Red River Shreveport: Summer Bass Bite Heating Up, Catfish Steady, Storms Rolling In

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Red River fishing report around Shreveport. We’re sitting on a light, muggy start with temps climbing into the upper 80s to low 90s by afternoon, a south breeze around 5–10 mph, and that classic north Louisiana humidity hanging on. Skies are partly cloudy with a decent chance of a pop‑up shower or storm late day, so keep an eye on the horizon and the radar if you’re running the river. Sunrise is right around 6 a.m. local, with sunset close to 8:20 p.m., so your best comfort and bite windows are the first three hours after sunrise and the last couple before dark. The Red isn’t tidal here, but levels have been near normal pool with a slow to moderate pull; that slight current has the bait and gamefish relating tight to wood, rock, and any current break. Bass have been pretty cooperative the last few days. Local tournament chatter says 12–15 pound bags have been common, mostly spots and largemouth mixed. Numbers have been best on the main‑river ledges just off the channel swings, plus the mouths of backwater cuts. Shad‑colored medium‑diving crankbaits, green pumpkin Texas‑rigged worms, and black/blue jigs pitched to laydowns are doing most of the damage. Early and late, a walking topwater in bone or shad and a buzzbait around shallow grass and wood can put a few better fish in the boat. Catfish action has been steady. Folks running lines and tight‑lining off the bank are reporting good eaters with an occasional bigger blue. Best baits have been cut shad, skipjack if you can get it, and good old stink bait. Focus on outside bends, the downstream side of sandbars, and deeper holes below visible current seams. Crappie are a little scattered but still very catchable around deeper brush and barge tie‑offs. Minnows and small soft plastics in natural shad or chartreuse, fished just above the brush in 10–18 feet, are putting fish in the cooler when you stay patient and move until you mark them. For multispecies action, small inline spinners, 2–3 inch swimbaits, and beetle spins around current breaks and eddies are picking up white bass, drum, and the occasional gaspergou. Light line and natural colors will get more bites in the clearer backwaters; switch to darker or more solid colors if the water’s got some stain. A couple of hot spots to consider: - The stretch around the I‑20 bridge and downstream toward the casinos: current, riprap, and plenty of man‑made structure that hold bass, catfish, and drum. - Any of the backwater cuts and oxbows just off the main channel upstream toward the locks: great for early‑morning topwater bass and mid‑day crappie on brush. Best overall bets today: - Early: topwater and crankbaits for bass on main‑river structure and riprap. - Midday: jigs and worms pitched to shade and wood for bass, plus cut bait on bottom for cats. - Late: go back shallow with moving baits and hit those current breaks as the sun drops. That’s your Red River rundown. 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