Redfish, Specs, and Surprise Bites in the Gulf

Artificial Lure here with your November 24, 2025, fishing report for the waters around the Gulf of Mexico, especially near New Orleans—where the big bend of the river meets the salt, and the bite is as unpredictable as a fall breeze on the delta. Today’s sunrise hit at 6:34 AM and sunset’s rolling in about 5:02 PM, so you’ve got decently long daylight, but the early hours just after daybreak are prime for redfish and specks. Weather’s been cooperative after last night’s light chill (temps starting low 60s, climbing into the 70s by the afternoon), with a light north wind keeping things crisp but not rough—a welcome change from last week’s rougher chop, putting most boats back in protected water. Cloud cover is light, so the water’s clear inshore and stained edges are holding the better fish. The tide is coming in strong through late morning, peaking just after 10:30 AM, and slackening toward lunch before easing back out around 2 PM. That incoming push around sunrise to mid-morning usually stirs up shrimp and baitfish in the marsh, which lights up predator activity. Veteran local guides have been working the outer edges and deeper bayous right along those tide changes, picking up a steady mix of slot reds, plenty of school trout, and the odd flounder along oyster shell pockets. Fish activity is solid—reports from yesterday and early this morning have catches of 2–4 redfish per angler, mixes of keeper and throwback trout (lots around the 14–16" mark with a few bigger ones in the cuts), and sheepshead showing up thick around bridge pilings and reefs. Some folks out by the Rigolets and Chef Pass are finding nice black drum in the deeper holes. Best lures lately have been chartreuse soft plastics rigged tight on a quarter-ounce jighead, with Berkley PowerBait Swim Shads and Vudu Shrimp in natural colors pulling plenty of fish for those bouncing the bottom from Lake Borgne marshes into Breton Sound. Topwater baits like MirrOlure She Dog and Heddon Super Spooks have triggered early-morning blowups on calm flats, especially when the mullet are thick. Live bait is a winner as always—chunk mullet for reds, live shrimp under a popping cork for specks and sheepshead. If you’re running low on bait, don’t be afraid to cut up a fresh catch—cut bait’s been consistent on both slots and the bull reds. For hotspots, hit the following: - The east side of Lake Pontchartrain, focusing near Chef Pass and the trestles—solid trout action at daybreak with flounder along the pilings. - Hopedale Lagoon up through Bayou Biloxi, where tidal movement brings specks and reds right up to the grass lines and broken marsh. If you’re after a mixed bag, bounce around the MRGO rocks or jump down to Shell Beach, especially on that incoming tide. Folks willing to make the haul out to Breton Sound rigs are still pulling some late-season mangrove snapper and the odd jack crevalle. With those new releases from Berkley—especially the updated hard baits aimed at bass but performing re This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.