Canyon Lake: Finding fish is now easier

I was so interested in the three dams under repair on the Guadalupe River that I didn’t think much about the upper Guadalupe River and Canyon Lake. This is wrong.

Canyon Dam forms Canyon Lake and is much smaller than the four dams below it, which recently became the main news of the day.

But those lower lakes — Dunlap, McQueeney, Plessid, and Wood (near Gonzales) — get their water from the upper Guadalupe, and it’s often the first stream in Texas to get into drought trouble.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, I ran in a circle of aspiring adventurers who scoured the creeks of central Texas and made a few trips to the big river—the Rio Grande. One day, I ran into one and asked when the next boat trip was. He shook his head and replied: “Whenever it rains enough on the top of Guadalupe to float a canoe!”

I ignored the fact that Texas was experiencing another drought – like the one we are experiencing now. Most streams were having trouble with the dried elm leaf floating too far. This is what it looks like now.

John Jefferson is a lifelong outdoorsman, coordinator and director of hunting and fishing regulations for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 20-year editor of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Outdoor Annual, author of two hunting books, and recipient of numerous awards for writing and photography .

A photo of Canyon Lake in the excellent regional publication “San Antonio Report” shows an island in the middle of the lake. I can’t recall this ever happening. The report says the Canyon is at an all-time low, and only 70 percent filled. Only three boat ramps remain open. The Guadalupe River provides no flow, according to the report, citing Robert Mays, executive director of the Meadows Water Center at Texas State University.

Below Canyon Dam, the report says in Lindsay Carnett’s article, the flow from the lake is sufficient to be “safe for recreational activities downriver.” This flow is what is slowly refilling Lake Dunlap.

I called Philip Walker, my old fishing buddy and resident canyon angler. Near the mouths of Comal Creek and Tom Creek, there is exposed land and an “island hump,” Walker says. He also confirms the lack of flow, seeing only “puddles” in the riverbed.

When the lake recedes, hazards occur from rocks just below the surface that were not visible when the lake was full. Walker says the situation is not unsafe now because the islands are exposed. This may sound familiar to readers of this column who follow the rise and fall of Lake Travis on the Colorado River north of Austin. To paraphrase and borrow a quote from Willie, “Pedal slowly and enjoy the ride!” Avoiding underwater rocks and old trees is easier at slow speeds.

As for fishing, Phillip says the fish population in Canyon Lake is at an all-time high. The cold weather should create a memorable catch. It is said that ninety percent of fish are found in ten percent of water; It’s easier to find now.

Look for largemouths in the upper third near the hydrilla. Smallmouths will be in the lower third near shore.

it is time!