Fishes Devils River
River · Val Verde County in the western Hill Country of Texas, north of Del Rio between Juno and Lake Amistad · Texas
Devils River Fishing Guides
The clearest and most remote river in Texas, a spring-fed desert canyon float that is as much an expedition as a fishing trip and rewards anglers who plan it properly.
Map of the Devils River
16 numbered points: 2 access points, 4 campsites, 1 bridge, 3 parks and conservation areas, 1 agency office, 1 regulation section limit, 1 hazard, 1 spring, 1 USGS gauge, 1 point of interest. Tap a marker for details. Reviewed Oct 22, 2026.
- Access / boat ramp (2)
- Campsite (4)
- Bridge crossing (1)
- Park / conservation area (3)
- Agency / conservation office (1)
- Regulation section limit (1)
- Dam / hazard (1)
- Spring (1)
- USGS gauge (1)
- Point of interest (1)
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Points are curated from OpenStreetMap and state agency sources; confirm access and hours before you go.
Print it. Bag it. Bring it.Phones die, screens crack, and most of this water has no signal. Print this map, fold it into a zip-top bag or dry bag with your license, and you have a backup your electronics can’t give you. Every marker is numbered so you can say exactly where you are.
Open the printable mapAll 16 points on this map
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bakers Crossing TX 163 crossing - the river's put-in | Access / boat ramp | 29.96215, -101.14788 | km 0.0. The TX 163 bridge at Bakers Crossing is the standard put-in and the upper limit of TPWD's black bass section. OSM carries Bakers Crossing only as a place node, so this pin is the settlement at the crossing, not a mapped ramp. |
| 2 | USGS 08449000 - Devils River near Juno Flow and stage for the whole float | USGS gauge | 29.96354, -101.14538 | km 0.0. The gauge a Devils River trip reads before committing to the canyon. It sits 53 m off the centreline at the TX 163 crossing; roster coordinate, confirmed against the USGS site service. |
| 3 | Devils River State Natural Area - Del Norte Unit TPWD - 19 m off the river | Park / conservation area | 29.89903, -100.99779 | km 23.8. TPWD's upper unit, one of the few places on this river where the bank is public. Pinned on the unit boundary nearest the water; the polygon centroid lies 6.6 km inland. |
| 4 | Blue Spring Named spring on the Del Norte reach | Spring | 29.89380, -100.99473 | km 24.4. A named spring 89 m off the channel inside the Del Norte Unit, immediately above Dolan Falls. |
| 5 | Dolan Falls Waterfall - scout and portage | Dam / hazard | 29.88440, -100.99378 | km 25.6. The river's signature drop, mapped on the centreline. The Nature Conservancy's Dolan Falls Preserve holds the land around it. Scout it before committing. |
| 6 | Devils River State Natural Area - Dan A. Hughes Unit TPWD - 17 m off the river | Park / conservation area | 29.71208, -101.01788 | km 48.9. The lower TPWD unit. Pinned on the unit boundary nearest the water, for the same reason as the Del Norte Unit above. |
| 7 | Rubboard Crossing Named river crossing | Point of interest | 29.69855, -101.00705 | km 50.7. A long-standing named crossing 0.12 km off the channel. OSM carries it only as a place name, not as a road, a bridge or a ramp. |
| 8 | TPWD black bass section - lower limit at Big Satan Creek Boundary only - read the rules at TPWD | Regulation section limit | 29.66406, -100.94804 | km 60.8. TPWD's black bass section runs from the TX 163 bridge down to the Big Satan Creek confluence. This pin is that confluence, on the OSM node the creek shares with the Devils centreline. |
| 9 | Rough Canyon Recreational Area Amistad NRA - Devils River arm | Park / conservation area | 29.57624, -100.97742 | km 75.8. The first public frontage on the impounded lower arm, 0.42 km off the mapped centreline. |
| 10 | Rough Canyon Campground National Park Service | Campsite | 29.57353, -100.97739 | km 76.0. NPS campground at Rough Canyon, the usual end of a Devils River trip. |
| 11 | Rough Canyon boat ramp Unnamed in OpenStreetMap | Access / boat ramp | 29.57327, -100.97666 | km 76.0. The take-out ramp at Rough Canyon. OSM maps two unnamed slipways here 0.45 km apart; this is the one beside the campground, and its place is unambiguous. |
| 12 | Amistad National Recreation Area Visitor Center National Park Service - US 90 West, Del Rio | Agency / conservation office | 29.46599, -100.98837 | km 86.7. The NPS office that manages the impounded lower river, 2.3 km off the arm on US 90. |
| 13 | Governors Landing Dispersed Camping Amistad NRA - primitive | Campsite | 29.47672, -101.01560 | km 87.9. Primitive shoreline camping on the lower arm, above the US 90 bridge. |
| 14 | Governors Landing Campground National Park Service | Campsite | 29.47963, -101.02762 | km 89.2. The developed NPS campground at Governors Landing, beside the US 90 crossing of the Devils arm. |
| 15 | Governors Landing Bridge US 90 | Bridge crossing | 29.48521, -101.03348 | km 90.1. The US 90 crossing of the Devils River arm. It scores 0.28 km off the mapped centreline because the arm here is impounded and wide, not because it is on another water. |
| 16 | Amistad NRA Rock Quarry Dispersed Camping Amistad NRA - primitive | Campsite | 29.49366, -101.03757 | km 90.5. The lowest camping on the arm, a short way above the Rio Grande confluence. |
Guides on the Devils River
Claimed profiles take booking requests. Unclaimed profiles are built from public records so the river is never empty; the guide can claim or remove one any time.
Order on this page: premium and outfitter plans first (labelled Premium placement), then claimed free profiles, then unclaimed — one published price, no bidding for position. How placement works
About the Devils River
The Devils River is the least developed and by most accounts the cleanest river in Texas. It rises from springs in the arid country north of Del Rio and runs south through a limestone canyon into Lake Amistad on the Rio Grande. The water is startling: a hard blue-green over white rock, clear enough that fish are spotted before they are cast to. Because the flow comes from springs rather than runoff, it holds up through the brutal part of a Texas summer when almost every other river in the region is reduced to disconnected pools.
It is also difficult, and that is the defining fact about fishing it. The land on both banks is almost entirely private. There is no shuttle network, no ramp every few miles, and no cell coverage through most of the canyon. A trip here is a multi-day paddle between the state natural area units, with portages around rapids and around the sections where the river braids into shallow gravel. Anglers who treat it as a day float generally have a bad time. Guides and outfitters who work it plan two to three days and carry everything.
The fishing rewards the effort. Smallmouth bass are the headline and they fight harder in this cold, fast water than their size suggests. Guadalupe bass, the Texas state fish, hold in the faster runs, and Rio Grande cichlid, called perch locally, are everywhere and take a small fly readily. Sight-fishing is the method that fits the water. Permits are required for the state natural area and for the paddling corridor, access points are limited and specific, and the flow gauge near Juno decides whether a section is floatable or a long walk.
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The photo at the top of this page is not Devils River.
It is a regional stand-in, honestly captioned but generic — we will not put a name to a river we cannot prove. Send us a photograph you took here and it replaces the stand-in, with your credit on it.
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Access
Baker's Crossing on Highway 163 - the standard upper put-in and the start of most multi-day floats.
Devils River State Natural Area, Del Norte Unit - permit-only access and primitive camping mid-river.
Devils River State Natural Area, Big Satan Unit - the second permit unit and a common overnight stop.
Dolan Falls Preserve - Nature Conservancy land, viewing and passage only, no bank fishing.
Rough Canyon on Lake Amistad - the usual take-out where the river enters the reservoir.
Blue Sage and the private leases below Juno - permission-only bank access, arranged through outfitters.
Amistad National Recreation Area headquarters in Del Rio - permits, current conditions and launch information.
Seasons
Spring: best overall flows and the most comfortable paddling, with smallmouth aggressive on the gravel runs.
Summer: spring flow holds the river fishable while everything nearby drops, but the heat is genuinely dangerous.
Fall: flows steady and the crowds thin, generally the finest month of the year to run the canyon.
Winter: cold nights and low water, floatable but slow, and portages get long in the braided sections.
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Questions
What species can you catch on the Devils River?
Anglers target Channel Catfish, Guadalupe Bass, Largemouth Bass, Longnose Gar, Rio Grande Cichlid, Smallmouth Bass on the Devils River in Texas.
Are there fishing guides on the Devils River?
GuidedFloats lists 1 guide and outfitters on the Devils River. Claimed profiles accept booking requests; unclaimed profiles are built from public records and link to the business.
Where can you access the Devils River?
Baker's Crossing on Highway 163 - the standard upper put-in and the start of most multi-day floats. Devils River State Natural Area, Del Norte Unit - permit-only access and primitive camping mid-river. Devils River State Natural Area, Big Satan Unit - the second permit unit and a common overnight stop. Dolan Falls Preserve - Nature Conservancy land, viewing and passage only, no bank fishing. Rough Canyon on Lake Amistad - the usual take-out where the river enters the reservoir. Blue Sage and the private leases below Juno - permission-only bank access, arranged through outfitters. Amistad Natio...
When is the best time to fish the Devils River?
Spring: best overall flows and the most comfortable paddling, with smallmouth aggressive on the gravel runs. Summer: spring flow holds the river fishable while everything nearby drops, but the heat is genuinely dangerous. Fall: flows steady and the crowds thin, generally the finest month of the year to run the canyon. Winter: cold nights and low water, floatable but slow, and portages get long in the braided sections.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Devils River?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Texas agency site: https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/fishing