The Guadalupe River
The Guadalupe River starts west of Kerrville in Kerr County and continues southeast for 230 miles until it reaches San Antonio Bay and eventually flows into the Gulf of Mexico. This makes the Guadalupe River the 12th biggest river in Texas and also one of the most important rivers because it provides a habitat for different types of animals all across Texas including the endangered Blind Salamander.
Map via Wikimedia Commons
In 1958 to control flooding and conserve water, the Army Corps of Engineers began construction on the Canyon Lake Dam. The dam was completed six years later in 1964. Two years after that, the beer company Lone Star decided to stock the river with 10,000 trout that they had left over from a boat show. This led to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to continue stocking the river after they saw the trout could survive because of the cold water coming from the bottom of the dam. The continuous stocking efforts by TPWD led to the creation of the Guadalupe River Trout Unlimited chapter of Trout Unlimited or GRTU in the late 60s. Since then GRTU has grown to become the largest local chapter of Trout Unlimited with around 5,500 members. The growth of GRTU and the continued efforts by them and TPWD is why the Guadalupe River has become one of the top 100 trout fisheries in America.
The tailwater section of the Guadalupe River is stocked with rainbow trout from both TPWD which grows their trout in tanks in Texas. It also receives a large amount of trout from GRTU and those trout are brought in from Branson, Missouri.
This is an 18-inch trout that was stocked in the Guadalupe River from the hatchery in Branson, Missouri.
Pictured to the left is a 19-inch rainbow trout that is from the hatchery in Branson, Missouri.
The tailwater section of the Guadalupe is not only a trout fishery but also offers the chance to catch many other species as well. This smallmouth bass pictured on the right is just one of the many species you can aim to catch while fishing the Guadalupe
