Red River Rundown: Shreveport's September Fishing Forecast

Artificial Lure here with your September 27th fishing report for the Red River, Shreveport, and let me just say—it’s looking like one of those classic fall mornings that can make a steady hand and keen eye pay off. The weather’s been holding firm with warm temps starting out around the upper 60s at dawn, climbing into the mid to high 80s by afternoon. You’ll want layers; fog hangs low for the first hour after sunrise, which today broke at 7:03 AM, with sunset rolling in at 7:04 PM, giving anglers a near-perfect twelve-hour window. Winds are mild out the southeast, so main channel areas are hardly stirred up—great for those working finesse presentations. Now, on to the water and fish. The Red River’s running just a little above normal, with steady clarity from the lock system—it’s slightly stained, not chocolate milk. That means moving baits have been productive and jig fishermen are reporting clean presentations. Tidal action isn’t strong this far north, but current is flowing, which can stack baitfish in the cuts and around structure. The past several days have seen solid bags of catfish coming from both bank and boat. Local boys have been hauling in blue cats up to 20 pounds by drifting cut shad and nightcrawlers just off the deep ledges below the railroad bridge and at the base of the 12 Mile Bayou confluence. Flatheads are making their presence known, too—one angler at Stoner Launch pulled a 35-pounder with a big live bream on a slip rig. Bass fishing is coming alive as water temps creep down. Early risers working buzzbaits and hollow-body frogs up in the willows have been sticking some mean largemouths, mostly 2–4 pounds but with a few 5s and 6s reported from Saturday’s tournament out of Red River South Marina. Once the sun climbs, more fish are showing up on crankbaits, especially chartreuse and sexy shad patterns around submerged timber and riprap. Soft plastics—particularly black and blue jigs and Texas-rigged creature baits—are catching bass dragging slow along shaded drops. Crappie are scattered but hungry, staging around brush and deeper docks. Anglers are jigging live minnows and 1/16-ounce jigs in blue/white or chartreuse under the I-220 Bridge and right along the edge of old river runs near Wallace Lake cutoff, with limits not uncommon if you stick it out through late morning. Best lures for today? For bass, look at chartreuse or white medium-diving crankbaits, black buzzbaits at dawn, and blue/black soft plastics or jigs by midday. Catfish are eating cut shad, chicken liver, and nightcrawlers. Crappie are biting live minnows, baby shad jigs, and little twisters in blue/chartreuse. Hot spots to check: The ledges at the mouth of Twelve Mile Bayou and the riprap below the Shreveport/Blanchard Highway Bridge—both are holding bait and active fish. For crappie, the brush piles off Stoner Avenue Launch and the timber near Wallace Lake cutoff are always worth a look. Fish are biting, the river’s ripe, and there’s plenty of daylight This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.