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Sunday Fishing on the Rio Grande: Reels, Reds, and Cichlids
Published 7 months ago
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Artificial Lure here with your Sunday, September 28, 2025, fishing report for Rio Grande, Texas, and the surrounding border waters. It’s early fall in the Valley—here’s what you need to know before you hitch up the boat or grab your waders.
The weather’s set to be typical South Texas: warm and muggy at sunrise, climbing into the upper 80s by midafternoon. The winds are forecast to start light out of the southeast, picking up a little after lunch. Skies will be mostly clear, and the high humidity after last week's spotty showers ought to keep fish moving up into the shallow pockets, especially at first and last light.
Sunrise is just after 7:20 AM, and sunset’ll be right about 7:22 PM. If you’re banking on those twilight bites, you’ll want to have a rod in your hand as the colors start showing over the brush.
According to tide-forecast.com, if you’re chasing redfish, drum, or trout on the Lower Laguna, you’ll see a low tide around 4:40 AM, rising to a 1.3-foot high tide late afternoon before drifting back out. Tidal changes like this are always prime—fish those outgoing edges for aggressive feeders.
Recent catches reported by locals and online channels show a strong mix of species. Folks have been landing channel catfish, blue cats, and the famous Rio Grande cichlid—great on light setups near the brush and between the riprap. Out on the main river, expect largemouth bass, white bass, and sunfish. For those chunking into intertidal waters and bay systems closer to the mouth, slot reds and speckled trout are lighting up the reports, with a few drum and scattered flounder.
Best baits lately have been pretty classic South Texas fare: try live minnows or fresh cut shad if you can net 'em. For artificial, tie on a chartreuse or white paddle-tail on a quarter-ounce jighead. Early morning is prime time for topwater—a bone Super Spook Jr. or a silver Zara Puppy can draw crushing strikes along reed lines before the sun’s too high. Along the deeper banks and channels, slow-rolled spinnerbaits and Texas-rigged worm or creature baits in watermelon or black/blue have drawn out most of the better bass.
For the Rio Grande cichlid and sunfish, use bits of worm or crickets under a small float—they’re still stacked up in current seams and shady pockets. Ultrlight setups make those guys a real thrill, and the cichlids especially have been biting right through midday in slower-moving runs.
A couple of hot spots to try:
- Port of Brownsville spillway for a mixed bag—catfish, gar, and solid bass have been caught this week.
- Falcon Lake, just upriver, continues to deliver big bass, especially around submerged timber and ledges.
- For redfish and trout, work the shallow grass flats and dropoffs near Boca Chica, especially on that incoming tide right before noon.
Remember, always keep an eye out for shifting currents and unexpected weather, and handle those native fish with care—Rio Grande cichlids are a Texas treasure.
Thanks for tuning in to your Rio Grande fishing report with Artificial Lure. Be sure to subscribe for your daily bite updates and local tips. 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 the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This episode includes AI-generated content.
The weather’s set to be typical South Texas: warm and muggy at sunrise, climbing into the upper 80s by midafternoon. The winds are forecast to start light out of the southeast, picking up a little after lunch. Skies will be mostly clear, and the high humidity after last week's spotty showers ought to keep fish moving up into the shallow pockets, especially at first and last light.
Sunrise is just after 7:20 AM, and sunset’ll be right about 7:22 PM. If you’re banking on those twilight bites, you’ll want to have a rod in your hand as the colors start showing over the brush.
According to tide-forecast.com, if you’re chasing redfish, drum, or trout on the Lower Laguna, you’ll see a low tide around 4:40 AM, rising to a 1.3-foot high tide late afternoon before drifting back out. Tidal changes like this are always prime—fish those outgoing edges for aggressive feeders.
Recent catches reported by locals and online channels show a strong mix of species. Folks have been landing channel catfish, blue cats, and the famous Rio Grande cichlid—great on light setups near the brush and between the riprap. Out on the main river, expect largemouth bass, white bass, and sunfish. For those chunking into intertidal waters and bay systems closer to the mouth, slot reds and speckled trout are lighting up the reports, with a few drum and scattered flounder.
Best baits lately have been pretty classic South Texas fare: try live minnows or fresh cut shad if you can net 'em. For artificial, tie on a chartreuse or white paddle-tail on a quarter-ounce jighead. Early morning is prime time for topwater—a bone Super Spook Jr. or a silver Zara Puppy can draw crushing strikes along reed lines before the sun’s too high. Along the deeper banks and channels, slow-rolled spinnerbaits and Texas-rigged worm or creature baits in watermelon or black/blue have drawn out most of the better bass.
For the Rio Grande cichlid and sunfish, use bits of worm or crickets under a small float—they’re still stacked up in current seams and shady pockets. Ultrlight setups make those guys a real thrill, and the cichlids especially have been biting right through midday in slower-moving runs.
A couple of hot spots to try:
- Port of Brownsville spillway for a mixed bag—catfish, gar, and solid bass have been caught this week.
- Falcon Lake, just upriver, continues to deliver big bass, especially around submerged timber and ledges.
- For redfish and trout, work the shallow grass flats and dropoffs near Boca Chica, especially on that incoming tide right before noon.
Remember, always keep an eye out for shifting currents and unexpected weather, and handle those native fish with care—Rio Grande cichlids are a Texas treasure.
Thanks for tuning in to your Rio Grande fishing report with Artificial Lure. Be sure to subscribe for your daily bite updates and local tips. 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 the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This episode includes AI-generated content.