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RIO GRANDE FISHING REPORT: CICHLIDS, CATFISH, AND MONSTER BASS BITING ALONG THE TEXAS BORDER
Published 7 months, 2 weeks ago
Description
Artificial Lure here with the Rio Grande, Texas fishing report for Saturday, September 13, 2025. It’s another beautiful morning down south, and locals are already out chasing that early bite.
Sunrise today came at 7:18 AM with sunset expected at 7:40 PM, so you’ve got a long window for plenty of casts. According to Weather.com and the NOAA, we’ve got mild temps this morning around 75°F, heading up to near 90°F by mid-afternoon. Light winds from the east make for excellent casting and manageable drift. Skies are mostly clear, with just a chance of a pop-up shower this afternoon—classic Lower Valley conditions.
Tides are moderate. The nearest coastal tide table at South Padre puts high tide mid-morning and low tide late afternoon, which means river flow’s steady and backwaters are holding pools—prime habitat for resident species.
Fish activity is solid. Over the past week, anglers are reporting steady action on Rio Grande cichlid and bluegill right up in the shallows, especially in the slower pools and side channels. Worm and crappie jigs have been the go-to. Down deeper, channel catfish and blue cats are still coming to cut bait and commercially prepared dough baits, especially after sundown.
Texas Parks & Wildlife recent records show common carp running big—Javier Padron landed a 28.35-pounder in January—and flathead cats up to 62 pounds caught in the last decade, so there are monsters lurking. Channel catfish near 20 pounds aren’t unheard of, especially near submerged brush on trotlines or with fresh liver.
The bass bite is picking up with the slightly cooler nights. Largemouth up to 6 pounds have been reported around Falcon Lake edges using standard Texas rigs and watermelon soft plastics. Early birds are getting bit on topwater poppers and chatterbaits. Smaller Guadalupe bass and their hybrids are active as well, keying in on crawfish imitations and hair jigs.
If you’re looking for a mixed bag, white bass and sunfish are still biting midday on small inline spinners, and crappie will take a minnow if you find a good laydown. For fly folks, a crawfish briminator or woolly bugger in olive or black has been dynamite for cichlids and sunfish; try it near riprap or root balls.
Best baits this week:
- **Live worms** and **nightcrawlers** for panfish and cichlids
- **Chicken liver** and **fresh cut shad** for catfish
- **Soft plastics** in pumpkinseed or watermelon for largemouth bass
- **Crappie jigs** and **roadrunners** for slabs
- **Small poppers or Clouser minnows** for fly anglers
Hot spots? Above Falcon Dam is always worth a look, especially rocky banks and flooded timber. The Roma Bluffs stretch is producing steady catches for shore anglers—look for deeper holes just off main channel drops. Also, check the mouth of Arroyo Morteros if water’s moving; that intersection’s notorious for surprising carp and cats.
Recent catches from a few regulars at local bait shops include:
- Several blue and channel catfish in the 3-10 pound range on cut perch
- Good messes of Rio Grande cichlid on worms and small spinnerbaits
- A 5-pound largemouth caught near Zapata on a chartreuse spinnerbait right at sundown
Birdlife’s heavy—keep your eyes up for hawks and even ospreys, which have been putting on a show during the morning bite. Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park is running its regular Hawk Watch and the birding at Estero Llano is always a treat after you wrap up on the banks.
Thanks for tuning in to your Rio Grande fishing rundown. Don’t forget—if you want more tips and local secrets, subscribe for regular updates. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with t
Sunrise today came at 7:18 AM with sunset expected at 7:40 PM, so you’ve got a long window for plenty of casts. According to Weather.com and the NOAA, we’ve got mild temps this morning around 75°F, heading up to near 90°F by mid-afternoon. Light winds from the east make for excellent casting and manageable drift. Skies are mostly clear, with just a chance of a pop-up shower this afternoon—classic Lower Valley conditions.
Tides are moderate. The nearest coastal tide table at South Padre puts high tide mid-morning and low tide late afternoon, which means river flow’s steady and backwaters are holding pools—prime habitat for resident species.
Fish activity is solid. Over the past week, anglers are reporting steady action on Rio Grande cichlid and bluegill right up in the shallows, especially in the slower pools and side channels. Worm and crappie jigs have been the go-to. Down deeper, channel catfish and blue cats are still coming to cut bait and commercially prepared dough baits, especially after sundown.
Texas Parks & Wildlife recent records show common carp running big—Javier Padron landed a 28.35-pounder in January—and flathead cats up to 62 pounds caught in the last decade, so there are monsters lurking. Channel catfish near 20 pounds aren’t unheard of, especially near submerged brush on trotlines or with fresh liver.
The bass bite is picking up with the slightly cooler nights. Largemouth up to 6 pounds have been reported around Falcon Lake edges using standard Texas rigs and watermelon soft plastics. Early birds are getting bit on topwater poppers and chatterbaits. Smaller Guadalupe bass and their hybrids are active as well, keying in on crawfish imitations and hair jigs.
If you’re looking for a mixed bag, white bass and sunfish are still biting midday on small inline spinners, and crappie will take a minnow if you find a good laydown. For fly folks, a crawfish briminator or woolly bugger in olive or black has been dynamite for cichlids and sunfish; try it near riprap or root balls.
Best baits this week:
- **Live worms** and **nightcrawlers** for panfish and cichlids
- **Chicken liver** and **fresh cut shad** for catfish
- **Soft plastics** in pumpkinseed or watermelon for largemouth bass
- **Crappie jigs** and **roadrunners** for slabs
- **Small poppers or Clouser minnows** for fly anglers
Hot spots? Above Falcon Dam is always worth a look, especially rocky banks and flooded timber. The Roma Bluffs stretch is producing steady catches for shore anglers—look for deeper holes just off main channel drops. Also, check the mouth of Arroyo Morteros if water’s moving; that intersection’s notorious for surprising carp and cats.
Recent catches from a few regulars at local bait shops include:
- Several blue and channel catfish in the 3-10 pound range on cut perch
- Good messes of Rio Grande cichlid on worms and small spinnerbaits
- A 5-pound largemouth caught near Zapata on a chartreuse spinnerbait right at sundown
Birdlife’s heavy—keep your eyes up for hawks and even ospreys, which have been putting on a show during the morning bite. Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park is running its regular Hawk Watch and the birding at Estero Llano is always a treat after you wrap up on the banks.
Thanks for tuning in to your Rio Grande fishing rundown. Don’t forget—if you want more tips and local secrets, subscribe for regular updates. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with t