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Red River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The Red River at Shreveport and Bossier City, the top of the J. Bennett Johnston Waterway, where the Red River Waterway Commission restocks Florida largemouth bass.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Flow
3,140 cfs
Air / High
84 / 84 F
Wind
SSE 4 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 07344370, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

4/5Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Red River lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. The river is running 3,140 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings clear skies, wind SSE around 4 mph, falling pressure near 1019 hPa and a high of 84. Water sits around 74 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:52 AM-11:52 AM and 10:19 PM-12:19 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Largemouth bassExcellent

The main feeding season after the spawn: work moving baits along weed edges, points and wood, and follow up with a soft plastic where a fish swirls.

Catfish (blue, channel)Excellent

Spawning season from late May into summer: Iowa DNR suggests drifting bait under a float along riprap and snags where males guard nests in cavities.

Tomorrow: Similar at 84 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

Louisiana requires a fishing licence from age 18, from $17.00 for residents. What a Louisiana licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing largemouth bass here? Check the size and bag limits with LDWF before you keep anything. The season dates for Louisiana, read off the agency, are on the Louisiana seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from Red River at Spring Bank (upstream).

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 07344370.

3,3163,7554,1943,140 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 29 years of October 23

At 3,140 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 07344370 (Red River at Spring Bank (upstream)) is at the 40th percentile for the date: normal. In half of the 29 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 3,710 cfs; the highest was 74,000 cfs and the lowest 1,290 cfs.

p10 1,730median 3,710p90 26,400

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 07344370; today’s reading is the latest instantaneous value. Classes follow the ones the USGS used on its WaterWatch maps (retired at the end of 2025): below 10th, much below normal; 10th–24th, below; 25th–75th, normal; 76th–90th, above; over 90th, much above.

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp84 F
High / Low84 / 50 F
WindSSE 4-5 mph
Pressure1019.0 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:24 / 18:32
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~74 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Red River this week

The best day on Red River this week looks like Monday Oct 26, at 5 out of 5, against 4 today.

Best day this week: Monday, Oct 26 β€” excellent at 5/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Good

Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Solunar majors
9:52 AM-11:52 AM and 10:19 PM-12:19 AM
Minor period
4:13 AM-5:13 AM
Sun
07:24 to 18:32
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Clear, 6 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Red River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: the spring pre-spawn and the fall feed

A warm-water sunfish of lakes, reservoirs, ponds and slow river backwaters that holds tight to cover: weeds, logs, rock ledges and docks. In Texas, TPWD surveys rank it "by far" the freshwater fish anglers most want to catch. The main feeding season after the spawn: work moving baits along weed edges, points and wood, and follow up with a soft plastic where a fish swirls.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Year-round, best at dusk and after dark

Three big catfish share most of the country's rivers and reservoirs: the channel catfish, the most widespread; the blue catfish, the largest; and the flathead, which hunts live fish. All feed mostly on or near the bottom. Spawning season from late May into summer: Iowa DNR suggests drifting bait under a float along riprap and snags where males guard nests in cavities.

When to come: the Red River calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Largemouth bass
Catfish (blue, channel)
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 74 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~74 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Red River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Largemouth bass led the card at good. High of 85 F, wind to 5 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Largemouth bass led the card at good. High of 82 F, wind to 4 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Largemouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 80 F, wind to 6 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Louisiana requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Louisiana fishing license. See the current LDWF Louisiana Recreational Fishing Regulations for bass, catfish and other freshwater limits on the Red River.

Access

Red River Waterway Commission sites at Stoner Avenue and Shreveport Riverview (Shreveport), Teague Parkway (Bossier City), North Caddo Bossier (Louisiana Highway 2) and Bishop Point (12 miles south of Shreveport).

About this water

The Red River through Caddo and Bossier parishes, Louisiana, at the upstream end of the Corps of Engineers' J. Bennett Johnston Waterway.

Fishing Red River: the full guide

A waterway of locks and dams

The Army Corps of Engineers built the J. Bennett Johnston Waterway, which opened to Shreveport and Bossier City in December 1994: a 9-foot by 200-foot channel running 236 miles upstream from the confluence of the Old and Red rivers, with five locks and dams that lift tows about 141 feet. The Corps stabilized the banks with revetments and dikes and says the waterway has had a positive impact on fish populations and has become a prominent fishing area.

Bass restocking

Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries reported in November 2023 that the Red River Waterway Commission was stocking largemouth bass fingerlings, pure Florida bass and F1 hybrids, to rebuild a population whose habitat was damaged by the 2015 and 2016 floods. About 18,000 fingerlings went in that week at sites in Avoyelles and Rapides parishes, with more releases planned near Natchitoches and in Shreveport.

Launches in Shreveport and Bossier City

The Red River Waterway Commission runs Stoner Avenue in Shreveport, with two 2-lane launches, two docks and 104 parking spaces; Teague Parkway, south of the Barksdale bridge, with 2-lane launches, two docks and a 7-mile walking trail; North Caddo Bossier on Louisiana Highway 2; and Bishop Point, 12 miles south of Shreveport. Shreveport Riverview downtown has a 400-foot floating dock.

Barges and gauges

The locks take a standard six-barge tow in a single lockage, so expect commercial traffic in the channel. The flow gauge on this page, USGS 07344370 at Spring Bank, Arkansas, is well upstream; USGS 07348505, Red River at Bossier City, reports river stage at Shreveport.

Common questions

Did the locks change the fishing?

The Corps says the waterway has had a positive impact on fish populations and has become a prominent fishing area.

Is the river being stocked?

Yes. The Red River Waterway Commission stocks Florida and F1 largemouth bass fingerlings, with LDWF biologists checking and placing the fish (LDWF, November 2023).

Where can I launch in Shreveport?

Stoner Avenue has two 2-lane launches and 104 parking spaces; Teague Parkway in Bossier City also has 2-lane launches (Red River Waterway Commission).

Is fishing good at Red River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Nearby waters

Caddo Lake23 miLake Bistineau23 miCaney Lake49 miBlack Lake55 miLake O' the Pines56 miWright Patman Lake61 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 07344370 β€” Red River at Spring Bank (upstream)
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 19:30 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 32.5000, -93.7200 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 5, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 5, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.