Three New Public Fishing Access Areas Open on the Guadalupe River

Public land on Texas rivers is not as common as one would think since most of the rivers run through private ranches or developments. TPWD has made arrangements with  Mountain Breeze Campground, Rio Raft and Resort, and Whitewater Sports to allow public access to the river through their properties.

"Recognized as one of the top 100 trout streams in America and the southernmost trout stream in the United States, this segment of the Guadalupe River is managed through special fishing regulations and is stocked in the winter months by TPWD and the Guadalupe River Chapter of Trout Unlimited." - Source TPWD

The article does not state if there is a fee (such as those needed to access a State Park) or if a Park Pass was needed but judging by the title these will be public access, no fee or anything specific except maybe a parking fee.

This is good news and I have a feeling my friend Brian is going to be dragging me out at 6am to go fishing.

Government Canyon State Natural Area to Open Campground

This is great news! To have another SNA open up camping will increase visitation, income and conservation efforts.

"For the first time since it opened in 2005, Government Canyon State Natural Area will allow overnight camping in its front country, walk-in tent campground beginning Friday, Oct. 5." - Source TPWD

Government Canyon SNA has been one of my favorite mountain biking spots for some time now and while I may not personally camp here (little to close to home) it is still great news to know that camping is coming in October. This means that I am going to need to take a day trip to the park and do a review this fall!

South Llano River State Park - Review

South Llano River State Park
1927 Park Road 73
Junction, TX 76849
(325) 446-3994

Brief Description

South Llano River SP is a relatively small State Park located in the heart of the Texas Hill Country just outside of Junction Tx on the South Llano River. It features hiking, birding, bicycling, fishing, swimming, tubing and other water activities. Click here to see my Park Preview.

Main Attraction
While the South Llano River may be considered the main attraction at this park I would highly recommend taking in all the park has to offer. From fast paced mountain biking to slower paced bird watching this park should have something for anyone who loves the outdoors.

Hiking and Biking - For being a smaller park there is an extensive system of extra wide trails (used also by the park rangers in their trucks) that weave and wind through the lower river portion of the park and the higher hilly portion of the park. Almost all trails are open to both bicycles and hikers so be sure to use common courtesy and remember that hikers always have the right of way.

My favorite trails had to be the lower trails that weave beneath the canopy of towering Pecan trees or skirt the edge of the river from the day use parking all the way to the park boundary and in between.

Winding trail in the shade of towering Pecan trees.

A long stretch of trail runs along the river.

Birding - Let me first say that watching birds is not my “thing” but for those that enjoy it the park appears to have excellent facilities. Because I cannot talk to this aspect much I will simply refer you to the pictures below.

Entrance to blinds are marked by these stones.

The blinds are sheltered while the feeding are is fenced.

Bleacher style seating for those watching the birds.

Water fountains and feed attract many different birds.

Swimming - There are two “known” swimming areas at the park and a few that you need to find to enjoy. The first is at the bridge just as you enter the park, this is the most popular because it is the easiest to access and has the added fun of sliding under the bridge like a water slide. The water here is about 3-4 feet at the deepest and shallows very quickly. The second spot is just around the bend from the bridge and is at the other side of the day use area that is only accessible from deeper in the park. Here the river is wide and relatively calm. Other swimming spots can be found by exploring, the location I used for fishing at 7:30am had a few people swimming by 3pm.

Considering the size of the park and the relatively low population you should have no issues finding room to swim.

The bridge is the most popular swimming location.

Around the bend the water is calm and good for relaxing.

Fishing - I am hardly an experienced angler but if I can walk away with my hands smelling like fish then I consider my day a success. This river is full of life, I just had a hard time getting the larger life to take my bait. Fish were biting from the very beginning and the river showed its diversity quickly. I caught Gills, Guadalupe Perch, and Bass (I can not tell the difference between Smallmouth, Guadalupe or Hybrids but I know they were not Large Mouth).

Like I said, I didn’t catch anything large. All my catches ranged from 4 - 6 inches but with that said I know larger fish are there because I could see them at times swimming in the shallows among aquatic vegetation.

Light tackle and 1/16th white rooster tail worked great!

Box lake is stocked with Bass. Catch and Release.

The waters ran calm through many deeper pools.

Lots of little fish, I never stopped catching them.

Tubing and Canoeing - From the put in spot at the bridge to the take out spot about 1 mile down river tubing in this river is lazy. Except for a few spots the pace is slow and there are no real rapids only areas where the river narrows and goes down hill. Watch for rocks in the shallows as we came out of the river with a few small bruises. Tubing from start to finish lasted 2 hours.

Day Use

The day use area is simple with ample parking, picnic tables with grills, and a pair of composting toilets (real restrooms are in the camping loop). The day use area is split into two sections with first just over the bridge and to the left while the 2nd is deeper inside the park. Both are actually very close to each other and connected by a short trail so park where you like. Toilets are located in the 2nd half deeper in the park.

Typical day use area.

Typical day use area.

Camping Facilities

The camping area was great. Lots of trees, plenty of room, and enough space between your neighbors to not be right on top of them. The park had two types of vehicle pads, ADA that where concrete and smooth with connecting sidewalks that lead all the way to the restrooms and standard pavement sites. All campsites had a fire ring, water and electric and picnic table while some (seemed random) had a standing grill and a cover over the picnic table.

If you're looking for privacy look look to the sites to the far end of the loop on the outside (that way you have no one behind you. On the other hand if you’re looking to be close to the restrooms stay to the center of the loop.

One of the large vehicle pads, the sidewalks wrap all the way around and connect to the restrooms. ADA site.

Our site during setup. We had plenty of shade and enough trees to easily hang the hammock.

Restroom/Shower Facilities
While the park had only one restroom facility it was a very clean and well maintained restroom. Each side had two showers with actual doors, 2 sinks with mirrors and 3 stalls. Clean, well maintained, great water pressure, plenty of hot water and good location, South Llano River SP gets a 5 out of 5 for their facilities.

Clean well positioned restroom/shower facility.

Conclusion
South Llano River State Park is a gem. If you have never been here then I recommend that you plan a visit. While a smaller park it is very well maintained, the Park Hosts and Rangers are friendly and the scenery is wonderful. While larger parks like Garner and Inks Lake have well stocked stores, more amenities, and hundreds of campsite they also usually have hundreds of people and for some of us that just want to get away, that just won't cut it. South Llano River State Park is now easily one of my favorite parks.

Park headquarters.

Box lake from the floating pier.

Prickly Pear.

Mesquite Tree.

No idea what this is but its pretty.

Old farm house on the park property.

SP Annual Pass Price Increase

Just a quick little note. Last year the price of an annual pass was $60.00, this year (2012) that price is now $70.00. What does that mean? Well it means you have to make at least 1 extra day trip to a park as a couple (less if you take a few people) for the pass to pay for itself. Still a great value if you are a regular visitor and camper at Texas State Parks.

South Llano River State Park - Preview

We are quickly approaching a weekend get away to South Llano River State Park located 116 miles North West of San Antonio and 144 miles West of Austin. This is a park I have never been to so in the "Preview" I am going to go over a few of things this park has to offer.

Activities:

"Activities include camping, picnicking, canoeing, tubing, swimming, fishing, hiking, mountain biking, bird watching and nature study.

The park offers approximately 25 miles of hiking/biking trails, 58 campsites with water and electricity, 6 walk-in tent sites, and five hike-in primitive campsites. The park is open year round. Turkey Roost area of the park is also open year round with restricted hours from October 1 - March 31  (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.)." source

That's quite a lot to do at what appears to be a relatively small park located in the Texas Hill Country and we are looking forward to swimming, fishing, biking and tubing.

Camp Sites:

The park offers 58 water/electric sites and only 6 walk-in sites, needles to say we will be in the PUP anything but roughing it. Lets use Google maps to take a look at the camping loop:

The single camping loop at South Llano River SP

And of course the official park map can be found here. Now lets break down what we see from both maps.

• One restroom facility centrally located, this means that if you want to be close the showers and toilets  you need to pick a specific spot.
• Nearest swimming area is a half mile away, this means that you A) walk half a mile, B) hop in the car, or C) Bike ride to the swimming hole.
• No park store (or small store located in the headquarters), its a smaller park so no store for emergency needs, however, Junction is only 4.3 miles away so no real worries there.
• It looks like some of the sites have ample shade over the vehicle pads while others do not and as we all know pups are not very insulated. On the other hand it looks like all the sights have some shade somewhere so a tent camper will probably fined shade somewhere in their site.
• Looks like there is just under a mile of tubing between the put in and take out spots, go to far and you could float out of the park...
• Seems there is a web of trails for hiking and bike riding, this could be fun to explore just need to remember, spare tire and water.

Well that's about it, 7 days till we take off to a new campground for us. Expect a full review before the end of the month and remember to click on the reviews link at the top of the page to see other parks we have visited.

Apologies (we are moving to a new home).

Apologies my friends. The wife and I are in the final stages of purchasing a home and have had to cancel about 3 camping trips while we get things organized. It looks like our next camping trip will fall in the dog days of August so you can bet it will be a water centric park that will will visit. We have not decided where we are going since we plan in inviting family and friends to tag along. Rest assured that the updates will once again flow as soon as this move is done.

Thanks a bunch,
Brandon

Baby Animals Abound - Try not to run them over...

 It's the time of year when all the little critters that where born\hatched in early spring start to venture out and begin to explore their new world. This can be a great time for nature lovers but it can also be a very hazardous time for these inexperienced animals.


Encountering wild animals is not an uncommon occurrence in Texas. In most cases the the only glimpse of a critter you will have is it's hind quarters as it runs away from you, however, spring time can be the exception with the abundance inexperienced young animals and the mothers acting to protect them. Remember the best way you can help and protect a wild animal is to just leave it alone and give it plenty of space.


Hands off baby animals - Regardless of the type of baby animal encountered it is always best to keep your distance. While it is an urban legend that the mother will abandon a baby if a person handles it, it is always a best practice to leave the young animal alone.


Watch the road - Especially in the early mornings and evenings, this is when most car/deer collisions occur.


Sick or injured - If you encounter an animal and you have reason to believe that it is injured or sick it is always best to notify the local wildlife rehabilitator, park ranger, veterinarian, or game warden.


Abandoned or alone fawn - Deer will often leave their fawns in a safe place that is usually well hidden from danger. If you come across a fawn leave it where it is as the mother probably left it there. If the fawn is acting distressed refer to the paragraph above.

I am by no means a professional in this matter so here are a few links that may offer you more and better information.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/rehab/orphan/

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/

http://angela-libal.suite101.com/encountering-wildlife-a339613

Open Season on Bigfoot in Texas!

That's right! If you've always been interested in a nice juicy Sasquatch steak but not that boring store bought Sasquatch, then head on down to Texas where it has been confirmed that it is perfectly legal to shoot a Sasquatch (if you can find one).


This news came not long after long time Sasquatch hunter John Lloyd contacted TPWD to essentially see if he would be allowed to "hunt" the mythical creature without getting busted by law enforcement. I can only imagine how that conversation went...


After reading a few articles my favorite quote comes straight from local source Radio Zone @ WOAI.com (Get the Full Artilce Here).

"1200 WOAI's Michael Board reports the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said today that anybody who wants to shoot the mythical forest creature, as well as unicorns, the chupacabra, and other non existent mammals, if they do it on private lands with permission, they can fire away."

So there you have it. Bigfoot, Sasquatch, Yeti, or whatever you call yourself these days, you tell your friends the Unicorn and Chupacabra that your days are numbered!

Stage 2 Water Restrictions - San Antonio

We hardly had a chance to recover from 2011 and now as Fiesta kicks into full swing the news is Stage 2 will be on us within the week.

Ready, Set, Here we go again.....

WOAI New Article

2012 Fishing Forecast (TPWD)

Read a good little article on the 2012 fishing forecast that some of you may enjoy.

"It's no secret that fish populations, like all natural resources, are being affected by the drought. West Texas and Panhandle lakes have been hit hard......"

Head on over the main article on the TPWD website by clicking the link below.

Drought Brings a Mixed Bag of Effects This Year

How I Rate Restroom/Shower Facilities

As I have said many times before I rate based off of what I consider to be the best SP facilities I have seen at Inks Lake but I think its time to put an official # scale to this.

Its a 5 star system

* Cleanliness - Self explainable.
* Smell - Is there a funky smell.
* Privacy - Showers and restrooms.
* Maintenance - of sinks, showers, doors, etc.
* Structural - Condition of the overall building.

I think that's a relatively fair set of points to rate a restroom facility on but if you have any ideas please feel free to comment.

Garner State park - Review

Garner State Park
234 RR 1050
Concan, TX 78838
830-232-6132
Main Website
Google Maps

Brief Description/Location of Park
Garner SP is a beautiful park located 92 miles west of downtown San Antonio and about 30 miles North of Uvalde in Concan Texas. Garner is one of the busiest State Parks in Texas no doubt due to the beautiful, crystal clear waters of the Frio River, the excellent hiking and multitude of other activities that we will talk about in this review.

Main Attraction
There are many activities at Garner but the #1 draw is the 3 mile stretch of the Frio River that runs through the park. The only words that I can use to describe the Frio are Emerald, Crystal, Cool and Clear but in reality a picture says so much more.



The busiest part of the Frio River is in old Garner where the dam is located. Here you will find kayak and paddle boat rentals, rope swings volleyball courts, concessions, and the day use areas. I have heard that when it is quit this area is even good for fishing as the TPWD stocks trout in this area.


Like I mentioned earlier there are 3 miles of riverfront in Garner so for campers finding a good swimming or fishing spot may be just a short walk away from your camp loop. Our site was located in the Rio Frio loop of New Garner and an excellent swimming area was only a short hike away.



Besides fishing one may also enjoy hiking, mountain biking or birding and Garner offers and extensive system of trails to satisfy just about any level of proficiency. I can not speak much to the trails on this review because about 1 mile into my mountain bike ride I had a catastrophic tube blow out and I had forgotten my spare... sorry. One of the most popular hikes is to the top of Old Baldy but care must be taken as accidents have happened in this area in the past. The views from atop Old Baldy are nothing short of spectacular.



The fishing at Garner is a little unique in that the water is so clear the fish can see the bait/lure perfectly and if its not what they want then they are not interested. I personally managed to catch a few small and medium Perch but what I saw had me moving up and down the bank of the river begging for a bite. I saw Brown Bass as long as my forearm and a school of 8 Catfish just loitering in the clear waters. Come prepared with light and ultralight tackle and be prepared to change up your presentation, and good luck. **The park host (my cousin) mentioned that trout in the park LOVE corn. I didn’t try this but it may be good to know.**


Day Use
I described the day use area above so all I can really add is that this area can become very very crowded during peak hours especially during the summer months.


Camping Facilities
Garner has A LOT of camping areas, more than any State Park I have ever been too. Garner is broken into 2 sections, Old Garner and New Garner. From the main entrance anything to the right is Old Garner, this is where you will find the camp store, pavilion, restaurant and dam. To the left after the park entrance is New Garner newer sites but farther away from all the amenities of the Park.



Our site (pictured above) was located in New Garner about 2 miles away from the day use area and all the goodies mentioned above in Old Garner but the site was level and the restrooms were close by while a nice swimming area was only a short walk away.


All campsites have a vehicle pad, picnic table, lantern post and fire ring. The campsites at Garner are what you would expect from a State Park and we had no complaints. Garner had far too many sites for me to offer any recommendations on what sites are best so I would recommend heading to the website and checking out a Park map.

One of the most interesting things I noticed about Garner was the number of tent campers. Usually at a SP you see the water/electric sites dominated by travel trailers, 5th wheels and Pop Ups but not this time. There were without a doubt more people camping in tents than anywhere I had seen in some time.


Restroom/Shower Facilities
The facilities were adequate in cleanliness though not as clean as the Inks Lake facilities (standard for rating SP restrooms) and it did not help that there seemed to be an outbreak of crane flies that seemed to all migrate and become trapped in the lighted restrooms. The showers had a wet and a dry section and a curtain for privacy in some while other facilities has separate rooms with lockable doors (we had the prior). I will have to give the facilities a 3.5 out of 5, without faulting the bugs the restroom did have a “smell” and the curtained showers may put some people off.


Conclusion
Garner is a must visit park for everyone in the State of Texas and if you have not been its about time you go. I highly recommend this Park for camping just be aware that it can get very crowded so if your intention is to escape the crowds this may not be the Park for you.

Guadalupe River North @ Rebecca Creek - Bass Fishing

Jon boat fishing on the Guadalupe River early Saturday morning. We motored about 2.5 miles upstream and started fishing back with the current.
I am a pretty novice fisherman so I had some coaching from my friend Brian who was fly fishing while I used a spinning rod/reel with rooster tails and plastics worms.
We put in at Boat Ramp #11 on Rebecca Creek just West of Canyon Lake where the Guadalupe River starts backing up as it enters the lake. We where in my friends 14ft V jon boat pushed by an 8hp outboard with a 30# thrust trolling motor.

The river in this area is pretty deep and wide with many submerged trees that outlined the original bank of the river. These submerged trees offer the shelter that many game fish tend to migrate to (or so I have been told).

There are also many areas where the grassy shore roles right up and into the river (one of the fish was caught casting and keeping the lure about 3 feet off the shore line).

Numerous rocky outcrops also dot the way, here I caught a 6 inch Guadalupe Bass on a Plastic worm.

All in all I had a great time here. While fishing is something I have not done seriously in the 15ish years prior to this I have to admit it felt good and was coming back pretty quick (kinda like riding a bike). Now I know you’re asking where are the pictures of the fish.. well I’ll post the 2 that didn't get away as soon as my friend sends me the pictures. Rest assure this was no fish tail we did catch something!


So if you have a small boat, canoe or kayak I would highly recommend giving this area a shot, just remember to stay on the river because you are flanked by private property on each side.

Upcoming Review - Garner State Park

It's been a long time since I have been to Garner and on the weekend of 4-20-12 we will be going back. Expect a new review format, better information, and more pictures.

Guadalupe River South Trail Below Canyon Lake

On an late March morning before the sun had a chance to clear up the morning fog a couple friends of mine took me to a new place that had been right under my nose this hole time. I have been to Canyon Lake more times than I can count and I have walked the Dam itself about half as many times as that but I never knew there was another park less than 500 yards away and visible from the top of the Dam.

View Guadalupe River South Trail in a larger map

At the time I did not have a fishing license so did not participate in the fishing however I did have my tablet and plenty time to take a few pictures. This first picture is from when we first arrived looking out to where the water from Canyon Lake becomes what is commonly referred to as Guadalupe River South. We are on the opposite side of the river from the trail proper where a small fishing area is set up.
 

To the left (looking down stream) a small feeder creek also joins the river. The creek is shallow but clear.

Probably my favorite picture from this trip.

My friends waded out to a small island to try their luck.

On the trail side of the small park the first thing you will encounter is this sign at the trailhead.

The main trail is wide and well maintained however getting to the river can be a little tricky as there are no maintained trails that make the short transition. We found a path and managed to make it down without slipping

Several small overlooks along the river offer nice views

The pictures below are of a rocky out crop about 80 yards long and this is where we fished for the rest of the day (you can click on them to make the larger).

This last set of pictures dose not really need further description beyond noting that at this point the sun was either out or nearly out.

All in all it was a very nice spot. We did not see many people on our visit but because it is a free area with river access I am sure it gets rather busy at times so your experience may differ significantly.