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On this day I was fishing for an 11.7 inch long, world record Rio Grande Cichlid, also called a Texas Perch. I had caught it and released the day before; only find out later that it was a full half inch larger than the current World Record. Although I did not catch the monster Rio Grande Cichlid that I was after on this day, I did catch one that tied the current World Record (11.1 inches) as you can see when I measure it.
What makes this day even more exciting, is where I am fishing at. The Rio Grande Perch, is actually is Cichlid in the same family as the Tilapia and Oscar. Its scientific name is Herichthys cyanoguttatus. It is native to the Rio Grande river and in fact, it is the only Cichlid that is native to the United States. It is a freshwater fish that is commonly kept by people in aquariums. But where I was catching the Rio Grande in this video, was not fresh water! By sheer chance, I discovered a thriving population of Rio Grandes in the inland saltwater ponds on Galveston Island, Texas.
These ponds are technically called “Brackish” water but have a salinity that is 98% as high as pure seawater. Many varieties of sea life and fish that are native to the Gulf of Mexico live in these ponds. So, imagine my surprise when I started catching the freshwater Rio Grande Cichlid out of them. Not only was I catching them, but I was catching world record-breaking fish! That was pretty amazing.
Here is a list of the products used while fishing for these Rio Grande Cichlids
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