Spring has arrived to the Guadalupe River valley, and with it our first substantial rains in many months. Flows below Canyon Dam are up from the season lows and are now at 85cfs. In addition to more water, we are also seeing slightly stained water which has been good for the fish as well as the fishing. Trout have moved somewhat with the increased flows but we are still finding most of the trout in the deeper water. The stained waters has helped keep the fish more hidden from birds such as ospery, and we are seeing more fish on the edges of the deep waters and often in the riffles. These conditions also have helped with fly selection (patterns such as San Juan Worms and Prince Nymphs are working again) and we are able to use somewhat heavier tippet--4x & 5x, rather than 5x & 6x. The sucker spawn is coming to an end, but we are seeing some fish still eating on egg patterns when fished deep. Other successful patterns include baetis emergers in 16s to 20s and caddis emergers. Our tricos have continued to appear in the mornings and quite often we are seeing good cross hatches of midges and caddis in the afternoons.
All-in-all the river has been fishing very well for trout and we are seeing some nice hits from other species. We landed a nice 12.5# carp on 4x tippet and a damsel nymph last week along with some nice smallies and a few sunfish mixed in for good measure. Float trips are still the best way to see the river, as we are able to cover quite a bit more water in a day and get to spots that are more difficult to access via foot.
Spring has arrived to the Guadalupe River valley, and with it our first substantial rains in many months. Flows below Canyon Dam are up from the season lows and are now at 85cfs. In addition to more water, we are also seeing slightly stained water which has been good for the fish as well as the fishing. Trout have moved somewhat with the increased flows but we are still finding most of the trout in the deeper water. The stained waters has helped keep the fish more hidden from birds such as ospery, and we are seeing more fish on the edges of the deep waters and often in the riffles. These conditions also have helped with fly selection (patterns such as San Juan Worms and Prince Nymphs are working again) and we are able to use somewhat heavier tippet--4x & 5x, rather than 5x & 6x. The sucker spawn is coming to an end, but we are seeing some fish still eating on egg patterns when fished deep. Other successful patterns include baetis emergers in 16s to 20s and caddis emergers. Our tricos have continued to appear in the mornings and quite often we are seeing good cross hatches of midges and caddis in the afternoons. 
All-in-all the river has been fishing very well for trout and we are seeing some nice hits from other species. We landed a nice 12.5# carp on 4x tippet and a damsel nymph last week along with some nice smallies and a few sunfish mixed in for good measure. Float trips are still the best way to see the river, as we are able to cover quite a bit more water in a day and get to spots that are more difficult to access via foot. 
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