Rio Grande/Texas Cichlid

[Veritas1980]

Does anyone know where to catch these in or near cypress? I also would be interested in the how.

[Reefmonkey]

I used to know someone who would catch them in White Oak Bayou around Little York, I think. You know, they aren't native to our part of Texas, and don't seem to spread on their own as fast as other species (like tilapia) so generally are sporadically located close to where someone released their ancestor for the most part.

[BIG FISH]

In just about every bayou in Houston you can catch them, they are rarely larger than your hand. Every once in a while you'll catch a bigger one. You can use a net or for the really big ones, crappy lures and earthworms work great, try to cast as close to the shore as possible with no weights.

[Reefmonkey]

Just discovered Texas cichlids this weekend in a location I've been fishing for several years now, this is the first time I've seen them here, the location is Rummel Creek where it crosses under Memorial Drive, just outside of Beltway 8. Park in Rummel Creek Elementary School parking lot. Be careful, the bank is pretty steep getting down to the creek, look around for the easiest ways to get down and back up. Once you are in the creek, it is easy wading, hard bottom without much vegetation. The pool that extends from under the bridge to a little north of the bridge is a particularly productive spot, especially with a cast net. I saw a lot of juveniles in the broken up concrete just south of the bridge, be careful here, though, the broken up concrete, slick with algae, makes it easy to lose your footing and fall/turn an ankle. Once you get south of that stuff, though, the creek has a wide, flat hard bottom that's easy to wade.

The variety of species you can catch here is great:

Mosquitofish - most abundant fish, easy to catch late spring through late fall

Sailfin mollies - consistently and fairly abundant during the summer

Various sunfishes - pretty common spring through fall

Sheepshead minnows - occasionally seen in the summer, but when present, are there in decent numbers, in schools close to surface

Gar - in the 1 to 2 foot range, not sure of the exact species, maybe juvenile alligator gars, I see them from time to time

Texas cichlid - new, this weekend was the first time I've seen them, but they seemed to be plentiful, both adults and juveniles. I caught one 4 incher, one 2 incher.