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Rio Grande Fishing Report: Spring Bite Heats Up on the Texas Border
Published 11 months, 3 weeks ago
Description
Good morning anglers, this is Artificial Lure with your up-to-the-minute fishing report straight from the banks of the Rio Grande, Texas, for Sunday, May 4, 2025.
The weather’s shaping up mighty fine today. Early morning temps are starting off cool in the low 60s, warming into the upper 70s by late afternoon. Expect a light southeast breeze, making for comfortable casting conditions throughout the day. Sunrise hit around 6:50 am and sunset will be just after 8 pm, leaving you plenty of daylight to wet a line.
Tides won’t affect the Rio much, but with stable flows and steady weather, conditions are prime for all-day action. Water temps are hovering in the low to mid 70s, ideal for some hot spring fishing. The shad spawn is still active, so predator fish are feeding with gusto.
Fish activity has been steady all week. Reports from up and down the river tell of good numbers and variety hitting the net. White bass are still stacked up in moving water, eager to hit lures and live bait. A nice run of keeper-size white bass has been hitting, with limits coming easy if you stay mobile and follow the schools. Catfish action is strong near deeper holes around river bends, with channels and blues biting cut bait and stink bait. Largemouth bass are cruising shallow after the spawn, keying in on anything that looks like a shad. Several solid largemouth and even a few crappie have been picked up around submerged brush and rocky banks.
Best lures right now are MAL spinners, small swimbaits, and chartreuse jigs, especially when worked with a steady retrieve through active water. For bait anglers, live minnows and nightcrawlers are putting fish in the boat, especially during midday when the bite slows a touch. For catfish, nothing beats fresh cut shad or chicken liver fished along the bottom near structure. Early morning and late evening remain the best windows for the big bass chasing shad.
Hot spots today are the stretch just south of Falcon Dam, where white bass and crappie have been thick around submerged timber, and the river bend near Zapata, where the channel swings close to shore and the catfish action has been non-stop. Don’t overlook the old boat launch near San Ygnacio for a solid mixed bag—locals have been pulling limits of white bass and a few nice crappie out of there all week.
In summary, the bite on the Rio Grande is strong and spring is delivering as promised. Bring your favorite MAL lure, a little patience, and you’re bound to find fish. Wishing you tight lines and big smiles from Artificial Lure—see y’all on the water.
[Citations: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This episode includes AI-generated content.
The weather’s shaping up mighty fine today. Early morning temps are starting off cool in the low 60s, warming into the upper 70s by late afternoon. Expect a light southeast breeze, making for comfortable casting conditions throughout the day. Sunrise hit around 6:50 am and sunset will be just after 8 pm, leaving you plenty of daylight to wet a line.
Tides won’t affect the Rio much, but with stable flows and steady weather, conditions are prime for all-day action. Water temps are hovering in the low to mid 70s, ideal for some hot spring fishing. The shad spawn is still active, so predator fish are feeding with gusto.
Fish activity has been steady all week. Reports from up and down the river tell of good numbers and variety hitting the net. White bass are still stacked up in moving water, eager to hit lures and live bait. A nice run of keeper-size white bass has been hitting, with limits coming easy if you stay mobile and follow the schools. Catfish action is strong near deeper holes around river bends, with channels and blues biting cut bait and stink bait. Largemouth bass are cruising shallow after the spawn, keying in on anything that looks like a shad. Several solid largemouth and even a few crappie have been picked up around submerged brush and rocky banks.
Best lures right now are MAL spinners, small swimbaits, and chartreuse jigs, especially when worked with a steady retrieve through active water. For bait anglers, live minnows and nightcrawlers are putting fish in the boat, especially during midday when the bite slows a touch. For catfish, nothing beats fresh cut shad or chicken liver fished along the bottom near structure. Early morning and late evening remain the best windows for the big bass chasing shad.
Hot spots today are the stretch just south of Falcon Dam, where white bass and crappie have been thick around submerged timber, and the river bend near Zapata, where the channel swings close to shore and the catfish action has been non-stop. Don’t overlook the old boat launch near San Ygnacio for a solid mixed bag—locals have been pulling limits of white bass and a few nice crappie out of there all week.
In summary, the bite on the Rio Grande is strong and spring is delivering as promised. Bring your favorite MAL lure, a little patience, and you’re bound to find fish. Wishing you tight lines and big smiles from Artificial Lure—see y’all on the water.
[Citations: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This episode includes AI-generated content.