highs creeping toward the mid-90s and little wind, so bring your sun gear and plenty of water. The bite should hold strong early and might light up again this evening with the second Solunar major starting around 6:37 PM. That’s your Red River fishing repor This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.