Out here on the Lower Rio Grande this November morning, the pre-dawn breeze has a bit of bite to it, but that’s only got the fish feeling frisky—especially with the weather sitting in the low 60s at sunrise, climbing into the mid-70s by afternoon as reported by the National Weather Service Brownsville. Skies are mostly clear, and a soft south wind is keeping the water moving. Sunrise hit just after 6:54 AM, with sunset rolling in early at 5:35 PM, giving us those prime hours to chase some big pulls before supper.

The tide’s on a subtle rise this morning, peaking mid-morning, tapering to slack water after lunch and then easing out by sundown. This means your best action is early—daybreak to late morning—when bait gets lively in the grass lines and deeper river cuts.

This week’s reports on the water are all about mixed bags. There’s been steady action on redfish, with limits common near spoil banks and the mouths of the side channels. A few solid slot reds—twenty to twenty-six inches—rolled in using Gulp! shrimp and white paddle tails fished slow along the muddy edges. Speckled trout have been popping in the shallower flats, right where that sun’s been warming the water by mid-morning. Soft plastics in chartreuse or glow, rigged under popping corks, have been a local go-to, but don’t count out the trusty live shrimp if you can get ‘em fresh in Brownsville or down at Gordon’s Bait and Tackle.

Over by the old pipeline cut and at Boca Chica flats, anglers working the drop-offs on a moving tide are picking up flounder—some up to 18 inches—on finger mullet and white curly tails. If you want numbers, hit the deeper channel edges near the jetties for sheepshead; a piece of fresh-dead shrimp on a small hook will fill a stringer quick.

The backwater brush near San Martin Lake has been holding good numbers of channel cats. Folks are getting them on cut shad and stink bait rolled close to submerged logs. Bluegill and small Rio Grande cichlid are thick around sunken trees on worms and crickets.

For those hunting big fish, the all-tackle records published by Texas Parks and Wildlife remind us there are some monsters around. Channel cats push into the high twenties in pounds, and Rio Grande cichlid up to a pound are routine—so bring your heavier tackle if you want a shot at bragging rights.

Best artificial lures this week are 1/8-ounce jigheads paired with chartreuse or new penny soft baits, white or silver spoons for covering water in the open, and topwater plugs for early risers looking to trigger a blowup at dawn.

Top hot spots:
- The spoil islands just upriver from Boca Chica, where reds and drum move through on a rising tide.
- The swing bridge at Los Indios, which draws bait and predator fish alike with good current.

A couple of extra tips: If you’re hitting the water near the jetties, keep a steel leader handy for the occasional surprise gar or snook. And if the wind gets up, slip into the protected channels off Holly Beach to find specks out of the chop.

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