All posts by : tgcanoe

Evelyn and I head out to the Guadalupe River in Spring Branch Texas for a great day of paddling. We ran the 6.2 mile trip from Guadalupe Canoe Livery to Rebecca Creek Road. Water flow was great at 350 cfs.

The San Marcos River rises from the Edwards Aquifer in San Marcos Tx forming Spring Lake. It travels 80 miles throughout Central Texas and empties into the Guadalupe River in Gonzales Tx. This makes up part of the annual 260 mile Texas Water Safari race. The San Marcos River is spring fed and has constant flow all year round. As always, know your skill set and research your trip for known portages.

Fishing: Largemouth, Smallmouth, Guadalupe Bass and Guadalupe/Smallmouth hybrids are all found in the San Marcos River. Good number of catfish, Rio Grande Perch, several species of sunfish, carp and gar can also be found.

City Park – Rio Vista Park .6 Miles
Rio Vista Park – Old Bastrop RD 101 4.8 Miles
Old Bastrop RD 101 – San Marcos Scout Camp .65 Miles
San Marcos Scout Camp – Scull’s Crossing 3 Miles
Scull’s Crossing – Shady Grove Campground 1.8 Miles
Shady Grove Campground – 1977 Staples Bridge 5.2 Miles
1977 Staples Bridge- St Park Road 20 Fentress Bridge 9.6 Miles
Hwy 90 Luling – Zedler Mill Park 6.1 Miles

Looking for adventure? The South Llano River near Junction Tx is easily one of our favorite rivers in Texas. The South Llano River is a marvelous, crystal clear, spring fed river. Fun Fact: it flows Northeast instead of Southeast like most rivers in Texas. Fishing was hit hard by a monster flood in 2018. With that being said throwing smaller jigs, rooster tails, and Texas rigged worms is ideal. The flow was 75 cfs at the Junction gauge on this trip.

We used reclaimed wood to make these boat stands, in a few hours and you can build one as well. They stand 36″ tall 40″ wide with 18″ feet, attached using 2.5″ wood screws. To complete the cradles we used two pieces of 1.5″ webbing side by side totaling 3″ wide. You can also complete this project using four new 2x4x8’s.

Heavy rains brought the Blanco River back to life once again. Muddy waters couldn’t keep Evelyn and Alex away. After work they paddled the short 1hr trip from Uhland Bridge to Old Martindale Rd. The river was running 274 cfs at the SM gauge.

We celebrated Easter and Duane and Evelyn’s 40th wedding anniversary by sloooowly paddling up the San Marcos River and back. Tom and Paula Goynes joined us with Aubrey, Nate, and Alex.

TG Crew got away to catch a rise on the South Llano River. The 224 CFS was wonderful (a month earlier we paddled the section right above at 76 CFS). The water was murky with the runoff but the 7.5 mile paddle from KC150 down to Llano State Park Road was a joy on this 87 degree day.

Junction, TX, the South Llano River from 2nd Crossing to KC 150. West Texas rivers never disappoint and the South Llano is a spring-fed jewel. The 76 CFS was enough flow. Although we did bump the bottom in shallow areas, we chose our lines well and did not have to get out, except to portage or wet a line. We took fishing rods, just ’cause, but our purpose was to paddle and enjoy the majesty. Alex and Duane paddled Jackson Kayak Coosa HDs and Evelyn chose the JK Coosa. They were great choices to handle the quick water and wall shots the SLR had to offer. We encountered Great Blue Herons, Green Kingfishers, Belted Kingfishers, Mallards, hawks, crows, and feral hogs. The South Llano River runs South to North. That really makes no paddling difference unless it’s Winter and the wind is straight from the North at 10 – 15 mph. The 60 + degree temps were great, but the wind in the flat sections kept us paddling, head down and into it. Overall, it took us 4 hours with some early fishing and lunch along the way. We would rate this run for intermediate paddlers on this day, mostly because the wind could reek havoc on a newbie. Now, fast forward to summer Southern winds, and that wind dynamic reverses – down wind paddling anyone? After a dry fall and Winter, where do we go to get our West Texas river fix? The South Llano River is crystal clear, gorgeous, always running, and certainly does scratch that itch!