Water Body: Lower Guadalupe River
Stretch: just above 4th Crossing - just before 3rd Crossing
Distance: Approx 5 miles
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
Fishing: Poor
CFS: ~65 taken from
Sattler TX guage
Duration: 5 hours, fishing/leisure pace for the most part.
Time: On river at 1pm off at 6pm.
Air Temp: 65 for a high, trip was chilly in the shadows and as the sun started to dip behind the canyon walls. Would have been warmer had there not been any wet exits...
It was an interesting weekend in Central Texas and our plan for Sunday kayaking wasn't clear until the last minute. We had hopes of including friends on a paddle in closer proximity to home but Austin took a rain pounding of 3.3 inches on Saturday. The Colorado River was roaring and our planned trip in-between little and big Webberville parks was shot. River gauges were misleading as the slow progression of water downstream always surprises me. I mean, how long can it take 10,000 CFS to travel 15 miles? Apparently it is about 18 hours.
Instead we took our plan south where less rain had fallen. We had previously done stretches of the San Marcos as well as the Upper Guadalupe Rivers but paddlette was looking to mix it up. We'll post about those other stretches in the near future but with this trip I'll write while the memory is fresh.
The lower Guadalupe is known as "lower" because it is below the Canyon Lake Dam. This results in a fairly constant flow, even when other areas are struggling to have water. In the driest season it appears that the flow is dropped to about 50 cfs, +/-. From what we experienced at 65 cfs, 50 would be trouble. If you don't mind getting out of your boat and walk the shallows to pass the rapids then 50 would be fine for most areas, but if you're looking for a mostly continuous paddle, 62 -65 is about it, also considering our type of boats. A small whitewater rig would surely work better than our 12 footers. Even though it has been more than a year since owning the kayaks, I still "sphincter" when hear that tell tale scccraaaaaaapee across the bottom of the boat from a shallow rock. I try to decipher the tone of the scrape thinking "oooh, that one sounded sharp" or "ha, bounced right off of that boulder" but in the end you just need to keep paddling and chalk it up to the sport. It's like a fisherman losing a few fishing lures along the way... bound to happen, comes with the territory.
Our put in was at
Rio Guadalupe Resort just above "fourth crossing". It was okay, but we probably won't go back. The price was as steep as the boat launch. $9 per person just to set your personal boat in the water from their ramp. yikes. If it was an ideal ramp where you drove up to the water, unloaded, parked nearby, jumped right in the boat, and had friendly staff it might be different. Paddelette's feathers were ruffled by the lady inside the shop when after we paid for our trip downstream and asked for pointers she said "don't go downstream. ha! More water and more fish upstream! All I know is that some guys who went down stream to fish said they'd never do it again." Well, alrighty... good start. It's hard to be upset with honesty but it is frustrating when a fishing outfitter told us that the stretch we were looking at doing was a really good option. So, who do you listen to... sometimes you have to be your own judge and consider the angles of who is providing the info. A person who looks as though she doesn't fish much but is quick to say that there operation has been there 36 years, same family, and runs a heck of a country store for being well into the slow season. Or do you trust a fishing outfitter who doesn't have a boat ramp. And really, what he told us was to do the stretch above the one we inquired about, so that's what we did. Had we asked more directly about the stretch even higher up, his answer may well have been the same as the old lady at the store. Anyways... the ramp is also a beast. It's paved and solid, but the walk is probably 30 yards downhill. Putting in is definitely easier than taking out would be! Also there is a lack of signage so when the employees in the shuttle van get snippy for you to move your vehicle so they can get by, it continues to rub you the wrong way. Then another employee comes to tell you that you're are parked in the wrong spot and it isn't even your vehicle! Anyways.... we got onto the river $27 lighter.
Our take out spot was at
Rocky Beach, another private property on the river just before "3rd crossing". This was more our style... the parking was close and the fee was $3 per person to use the facility. In the off season it is on the honor system and I dropped a $10 bill in the box when we left our second car at the take out point. I suppose that when it is busy there may also be a parking fee... Our typical effort is to use public access points to avoid fees altogether. This isn't always possible, but spending $40 on this trip seemed to sting, but when you stop to think about it, it's tough to do anything for less than $40! To quell my complaining, I just found this
Texas Parks and Wildlife resource stating that launch access will be free during
a particular set of dates.
Paddlebro was with us for this adventure. It would be trip number 4 on his new kayak since it's purchase (Prowler
Big Game II), sixth trip in total, second in a river environment. Paddlebro is a bigger fella and invested in a bigger kayak. He will be more of a lake fisherman, but it doesn't stop paddlette and I from trying to get him on the smaller rivers. His kayak has a leisure seat on it, it may as well be a lawn chair and honestly I'm jealous of it. The kayak is also also wider to provide a more stable platform. These points do not bode well for river running, but he's a sport and wants to catch fish. This was supposed to be a shorter trip in distance so we could fish along the way. It did work that way, for the most part. We were rushed at the end to finish as the we started to lose light and degrees on the thermometer.
So... how about the trip in between the put in and take out? It was really nice. There was ample area to fish in pretty deep pools with good rocky structures, 1 dam (more on that dam in a minute), some fallen trees and brush to create good habitat but not enough to be a dangerous strainer, and the landscape was gorgeous. I knew the area below Canyon Dam was popular with fly fishermen as it is the only area where trout persist in Texas because the water is cold coming out from base of the dam. Well it hadn't occurred to me that with the colder season, the fish extend down stream and so do the fishermen. It didn't bother me to see them out there, if anything it was exciting knowing that there were fish to be caught! What did surprise me is that of the 30 people we saw fishing, none of them had the typical rod and reel and all were using fly fishing gear. Hmm... alright, well I looked for my most favorable, small bait, tied it on and decided to see what I could manage. Below is all that I have to show for my 5 - 6 hours of floating. Well, that and all the great times, laughs, and beautiful scenery I could handle. I'll rarely hinge my good times on just the number of fish I catch, unless I get skunked while others are catching keepers. Then all bets are off and I want in too!
The big (only) one.
Bait used: White Jig head with spinner, white plastic grub with yellow tail.
The River and Bald Cypress trees were a fantastic show of seasonal colors.
The fishing was poor. Paddlette caught a small sunfish in addition to the little one I caught pictured above. The fly anglers appeared to be using flies suspended below small floats, dropping the bait into the rapids and letting it swim. I saw no-one catch anything, but a few fish spotted in the water and reports of a few fish from the riverside anglers kept hopes alive. I would not want to be among weekend crowds during the peak of the trout season. Too much traffic.
The rapids were fun! There is a low dam just below the 4th crossing. It is passable on the left side when flows are higher. At the 65 cfs it was draaag city. While paddlette said "I looked good doing it" it was a rough go as I tried to make my way down the S turn in the waters below the dam. I scraped a lot, got hung up, and never felt comfortable as I passed through the rapids below the dam. Maybe it was too early into the trip for the biggest hurdle, but I couldn't get my paddling mojo going and instead helped paddlette and paddlebro portage this set. Two additional sets of rapids were memorable, mostly because Paddlebro went swimming each time. Wider boat, less experience, it happens. No worries, with the exception of the lost fishing pole which stings pretty bad and the shadows making for a chilly finish to the trip. There were more sets of small rapids, sets that I would enjoy running again. They also provided for areas where we could eddy up behind them and drop some baits in water that seemed sure to hold fish.
I would classify these rapids as easier than those of the Upper Guadalupe at similar flows. These rapids had less thuds and bounces and seemed to have more obvious and clear paths. The Upper Guad is a little less predictable as it is more shaped by flash floods. Unfortunately Paddlebro just had a rough day but Paddlette seemed to enjoy it all!
So, I'll be back to this stretch, especially if the flow is 65 cfs or higher. Also, I'll try for weekdays during trout season. I know I have the right to paddle the river, but as a fisherman I know the feelings of those shore fishing when your boat goes right through there target zone. Weekday fishing won't let me escape all of that but it will provide some stretches that are without fear of getting snagged by a whipping fly.
As a friendly heads up, a game warden was doing work on the river. Have your license and don't be using live bait in the stretches noted above! Also know your catch limits for size and quantity. They differ from one area of the river to the next!
Take care friends. Our next adventure is Fort Parker State Park and the Navasota River in Mexia Tx. It'll be a family thanksgiving trip with kayaks. We have fished it before with poor results, but we're going back!
Paddle On
~ Paddlee
