What Kinds of Fish Can Be Found on the San Antonio River?

San Antonio-area anglers of all levels can find ample opportunities to reel in a trophy fish or simply test their fishing luck.

Learn about the aquatic species native and non-native to our river ecosystem, both native and invasive species alike. While eliminating them entirely may not be possible, steps can be taken to keep their numbers under control.

Largemouth Bass

Largemouth bass are one of the most sought-after species for anglers in San Antonio. As one of the dominant fish species in most power plant lakes and smaller reservoirs in this city, they’re an angler’s go-to target both on land or from boats. Largemouths grow to large sizes and are known for powerful strikes – feeding on mosquito larvae, blackfly/mayfly nymphs, crayfish larvae, worms snails, and adult insects!

These fish thrive in various habitats, but generally prefer lakes and ponds or backwaters of streams and rivers with vegetation. When breeding begins in early spring, males guard nests made out of gravel or mud located two to eight feet below.

Largemouth bass are the dominant fish species throughout most watersheds, supporting an array of native wildlife. Alongside largemouth bass, this ecosystem also supports other native fish (such as flathead catfish and longear sunfish ) as well as many invertebrate species including comal blind salamanders, Rio Grande leopard frogs, diamondback water snakes, red-eared slider turtles and many others; plus mammals such as raccoons, white-tailed deer, and armadillos!

Smallmouth Bass

The Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu) is a large freshwater fish native to Texas and most frequently seen in its rivers, creeks, and streams. It prefers shallow rocky lake shoals and river shallows where current current is less swift; where males build and guard nests with four to six eggs that they guard for two weeks until spawning occurs in early summer on these areas. Males build nests from late winter through spring where males guard them until spring or early summer spawning occurs before returning with them or moving off into warmer waters of Texas or south Texas as the population can live up to seven years in Texas waters.

Anglers looking for Smallmouth Bass fishing action in the San Antonio River will likely have success finding these plump fish feeding near underwater vegetation and responding well to crankbaits and plastic worms. Smallmouths primarily consume aquatic invertebrates and zooplankton when young, eventually transitioning into becoming piscivores; eating any smaller fish in their path.

Smallmouth Basses can be identified by their long snout that protrudes past their eyes, with vertical bars of dark color on its lower side and no spots or specks like those found on spotted bass species. Their distinctive torpedo-shaped bodies and mouth with three dark stripes that run down from snout to cheek make this fish easily distinguishable.

Flathead Catfish

Flathead catfish are bottom dwelling predators that can reach four feet in length and weigh hundreds of pounds. As ambush hunters, these apex predators feed on other fish at night when prey crosses their path – often through ambush tactics like using their barbels as ambushes to ambush any prey who happens by. Their whisker-like barbels surround their mouth, with an extended lower jaw protrusion further than its upper counterpart and scaleless bodies featuring dark brown to black or gray upper regions fading to dirty white or yellow lower regions fading into dirty white or yellow bellies with pectoral and dorsal fins often sporting various hues to make each fish unique among its fellows!

Young flatheads feed on crustaceans and insect larvae before their diet changes as they near maturity. Adult flatheads tend to feed opportunistically by targeting sunfish, bullheads, common carp, redbreast sunfish and other small fish species.

Flathead catfish were first introduced into the United States during the late 1990s and have quickly expanded in populations since their introduction, raising concern among fisheries biologists due to their rapid population expansion rates and obligate carnivorous feeding habits and high reproductive rate, leading to numerous native fish species disappearance in regions where these unnaturally introduced catfish have been unknowingly introduced.

Longear Sunfish

Longear sunfish can be found in Mission Reach and Davis Lake, an urban fishery created by Espada Dam south of downtown that lies along the San Antonio River. It offers an exciting alternative to bass, redfish and crappie fishing that usually draws most anglers into this part of San Antonio.

These fish prefer dense vegetation in shallow, slow-moving waters of lakes, ponds, sluggish rivers and streams as well as pools, inlets and waters off main stream channels to avoid strong currents and inhabit pools, inlets or waters off main channel channel during spring and summer to spawn on gravel bars, sand or mud while male fish guard their nests from predators until eggs hatch.

Males can be identified during mating season by their vibrant spawning colors. Males build and protect their nests by fanning out the spawn with their pectoral fins and clearing away silt or debris as necessary; males also provide all parental care for their young.

Bluegill

Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) sunfishes can be found throughout most freshwater environments. With their deep compressed body and small mouth, small mouth, short head design and 16-inch maximum size. Bluegills can be easily identified by their dark spot on their spiny dorsal fin base and five to nine olive-colored vertical bars on their sides that help identify this fish species.

Bluegills are best known for erecting their dorsal fin spines during threat displays to strike fear into unsuspecting fishermen; however, these spines are solely defensive in nature and should not cause any harm; unlike most sunfish species however, bluegills feed almost exclusively by sight and are most active during daylight hours.

As most would imagine, live bait such as worms, grasshoppers, minnows and snails is usually effective bait for these omnivores. Household items like corn kernels and bread may also prove helpful in drawing them in. Jigs and crankbaits may be better options.

Male bluegills create their nest in shallow waters by waving their tailfin over the bottom of a stream or lake and creating a depression several inches deep, then sitting within it aerating its contents with pectoral fins and gill flaps while emitting grunts that attract female bluegills to mate with them and guarding their eggs until hatching time arrives.

San Antonio River Authority is working tirelessly to restore habitats of native fish species in and around its river system. Their Watershed & Park Operations department plants pickerelweed, Louisiana iris, broadleaf arrowhead and yellow water lily as aquatic plants to improve water quality and help these native species flourish. These aquatic plants serve as essential resources for their wellbeing as they keep it cool while creating vital habitat.

Rio Grande Cichlid

The Rio Grande Cichlid (Herichthys cyanoguttatus), more commonly known as the Texas Cichlid, is native to freshwater systems in southern Texas and northeast Mexico, being one of its only members natively. Unfortunately, however, outside its natural range the Texas cichlid can become problematic as an invasive species; competing aggressively for food and space with native fish species while outcompeting them for resources like spawning habitat. Sometimes accidental releases by aquarium keepers or escapes from ponds result in them entering unintended new areas where they don’t belong – something which happens regularly with other non-native fish species species introduced through deliberate releases or escapes from ponds introducing this exotic invasive species into environments which they don’t belong.

The Texas Cichlid is an elegant yet aggressive fish, reaching over one foot long. Its body is pearl-gray with blue to green hued scales that create an eye-catching speckled appearance; fins have pearly iridescent spots. Males tend to be darker than their counterparts.

They are active diurnally as an omnivorous predator that consumes both plant and animal material, preying upon insects, small fishes, crustaceans and intruders such as insects. Females guard their eggs by chasing away any possible intruders before breeding annually in lakes with shallow waters featuring rocks with abundant vegetation such as green algae, moss, water lilies and hyacinth (Miller et al. 2005).

As its name implies, the Rio Grande fish is native to south-central Texas and northeast Mexico; however, its distribution has expanded beyond this region into Louisiana, Florida, and some Caribbean islands due to intentional releases by aquarium keepers or escape from ponds.

From a conservation viewpoint, the Rio Grande Cichlid has been classified as Least Concern; with stable populations and wide distribution in its native habitat. Anglers frequently target this fish and it has also become widely used as an indicator for imbalanced or stressed ecosystems in the United States.

San Antonio provides ample fishing opportunities, from power plant lakes to Guadalupe River fishing – be it trophy-sized Striped Bass or Black Bass along its waters – so don’t be fooled into thinking fishing licenses are not required on all waters within Texas including San Antonio River and its tributaries!

Redbreast Sunfish

Anglers fishing for Sunfish typically utilize live bait such as grasshoppers, nightcrawlers, crickets and waxworms as bait. Other popular techniques for Sunfish angling include small lures of flies or using small lures of their own. When fishing during cooler weather months Redbread Sunfish move deeper waters; most commonly found between 20 feet to 40 feet depth where this species of fish can grow to 12 inches long and 2.5 pounds.

Lepomis auritus or Redbread Sunfish is an eye-catching member of the Sunfish family and native to Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi North Carolina South Carolina Tennessee Texas and Texas. Redbread Sunfish inhabit rivers, creeks and rocky pools or lakes and feed on snails insects crayfish while preferring those with sandy bottoms and avoid stagnant waters; their life span in captivity reaches 6-8 years!

Every two years when the San Antonio River is drained, the River Authority takes this opportunity to rid its riverbanks of non-native species like apple snails (Ampullariidae) and suckermouth catfish (Pecostomus). These non-natives compete with natives for food and water resources as well as cause bank destabilization.

River biologists are working hard to bring back freshwater mussels into the river ecosystem. To do this, they need host fish such as spotted gar and flathead catfish who can house these shellfish with ease – as such they have begun capturing, counting and releasing these fish in order to determine whether there are enough host fish present in their river system.

Calaveras Lake is one of the premier spots for fishing Sunfish and Bluegills, located just a few miles outside San Antonio and home to a power plant reservoir with plenty of fishing spots – from 9″ Bluegills weighing over one pound, Redbread Sunfish, and other forms of baitfish.

Poor water quality and especially turbid conditions are detrimental to these fish species, including land use changes that increase erosion and sediment into the environment. Green infrastructure practices such as rain gardens and bioswales can be very useful here.

Channel Catfish

Channel catfish fishes stand out as being capable of adapting to almost every environment, being found in lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, creeks, reservoirs and even brackish water sources such as bays and estuaries.

Alligators also love the San Antonio River and serve as one of its key predators, helping clean its water by eating algae and plant material. This is particularly helpful during summer when tourist barges stop running, stirring up clay silt and other materials that increase turbidity of river water.

Channel catfish are well known for consuming non-native plants, but they’re also famed for using pheromones – chemical signals that contain information about individual fish – to communicate among themselves. When sensing competitors’ pheromones, catfish can detect when another species has dominant or subordinate status and even tell how old or male/female they are by smell alone!

Channel catfish are essential in maintaining an ecosystem-rich river environment, helping keep its waters clearer than they would be otherwise. To maintain this harmony between nature and humans, park staff of the river authority regularly plant pickerelweed, Louisiana iris, broadleaf arrowhead, and yellow water lily to boost aquatic biodiversity and promote growth of native fish species.

Red Shiner

Cyprinella lutrensis, more commonly known as Red Shiner Minnow Fish, is an aquatic generalist that thrives in conditions not conducive to most native fish species such as backwaters, creek mouths, streams with silt substrate, riffles and pools; they tolerate high turbidity and siltation while avoiding waters with high acidity levels; they school with other minnow species as well as species of ray-finned fish, feeding on algae, insect larvae and crayfish larvae while schooling males display tubercles on their heads during breeding cycles.

Foreign species compete with native fish for food and habitat, eating eggs from some native species as they do so (Ricciardi & Rasmussen, 1998). If left unchecked, this displacement could eventually lead to their extinction (Ricciardi & Rasmussen 1998).

The Rio Grande River basin is home to an array of wildlife species including largemouth bass, longear sunfish, channel catfish and reptiles and amphibians such as raccoons, white-tailed deer, opossums, armadillos and Rio Grande leopard frogs – not forgetting mallard ducks, belted kingfishers and whooping cranes which make Rio Grande Valley their home!

Common Carp

Eurasia’s largest, omnivorous fish species. Tolerant of poor water quality conditions, such as urbanized ponds and streams polluted with sewer waste. An aggressive breeder that roots aggressively in bottom mud to increase turbidity while disrupting plants and sediments resulting in algal blooms and decreased aquatic species and waterfowl numbers; an important source of bait.

Carp are large fish species known for being opportunistic feeders and scavengers that feed on dead or decaying fish, waterborne insects, worms snails plant matter and algae. Carp can produce up to 1 million eggs over their breeding seasons attached to vegetation or sinking to the bottom and fertilized externally by males.

Adult Gold/Yellow/Brown Carp have an extremely distinct appearance with their gold, yellow and brown colors and long dorsal fin base with an anterior end hump that sets it apart from Grass Carps. Furthermore, its downturned protrusible mouth with small barbels on either corner and large scales distinguishing this species further from one another. Unfortunately there is no biological control mechanism for this species and has become established throughout many waters throughout the US as food fish.