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Rio Grande Fishing Report: White Bass Bonanza, Largemouth Lunkers, and Catfish Cravings
Published 11 months, 1 week ago
Description
Howdy folks, Artificial Lure here with your Rio Grande, Texas fishing report for Saturday, May 17, 2025.
We kicked off the day with sunrise around 6:43 AM and we’ll have daylight until sunset at 8:17 PM, so you’ve got plenty of time to wet a line and chase down a good bite. The weather’s just about perfect this morning, with a mild late-spring warmth hanging in the air. Water temperature is sitting steady right at 71 degrees, with the river running about 2.5 feet above normal and showing a slight stain that’s actually helping with the bite.
Let’s talk fish activity. The bite around the Rio Grande has been red-hot this week, especially for white bass. They’re schooling deep, most action happening in 25 to 30 feet of water. Anglers have been hauling them in consistently using slabs and vertical jigs. If you’re looking for numbers, white bass are definitely the main event right now.
Largemouth bass have been nothing short of outstanding. Early mornings are prime time, especially around rocky shorelines or submerged brush. Crankbaits and plastic worms worked slow are bringing in some nice fish, and don’t overlook spinnerbaits if you find some patches of submerged grass.
Catfish have been active too, especially overnight and into the early dawn. Fresh-cut shad or stinkbaits are your best bets. There’s been some talk of a few double-digit blues and channels caught recently, particularly in the deeper bends and near creek mouths.
For trout anglers, action’s been best further upriver closer to the New Mexico line, but don’t be surprised if you hook into a few rainbows or cutthroats stocked earlier this spring if you’re using small spinners or salmon eggs near cooler feeder streams.
Best baits and lures this week include white slabs for the bass, green pumpkin or watermelon soft plastics for the largemouths, and fresh shad for catfish. For trout, stick with small inline spinners or classic PowerBait if you’re near stocked sections.
A couple local hot spots you don’t want to miss: The stretch just downstream of the Falcon Dam is prime for bass and white bass, while the river bends near San Ygnacio have been producing a mixed bag, including some big catfish at night.
Tide movement isn’t as much a factor on the Rio Grande, but water flow has been steady, which is keeping fish on the feed.
That’s your Rio Grande report for today. Get out there, be safe, and keep those lines tight. This is Artificial Lure, signing off until next time. Tight lines, y’all!
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
We kicked off the day with sunrise around 6:43 AM and we’ll have daylight until sunset at 8:17 PM, so you’ve got plenty of time to wet a line and chase down a good bite. The weather’s just about perfect this morning, with a mild late-spring warmth hanging in the air. Water temperature is sitting steady right at 71 degrees, with the river running about 2.5 feet above normal and showing a slight stain that’s actually helping with the bite.
Let’s talk fish activity. The bite around the Rio Grande has been red-hot this week, especially for white bass. They’re schooling deep, most action happening in 25 to 30 feet of water. Anglers have been hauling them in consistently using slabs and vertical jigs. If you’re looking for numbers, white bass are definitely the main event right now.
Largemouth bass have been nothing short of outstanding. Early mornings are prime time, especially around rocky shorelines or submerged brush. Crankbaits and plastic worms worked slow are bringing in some nice fish, and don’t overlook spinnerbaits if you find some patches of submerged grass.
Catfish have been active too, especially overnight and into the early dawn. Fresh-cut shad or stinkbaits are your best bets. There’s been some talk of a few double-digit blues and channels caught recently, particularly in the deeper bends and near creek mouths.
For trout anglers, action’s been best further upriver closer to the New Mexico line, but don’t be surprised if you hook into a few rainbows or cutthroats stocked earlier this spring if you’re using small spinners or salmon eggs near cooler feeder streams.
Best baits and lures this week include white slabs for the bass, green pumpkin or watermelon soft plastics for the largemouths, and fresh shad for catfish. For trout, stick with small inline spinners or classic PowerBait if you’re near stocked sections.
A couple local hot spots you don’t want to miss: The stretch just downstream of the Falcon Dam is prime for bass and white bass, while the river bends near San Ygnacio have been producing a mixed bag, including some big catfish at night.
Tide movement isn’t as much a factor on the Rio Grande, but water flow has been steady, which is keeping fish on the feed.
That’s your Rio Grande report for today. Get out there, be safe, and keep those lines tight. This is Artificial Lure, signing off until next time. Tight lines, y’all!
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI