San Angelo Woman Catches Rio Grande Cichlid in Spring Creek

SAN ANGELO, TX — A San Angelo woman has submitted her catch of a Rio Grande cichlid for the pending waterbody record at Spring Creek near Mertzon.

The fish, caught by San Angelo’s Kaelyn Rivera-Cook, weighed 0.6 pounds and was 9 inches long.

There is currently no category for Rio Grande cichlids in Spring Creek’s waterbody records because they’re not native to this area.

The fish are typically found in South Texas and northeastern Mexico, but some populations have been established farther north into Texas.

The Rio Grande cichlid is notable as the only cichlid species that is native to the United States.