by Cord Johnson
Some people like to gear up go bass fishing, others prefer a slow lazy day catfishing or maybe a day out with the kids chasing panfish is your thing.
But how does catching Largemouth, Smallmouth, and Guadalupe bass; Bluegill, Longear, Redbreast, and Green sunfish; Rio Grande perch; Channel Cats; Spotted Gar; and Carp sound?
How about on the same day, on the same rod too good to be true?
Crazy I know, but this can be the norm for any trip on the Upper Guadalupe River.
First, where is the Upper Guadalupe River? Although the main Guadalupe River above Canyon Lake runs some 100+ miles from the junction of its north and south tributaries in Hunt, Texas down to Canyon Lake, it’s the last 50 miles just above the lake that are generally considered the “Upper Guad” by the locals. Below Canyon Lake the river is referred to as the Lower Guadalupe River.
This long part of the river offers anything from wade fishing a pool or two for a couple of hours in the evening, to a full on week of camping and fishing covering the entire “Upper Guad”. This is a pool and drop river with mostly minor rapids at normal to low flows (which happens to be the best flows for fishing) with a shallow rocky riverbed that filters the water clean and clear.
If you are looking to fish more than a couple of pools up and down river from an access point, you will want a boat of some kind. My personal favorite is a kayak but a canoe works well too. Even a float tube will work if the trip is short enough.
Any of the rapids on the river can be portaged if you are not comfortable running them. If you plan to camp or do a full day trip you would be advised to know what is public property, and what is private especially in the more heavily used sections of river, as there are a lot of no trespassing signs posted on public property. I would also recommend avoiding camp sites in view of homes even if they are legally accessible under Texas state navigation laws just to prevent any problems from uninformed land owners. I find it tends to take the fun out of a fishing trip when these access issues are had on the river. I also have only had one problem when camping on the Upper Guad, and it was resolved quick and painless with through a polite discussion with the other party who was not aware of the navigation laws, which most people are not. That said we have to remember that even when we do everything right and don’t leave a mess or get loud, the land owners on the rivers see both the good and the bad and unfortunately for us the bad is what they seem to remember. The good news is there are lots of good spots that are out of the way and go unnoticed if you keep your eyes open and plan ahead. It also helps to have gear that allows you to take advantage of these spots.
Most days the fishing holds all day if you are willing to target multiple species. While the bulk of the fish will not be large, the potential for a large one is there. On the other hand, if you don’t mind a sore arm, your trophy can be in the sheer number of fish that fight all the way to hand in a single day. The perma-grin can last from hours to days.
I like to fish this river with ultralight gear preferably ultralight fly gear. I feel that this style of fishing opens you up to the variety and numbers of fish that really define what fishing this river should be. It is a blast for anyone any age, and any skill level. The common access points are a short drive from Boerne where there are any number of places to stay, and lots for people to see and do if they are not inclined to fish. It makes it real easy to get the whole family to spend a weekend “together apart”. Aside from fishing, the Texas Hill Country views and wildlife alone are worth the trip.
One of my favorite trips is to put in at under the bridge at the FM3351 crossing and fish my way down to Edge Falls Rd. It is only about 3 miles of river, and the majority can be fished wading with a kayak or even a float tube tethered to your waist for use in the deeper pools. The nice thing about this section of river is the variety of fish and cover. If you have the time a very full day of fun and bent rods can be had on this stretch of river. On the cramped schedule side of things you can cover it in a few hours just be sure watch your clock and GPS because the fish will be hard to leave.
With clear water and abundant fish, most any lure or fly will produce, however a few of my favorites are an olive bead head Wooly Bugger, a brown Muddler Minnow, and red and white Clouser Minnow. Most days I find if I cast close to cover give a 3 count and swim the flies at a quick pace I catch more fish. As for conventional tackle, just be sure to get the lure close to the cover, really close.
As for the cover keep your eye peeled for the cypress roots, and the downstream side of rocks close to the bank. The bass, sunfish, and channel cats seem to hang out there. As for gar cast under low hanging trees in the mid afternoon, and the rest of the day they are apt to be anywhere. If you can manage to look downstream soon enough; as the pools shallow with a good pair of polarized glasses you can pick up some feeding carp. If you are stealthy and accurate enough you can test your gear and abilities on a true river beast. I will add one more goal for you, although I myself have yet to achieve it I have seen it done, a turtle on the fly is a feather in your hat so to speak.
Cord grew up in Texas Hill Country and southeastern Louisiana. He has spent most of his life in the outdoors. Growing up 2 blocks from the Blanco River, he spent most of his homework time fishing. He has also spent several years working for fishing guides on Falcon Lake and Amistad Lake.
He started Old Buzzard Outfitters in 2007 due to his love of fishing, camping and the outdoors. His service includes guided fishing and eco trips. Old Buzzard caters to all types of fishing but truly specializes in ultralight fly fishing. The outfitter is set up to supply all boats, camping and fishing gear as needed. Cord prides himself on providing personalized service and therefore limits his expeditions to parties of 3 or less.
