If you enjoy wade fishing clear streams with healthy populations of native fish and float fishing scenic rivers lined with lush vegetation, I have a wonderful place for you. Some of the waters are spring creeks with abundant aquatic life and dense hatches. There are chances to sight cast almost every day and fish actively rise to drys, eat nymphs, and viciously attack streamers. This isn't Montana, Wyoming, or Idaho; it's central Texas.

Texas probably has the best variety of fly fishing in the United States and the Texas Hill Country is the gem. The Hill Country area is in central Texas west of Interstate 35. San Antonio forms the southern boundary and it extends north almost up Waco. Although this isn't the Rocky Mountains, the terrain is very rugged and inclined. Numerous gullies and canyons flow through the limestone substrata and beautiful limestone cliffs and bluffs are found along the streams and rivers. If your ideas of the Texas landscape were formed by watching old westerns, you will be pleasantly surprised. Northern trout fisherman feel at home on these waters. Central Texas streams offer solitude, incredible fishing, and beautiful surroundings.


The Llano River (above and below) is a clear-running stream with native Guadalupe bass and largemouth bass that can weigh as much as 8 pounds.

This part of the world has large underground aquifers and most of the rivers and streams are partially or completely spring fed. This provides a source of clear water and maintains constant temperatures in the area adjacent to the spring. Damselflies, dragonflies, and caddis hatch almost all year long and are found in numerous sizes and colors. Some waters have large Hexagenia mayflies and terrestrials are common throughout the year. To round out the food chain, there are also crayfish and a wide range of baitfish. The biomass in these waters probably exceeds that of many trout tailwaters.

Native Hill Country gamefish include largemouth bass, Guadalupe Bass, a variety of sunfish, channel catfish, and Rio Grande Perch. The yellow breast sunfish, which are actually a red breast sunfish, are the predominant river sunfish and they live and feed in current. Locally, sunfish are called perch.

Some of the popular introduced species are striped bass, white bass, spotted bass, and smallmouth bass. Rainbow trout and brown trout are found on the Guadalupe River. This tailwater has a good population of stocked trout and a number of holdovers. The best trout fishing is in winter months.

Some of the "coarse" species such as carp, freshwater drum, buffalo, suckers, and gar, can produce some fun fishing also. These fish can be sizeable and are probably the most difficult Texas species to catch on a fly. Given the choice of casting to a 1-pound gamefish or a 10-pound "trash fish," I'll aim for the latter.

Stream access varies. Some rivers, such as sections of the Llano, Guadalupe, and Colorado have state-owned river bottoms and you may wade fish up to the high-water mark. Legal access sites are state and local parks, low water crossings, or by paying an access fee at private recreation areas. Camping is available at many state parks.

On other rivers, the actually river bottom may be privately owned. These are best fished by floating or fee fishing on private recreation areas. Floating may require portages so canoes, kick boats, or kayaks are the best bets. Good fishing can be had all year, but the best times are March through June and September through November. In the spring, abundant wild flowers such as bluebonnets carpet the Hill Country and enhance the outdoor experience.

Llano River
This is one of my favorite streams in the world. Its crystal-clear with riffles, runs and pools run over a colorful pink granite bottom. There are also areas of pocket water and numerous side channels. At the head of the riffles you catch Guadalupe bass; you'll find yellow breast sunfish in the runs and pocketwater; and in the pools and shaded banks, largemouths are present. It also has a good population of native Guadalupe bass. The Texas state fish lives in current and is similar to a smallmouth in habits. Guadalupe bass don't get large, but they are aggressive, strong and beautiful.

The Llano is a great wade-fishing stream and can crossed at braids, riffles, and tailouts. There are many access points. One of my favorite sections is in the town of Llano, a scenic 70-mile drive from Austin. The city and county parks are excellent access points and the reservoirs provide fishing options. I have also floated the river. This is best left to the adventurous and should only be attempted with adequate flows. A kick boat with oars, canoe, or kayak are the best choices. Invariable you have to portage around some rock gardens. The best sections are upstream of Llano and you will need to run your own shuttles.

I fish the Llano with 2- to 4-weight rods to take full advantage of the Guadalupe bass, but largemouth exceeding 8 pounds have been caught. I once had a sizeable largemouth try to eat a Guadalupe off of my line. I've also caught carp, spotted gar, and largemouths up to a couple of pounds.

Channel catfish and carp are sometimes found tailing in the riffles as they look for nymphs. Traditional trout nymphs such as Hare's-ear Nymphs, Pheasant Tails, and Squirrel Nymphs catch fish. Very large catfish are caught in the Llano and I once stung a buffalo cat that was the size of my thigh. I doubt I would have landed him, but I had to try.

I've fished some excellent caddis hatches here with the pools stacked with rising fish. Madam Xs, Convertibles, Clouser Minnows, Woolly Buggers, Pencil Poppers and Prism Divers are useful patterns.

A night at the historic Dabbs Hotel Bed & Breakfast, a restored turn-of-the-century railroad hotel, and pork chops at the famous Coopers Barbecue are a good addition to any Llano fishing trip.

Blanco River
This limestone stream offers a good chance of catching a large river smallmouth. I've also caught good largemouth, a variety of sunfish, and catfish on the fly. Numerous springs are found throughout the river and adjacent to them is thick aquatic vegetation. Water clarity is exceptional. Sight casting to visible fish can be effective. Deep pools are alternated with faster runs. Rock ledges give the fish cover and ambush points.

Because access is limited, floating this river is the best way to fish it and this should be done with caution and discretion. Area landowners are less than enthusiastic about recreational use of "their river" and the state owns the water but not the river bottom. Also, legal parking areas near low water crossings are not well defined.

Wade access can be found at Dudley Johnson Park near Kyle. There are good populations of insects, crayfish, and minnows for the predators to feed on. Rubber leg Woolly Buggers, crayfish patterns, Kiwi Muddlers, damselfly nymphs, and poppers are effective for the smallmouth, largemouth, spotted bass and sunfish.

San Marcos River

Hefty smallmouth bass like this one are always a possibility on productive rivers like the Blanco and San Marcos rivers.

The San Marcos bubbles out of the ground at 200 cubic feet per second (cfs) with a constant 70-degree F. temperature. I've watched sunfish sipping Callibaetis mayflies as gently as any trout. Long strands of aquatic vegetation provide habitat for the abundant aquatic invertebrae and large Cypress trees form a canopy over the water. The area around the springs, the present City of San Marcos, is one the oldest constantly inhabited sites in the world.

The river can be wade fished in the San Marcos City parks. As you move downstream most of the banks are deep and undercut. This creates wading difficulties, but it is an excellent floating river. You can spot schools of bass and sunfish and watch them come to your fly.

All the common bass and sunfish are found in this water with the addition of the Rio Grande Perch. This small cichlid is related to the peacock bass. They are difficult to catch on a fly and are considered a fly rod trophy even though a 12-inch specimen is a large fish.

There are two excellent 5-mile floats between I-35 and the town of Martindale. The Blanco flows into the San Marcos downstream of the city of San Marcos and doubles the flow. The lower float has class 3 rapids which can portaged if you don't feel adventurous. Canoes and kayaks can be rented at Shady Grove campground in Martindale. They also offer float instructions and shuttles to put in points. I like to fish Madam Xs, Rabbit Charlies, Mohair Leeches, and Prism Divers on this water. Bass over 5 pounds inhabit the water and I once caught a 1-foot yellow breast sunfish. In hot and cold months, the upper river with its constant temperature fishes better than other central Texas streams.

Colorado River
The largest river in the area starts in west Texas and flows through Austin on its way to the Gulf of Mexico. The reservoirs along the Colorado River are home to white bass (pictured right) and striped bass. These fish travel in schools looking for baitfish. Chasing stripers busting bait on top is very exciting and you never know what size the fish might be. They could be 2 pounds or 25 pounds. Deceivers, Double Bunnies, and Prism Divers imitate injured shad.

When it is good it's incredible, but you do have some slow days. More consistent fishing can be had in the tailwaters below the power generating dams. When the dams are generating power, baitfish are forced out with water. This is makes an easy meal for the waiting predators. White bass are the most frequent catch, but stripers will key in on this also.

Max Starke Dam or the dam on Lake Buchanan are good spots. Largemouth, Guadalupe bass, and sunfish can be caught during slack water periods. You might also pick up a freshwater black drum or you can cast to carp tailing in the shallows like bonefish. Use caution when wade fishing as the water flows come up quickly and without an alarm sounding. A sinking shooting head is helpful in deeper holes. My Lipstick Minnow, Cypert's Mylar Minnow, and Clouser Minnows are good imitations of the common small baitfish.

The Colorado and tributaries such as the Llano and Perdenales host good spawning runs of white bass in the spring. They feed heavily on small minnows. Fishing can be fast and furious. The smaller males move in first. Later, when the females move up, the whites average between one and two pounds. Small #8 bonefish flies or grey Clousers are very effective, but at times my Conehead the Barbarian fly in chartreuse can be deadly.

There is also the chance to find a striper feeding on the white bass. Last year, J.T. VanZandt, an Austin Angler guide, caught a striper in the 10-pound range. Colorado Bend State Park, the mouth of the Llano at Lake LBJ and Reimers Ranch on the Perdenales are some of the more productive areas. This is one time when you will have company on the river.

Town Lake in downtown Austin can be fished for largemouth and sunfish. It holds some the bigger largemouth in the region. The perimeter of the lake is a city park with a walking trail. You can also rent or a canoe. Barton Springs, a popular summer swimming hole, flows into Town Lake and it holds a number of fish. They congregate here in winter months. I caught a redear sunfish during a January cold spell that had the height and length of a magazine.

Above Barton Springs, Barton Creek is paralleled by a green belt hike and bike trail. The flow can intermittent, but I've caught fish in the deeper pools and smaller springs seep life into the creek during low water periods. It is urban backcountry angling. Onion Creek at McKinney State Park is another suburban small stream option.

Downstream of Austin, the Colorado becomes larger, wider and slower as you drop out of the Hill Country. There are some big largemouth here. Trees and deadfall provide excellent habitat for them. The faster riffles and runs hold Guadalupe bass and stripers, white bass, channel catfish, and large gar also inhabit the river.

Larry Sunderlund of the Austin Angler uses his Montana style drift boat to float the Colorado. There are a number of floats that can be done. A canoe or kickboat can also be used. Traditional bass bugs, poppers, bendbacks, and crayfish are good flies.

Tackle
A rod in the 4- to 6-weight range is ideal for most Hill Country fishing. These rods allow you to cast reasonably sized bass flies and still have fun with smaller bass and sunfish. Medium action rods are better than fast rods for throwing wind-resistant or weighted flies. A 7-½ foot 2X leader covers most of your stream fishing.

Floating lines cover most situations, but a Teeny T-130 shooting head is helpful for probing deep pools. I use a 7- to 9-weight rod for stripers and big bass fishing. A 0X leader is about the smallest I use. Full sinking lines are good for suspended fish in the reservoirs.

Flash Floods and Rattlesnakes
As with any outdoor adventure there are inherent potential dangers. Flash flood warnings should be taken seriously. The hilly, rocky terrain pours water into ravines during heavy rainstorms causing small creeks to become large rivers. Water moccasins and rattlesnakes are part of the area's fauna. Give them a little space and you should be fine. When floating make sure there is an adequate flow. Otherwise, you might be in for a long portage. Also, float with a partner. Some floats are very remote and a companion may save your life.