Simple, they come from out of nowhere and they snatch the bait before the Cichlas gets to even see the presentation. By the time you get them off the hook, the Cichlas could be gone.
Thanks,More of a nuisance, Actually. I was using a black worm with a bullet sinker on very light tackle and I thought I snagged an oversized minnow. Turned out to be an 8" Mayan or Europthalmus. Very little fight or resistance from this fellow.