Easy access on their namesake river
On The Fly Freshwater
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March 2024
Article and Photos by Jimmy Jacobs
Any angler wanting to catch a complete slam of all the black bass species on the fly is destined to end up at some point in the Lone Star State. That’s because the Guadalupe bass is found only in Texas.
The Guadalupe bass is native to a few rivers on the Edwards Plateau of south-central Texas. This area is in the vicinity of San Antonio.
These bass are natural river fish, preferring to inhabit water that is moving. They most often are found around rocks, as well as being the bass species most prone to eating insects. That latter characteristic makes them ideal targets for fly casting.
The world record for a Guadalupe bass stands at just 3.71 pounds. In fact, most of these bass are more likely to measure only 9 to 12 inches, with anything pushing 15 inches considered a trophy.
A while back the On The Fly South crew headed west to tangle with some of these bass. As one might expect, the most likely place to find them is in their namesake Guadalupe River. That flow also offers the bonus of a tailwater trout fishery downstream of Canyon Lake. We planned to sample both on the trip.
The Guadalupe rises in Kerr County in the Texas Hill Country, at the junction of its North and South Forks in the town of Hunt. From there the upper Guadalupe passes through Kerrville, as it heads in a generally eastern direction. After running through Guadalupe River State Park just north of San Antonio, the river feeds into Canyon Lake near New Braunfels. Once through the lake, the lower Guadalupe turns to the southeast to eventually empty into San Antonio Bay on the Gulf of Mexico.
We started our adventure by visiting Guadalupe State Park to try for the bass. It proved to be a good choice as we caught a number of the fish, while wading the river. Next it was off to the tailwater. Hiking down the Guadalupe River Access Trail, we waded the river for trout along the public section.
Then, with one more day to fish, we started studying maps looking for another likely access point for some wading. We finally decided to drive over to the vicinity of Spring Branch, to a site called Nichol’s Landing, at the bridge where Spring Branch Road crossed the flow. This is in Comal County and at the time had an unpaved parking area and gravel shoreline access.
Best of all, there was at least a quarter mile of water from the bridge downstream that was easily waded, with lots of rocks and a good current. Although it was early in December, the weather was unseasonable warm, with the temperature flirting with 80 degrees. That made it comfortable to get in the water without the need for waders.
Our first efforts at connecting with the bass using popping bugs proved fruitless. Apparently, they were not feeding on top and already prepared for winter, in spite of the present warm temperatures. Switching off to tossing Wooly Buggers in black or olive hues, the fish became more accommodating.
Although we didn’t hook any bragging sized Guadalupes, a number of the smaller ones were more than willing to give us a fight.
Since our visit, Nichol’s Landing has been upgraded to a Comal County park. The parking lot now is paved and a number of regulations new apply. The park is open from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. From Memorial Day to Labor Day an entrance fee is charged on weekends and holidays, or any other time an attendant is present.
Another factor about Nichol’s Landing making it accommodating for angling is the park serves as the jump off point for the Nichol’s Landing Paddling Trail. This trail runs for 9.9 miles down river to the Rebecca Creek Road bridge. An alternate take out is 5.4 miles below Nichol’s Landing at the FM 311 highway bridge. For those not familiar with Texas road numbers, FM stands for Farm to Market, signifying roads in rural regions that connect the agricultural areas to market towns.
Through here the river is skirted by limestone cliffs and many large, mature bald cypress trees. There are a number of shoals along this course, interspersed with gentle stretches. At 1.5 miles downstream of the FM 311 bridge, Mueller Falls forms a chute to the left of an island that offers and exciting ride. Similarly, at 5 miles below that same bridge Rust Falls is on the left and requires a bit of caution in traversing. Makin the run down the paddling trail takes from 3 to 6 hours, depending on which take out is used.
Whether you are up for some wade fishing in the park or tackling the paddling trail for some float fishing, tossing flies should hook you up with some of the iconic Guadalupe bass found in the river.
