Rio Grande and Lower Laguna Madre: Wind Picks Up, Bite Best at First Light

This is Artificial Lure with your Rio Grande and Lower Laguna Madre fishing report. We’ve got light to moderate southeast wind early, building by late morning into the 15–20 mph range, with gusts a little higher on open water. Air temps running mid‑70s at first light, climbing to the upper‑80s by afternoon. Skies are partly cloudy, humid, and it’s that sticky south Texas heat you know well. Sunrise hit right around 6:40 a.m., sunset will be just after 8:10 p.m., so you’ve got a nice, long day to work the water. The bite window’s lining up best around low light and tide turns. Tides along the lower coast near Boca Chica and the mouth of the Rio Grande are on the softer side today, with a modest morning incoming pushing a little higher water into the mangroves and then easing back early to mid‑afternoon. Not big swings, but just enough current to get bait moving along the edges of drains and guts. Water inshore is a stained green‑brown mix, especially closer to the river mouth where that Rio Grande flow muddies things up. Farther up into the Lower Laguna Madre proper, you’ll find clearer grass flats, especially on the east side when the wind allows. According to regional coastal fishing reports and recent local chatter from Brownsville and Port Isabel tackle shops, trout catches have picked up on the deeper edges of the flats and in the ICW, with slot fish mixed in with a lot of 15–17 inch schoolies. Redfish are roaming shallow, tight to the grass and shorelines when the wind lays, and some nice slot drum are hanging deeper near the old channels and around structure. Fish activity has been strongest at daybreak and then again late evening when the wind backs off and the water smooths out. Midday, you’ll still pull fish but you’ll need to go deeper and slower—think channels, drop‑offs, and the windward shorelines where bait gets pushed. On artificials, keep it simple. For speckled trout and schoolie reds, a 1/8 to 1/4 oz jighead with a paddle tail in bone, chicken‑on‑a‑chain, or opening night is money in that off‑color water. Topwaters like a Super Spook Jr. or Skitter Walk in bone or chrome/black are getting crushed right at first light over the grass and along potholes—walk them slow with long pauses. When the sun gets higher, switch to soft plastics or a slow‑rolled swimbait. For bait soakers, live or fresh‑dead shrimp under a popping cork is still king, especially around the edges of the ICW and along drop‑offs. Cut mullet or cut menhaden on the bottom will pick up reds, black drum, and the occasional oversize loner. If you’re fishing the actual river mouth or jetties, don’t be shy about tossing heavier spoons or swimbaits and soaking cut bait—there’ve been reports of jack crevalle, some sharks, and a few bull reds cruising those areas when the water cleans up. A couple of hotspots to put on your list: 1. Mouth of the Rio Grande and adjacent surf: When the wind isn’t blowing it out too hard, work the current seams where that brown river water meets the greener Gulf water. Cast spoons, swimbaits, or big paddle tails into the color change. Watch for birds and nervous bait—if you see showers, get a lure in there quick. 2. Lower Laguna Madre grass flats between South Bay and the ICW: Wade or drift these flats early, throwing topwaters and paddletails in 2–4 feet over grass with scattered potholes. Focus on any slight depth change or sand pocket. As the sun climbs, slide a little deeper and work soft plastics slower near the bottom. Boat anglers: mind the wind and watch that skinny water—lots of prop‑eaters out there. Shore and wade anglers: shuffle your feet and keep an eye out for rays in the shallows. That’s the word on the water from Artificial Lure. 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