Rio Grande Cichlid

The only cichlid native to the United States, and the most willing fish in Texas. Rios live in the Hill Country rivers, the San Marcos, the Guadalupe, and any warm ditch or stock tank that stays wet. They are aggressive, they eat a fly without ceremony, and they pull harder than their size suggests.

A five-inch Rio will attack a woolly bugger meant for a bass. This makes them the perfect fish for learning to fly fish warm water: the strikes are frequent, the forgiveness is total, and the lessons transfer. Small poppers, nymphs, and anything olive or brown all work. Fish the shade lines, the rocks, and the shallow riffles.

They are also beautiful in a way photographs rarely capture — turquoise spangles over olive, with a dark spot at the tail. The state record is over two pounds. A fish half that size on a three-weight is an honest afternoon.