Artificial Lure here, bringing you the Lower Rio Grande fishing report for Tuesday, November 25, 2025. It’s been a warm late November day on the border, feeling more like summer than Thanksgiving week—a trend thanks to a high-pressure ridge, with temperatures flirting with the upper 80s and even low 90s, and those gusty southeast winds keeping the water moving according to the National Weather Service out of Brownsville. Winds today are holding steady at 10 to 15 knots from the southeast, fewer clouds, and no rain in sight.

Sunrise came up at 6:53 AM, and we’ll see sunset around 5:39 PM this evening. Early risers had decent light just before seven, and that first hour delivered for the waders and boaters who hit it hard before the wind picked up.

Tidal swing is modest but significant: South Padre and Port Isabel saw a high around 1.25 feet just before dawn, dropping near 0.7 feet by midday and rebounding to about 1.15 feet closer to dusk, based on NOAA and local tide tables. That incoming late afternoon tide should keep fish on the move across flats and near cuts, so don’t pack it in too early.

Fish activity is lively despite this drought-strained year. Lower Laguna Madre and main channels near Boca Chica and the Highway 48 bridge have given up respectable catches since the weekend. Reports from South Padre guides and locals—folks like Captain Gilbert Vela—say redfish are still cruising the potholes and grass lines, with slot and over-slot fish mixed in. We’re seeing schools busting mullet near the east spoils on outgoing water, and tails showing up if you’re stealthy. Speckled trout are holding to the drop-offs and edges, especially where flats meet deeper guts. Early mornings, folks throwing topwaters—bone or chrome Super Spooks and Skitter Walks—have landed quality specks up to 27 inches. Mid-morning, soft plastics like dark Texas-rigged worms and paddle tail shads in natural patterns are producing; Bass Assassin sea shad and Down South Lures in chicken-on-a-chain remain reliable.

Live bait is still king for numbers—finger mullet and live shrimp under popping corks are getting thumped, especially along the north end of the Brownsville Ship Channel and at the mouth of the Arroyo Colorado where deeper holes hold mixed bags: flounder, drum, and even some snook lurking the structure. Folks dragging mullet along rocky banks and sandy drop-offs are hauling in keeper flounder with regularity, and Spanish mackerel are showing sporadically near jetties and piers, especially when bait schools push close.

Reports from charter captains over the past week mention plenty of limits on speckled trout and redfish, plus a spike in flounder catches as they stage for their seasonal run. There’s talk of a few snook surprises for adventurous anglers pitching plastics tight to mangroves at sunrise.

Hot spots to check out: the spoil islands just west of South Padre for topwater trout and cruising reds, plus the drop-offs along Holly Beach’s edge for a mixed bag. For shore-bound anglers, the Boca Chica jetties and the old Causeway pier remain solid bets.

Best tackle for today: keep your setup simple. Topwaters at dawn, soft plastics on a 1/8-ounce jighead mid-morning, and live or cut mullet or shrimp if you want relaxed action or a shot at a grand slam. Use 15-20 lb braid or mono if you’re fishing structure—these fall reds and flounder can be surprisingly bullish.

That’s your Rio Grande and Lower Laguna Madre fishing update for November 25, 2025. Thanks for tuning in to this local’s report. Don’t forget to subscribe for daily updates, tips, and tackle news wherever you get your fishing fix.

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