Share your catch

Red River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Shreveport’s river: the Red runs bass, catfish and stripers through Louisiana’s navigation pools.

1/5
Tough. Pick your battles.Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.
Flow
4,510 cfs
Air / High
97 / 98 F
Wind
SE 3 mph

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

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 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.

1/5Tough. Pick your battles.Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.

Red River locks in another hot, bright day: the fish know the drill and so should you. The river is running 4,510 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings a mixed sky, wind SE around 3 mph, rising pressure near 1012 hPa and a high of 98. Water sits around 84 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Striped bassFair

Deep and early: live bait on downlines over the river channel at first light, or downriggers along thermocline depth.

Catfish (blue, channel)Fair

Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Largemouth bassSlow

Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

CrappieSlow

Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Tomorrow: Similar at 99 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

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

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 07344370.

4,0854,4104,7354,510 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp97 F
High / Low98 / 74 F
WindSE 3-4 mph
Pressure1012.0 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain28% cloud, 6%
Sunrise / Sunset06:51 / 19:35
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~84 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Overcast, 98/74 F, wind 10 mph, rain 6%

Fair or better. A 10 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

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: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

Striped bass illustration

Striped bass

Best: spring and fall

The reservoir heavyweight. Follows shad and herring schools in open water year-round. Deep and early: live bait on downlines over the river channel at first light, or downriggers along thermocline depth.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

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
Striped bass
Catfish (blue, channel)
Crappie
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 84 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 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, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Striped bass led the card at good. High of 95 F, wind to 11 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Striped bass led the card at good. High of 89 F, wind to 11 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Striped bass led the card at good. High of 97 F, wind to 11 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

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 license. Bass, catfish and striper limits per current LDWF regulations.

Access

Ramps at Shreveport, Bossier City and along the navigation pools toward Alexandria.

About this water

The Red River through northwestern Louisiana, impounded into navigation pools by a series of locks and dams.

Fishing Red River: the full guide

A river rebuilt for navigation

The Red River flows through northwestern Louisiana past Shreveport and Alexandria, transformed by a series of locks and dams into navigation pools that created a genuinely good fishery where there had been little. Largemouth bass thrive in the backwaters and revetments, joined by blue and flathead catfish, crappie, white bass and striped bass.

Bass in the backwaters

The oxbows, backwaters and revetment rock hold largemouth: flip the wood and rock, work spinnerbaits along the edges, and fish the current breaks when the river moves. The pools around Shreveport have hosted major tournaments, and the fishery is strong enough that the river surprised anglers who dismissed it before the locks went in.

Catfish and stripers

Blue and flathead catfish grow very large in the river, taken on cut and live bait in the deeper holes and below the dams. Striped bass and hybrids hold the tailwaters and deeper channel, taking live shad and swimbaits, best in the cooler months. The lock and dam tailwaters concentrate everything and are the most productive water.

Northwest Louisiana logistics

Ramps serve the river at Shreveport, Bossier City and along the pools toward Alexandria. Barge traffic uses the channel: stay clear of the sailing line. Water levels and current change with releases and rain, and the backwaters clear faster than the main channel after high water.

Common questions

Did the locks improve the fishing?

Substantially: the navigation pools created backwater and structure habitat where there had been little, and the bass fishery followed.

Where is the most productive water?

The lock and dam tailwaters, which concentrate catfish, stripers, white bass and crappie in the current.

Is barge traffic an issue?

Only if ignored: stay clear of the sailing line and use the current they stir as feeding edges.

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: Tough. Pick your battles. Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.

Nearby waters

Caddo Lake23 miCaney Lake49 miBlack Lake55 miLake O' the Pines56 miWright Patman Lake61 miToledo Bend Reservoir69 mi
Share your catch