January
During January we chase the trout predominately with the GRTU and state stockings at the height of the season. This is some of the best time to be on the Guadalupe if you don’t mind the cold. You can have yourself a great day on an empty river if you can take a little cold in the morning, When the sun gets over the cypress trees it typically feels fine on the boat. This is a great time of the year to chase trout on the Guadalupe.
February
February brings on more of the same with many more trout getting put into the river every week. February is typically the last month that we get newly stocked trout. After all of the trout for the season have been stocked and caught a time or two this is the time of the year it helps to size down fly size and tippet to get a few more eats. Still TONS of trout in the river this time of the year. Bass will also start getting frisky with warmer air temps typically coming at the end of the month.
March
Spring has arrived in Texas by March with water temps heating up and the bass getting more active and getting ready to spawn. This is the time to fish central Texas. With the trout still plentiful in the river and the opportunity to catch Guadalupe, large and smallmouth bass on Central Texas streams. We throw different poppers, large streamer and large river insects to fool these fish.
April
April is another great month to be on the river with bass and trout opportunities in central Texas, We tend to start shifting our focus to bass during this time throwing poppers, hoppers and small streamers to the local bass. These are fun days to spend on the Guadalupe, Llano or San Marcos chasing these river bass in beautiful places with great weather.
May
May is your last chance at the Texas rainbow trout depending on water temps. That doesn’t mean that all the large trout are done for the season. We catch many of our largest trout of the year in May. Most seasons we fish until the middle of May then we shift solely to the bass fisheries. Great days on the popper or streamers can be had. We tend to fish early in the day to beat the heat this time of the year but still a great time to be fishing.
June
June is when I head back into the Gunnison River valley to chase brown and rainbow trout on the Gunnison river. The river is typically up and running high at the beginning of the month but, if you can sneak out before the runoff hits you can have some great days of fishing in the cold clear water. The Gunnison fishes very well after runoff which happens towards the end of the month or beginning of July depending on snowfall levels.
July
July is a great time to be fishing the Gunnison river. After the first week or two of the month the water levels have begun to drop and runoff has finished for the year and it’s on. The next month of fishing is some of my favorite time to be fishing just about anywhere in the lower 48. Caddis, Green drakes, PMD’s and many other bugs are all present this time of the year and can lead to some great days of fishing, Float trips on the Gunnison are the best way to experience this river.
August
August is also a great time to be floating the Gunnison with water levels dropping to more easily floatable levels and being able to pick apart the river just a little more. With many bugs still present on the river and plenty of floatable water August is a great time to come throw dries on the Gunnison. This is also a great time of the year to chase the green drake hatch up the East and Taylor rivers on foot.
September
September is still float fishing season on the Gunnison with the bugs getting smaller like BWO’s, and tricos everywhere. A nymph rig or a long hopper dropper can lead to a great day of fishing with many fish in the net. The end of September is also my preferred time to walk wade the Gunnison or Taylor river with easy easy walking and great fishing to be had on dries, nymph rigs or hopper droppers.
October
October I typically split between Gunnison and Texas. The fishing in both places are great this time of the year with less traffic on the Gunnison than the summer and great fishing still to be had. A float trip can still be done into middle of October on the Gunnison too based on that seasons water levels. The Texas bass fisheries also start to heat up this time of the year with water temps getting back to more reasonable levels. October can have awesome weather for your Hill Country float and the bass don’t mind it either.
November
November is a great time to chase bass on warmer days and the popper fishing can be outstanding. The Guadalupe has great bass fishing options this time of the year along with the San Marcos River. The winter months are a great time to find a large Hill Country bass with the fish putting on the pounds for the winter and eating some big flies. The GRTU typically does the first stocking of the season at the end of the month. The holdover trout from the last seasons stockings are also still in the river and can reach lengths of 25'“ and longer.
December
December is when trout season is in full swing with the first few stockings already done and many fish already cruising the river. The beginning of the month is also another great time to chase the holdover trout before the water temps get too cold and the fish retreat to the deep winter pools. A great time for beginners to get on the boat!
