AUSTIN – Anglers have the opportunity to target rainbow trout during the peak of cold-weather stocking and fishing season thanks to a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) “no fee” public access lease on the Guadalupe River.
“This lease location provides great bank angler access to river trout fishing coupled with gorgeous Guadalupe River scenery,” said Patrick Ireland, TPWD Inland Fisheries Division San Marcos and Austin District Supervisor.
The site is at Camp Huaco Springs, which is located between New Braunfels and Sattler , featuring nearly a half-mile of bank access along alternating pools and riffles on the Guadalupe River. Anglers can utilize the bank, which is gently sloped and rocky, or wade fish both upstream and downstream. There is a low-water dam at the upper end of the property and deep pool at the lower end.
Public access to the site is open from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset through Saturday, March 5, 2022, for angling from the banks and launching non-motorized boats, canoes, kayaks, or other floatable devices for the purpose of fishing.
TPWD will stock this and other sections of the Guadalupe River, also known as the Canyon Reservoir Tailrace, with more than 20,000 rainbow trout during weekly stockings from early December through late-February. Be sure to check the 2021-22 Trout Stocking Schedule online before you go fishing to confirm the stocking date and to find other winter trout stocking program angling locations and tips.
Camp Huaco Springs falls under the statewide trout regulations so, anglers may keep up to their daily bag limit of five trout with no minimum length limit. Trout anglers 17 years of age and older will need a valid fishing license that includes a freshwater fishing endorsement.
Anglers may find public access to the river in other areas being stocked with trout – including Guadalupe Park, operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – but should note that special regulations and limits are in effect starting 800 yards downstream from the Canyon Dam release to the second bridge crossing on River Rd.
Camp Huaco Springs is located at 4150 River Road, New Braunfels, TX 78132. For more information, or to find leased River Access and Conservation Areas on other rivers in Texas, visit the RACA program website.
