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Home › Waters › Texas › Pedernales River
River · The Texas Hill Country west of Austin, running through Fredericksburg and Johnson City toward Lake Travis · Texas

Pedernales River Fishing Guides

A classic Hill Country limestone river of slabs, chutes and green pools, and one of the most approachable places anywhere to catch a Guadalupe bass on a fly.

Gauge location. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Guides on the Pedernales River

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About the Pedernales River

The Pedernales runs east out of the country west of Fredericksburg, past Johnson City, and into the western arm of Lake Travis. It is a Hill Country river in the truest sense: a bed of flat limestone slabs, water that slides through narrow chutes and then opens into deep green pools, and cypress and pecan along the banks. In a wet year it is a lovely, wadable, floatable stream. In a dry one long sections go to standing pools connected by a trickle, and the river becomes a wading and hiking trip rather than a paddle. Both versions fish, but they fish differently and it is worth knowing which one is running.

The fish that brings anglers here is the Guadalupe bass, native only to this part of central Texas and found nowhere else in the world. They are small by bass standards, rarely much over a pound, but they hold in fast water like a trout and hit hard enough that nobody complains about size. Largemouth take the deeper pools, Rio Grande cichlid are abundant and eager, and redbreast sunfish will take almost any small popper thrown near structure. Light tackle and small flies are the tools that fit.

Most guided work here is wade fishing or a kayak float on the reaches near Johnson City and through Pedernales Falls State Park, where the exposed slab formations are the signature of the river. The park is the best public access in the drainage and it has a firm rule worth respecting: the falls area itself is closed to swimming and the river rises fast in a storm. The gauge near Johnson City is the honest read on whether there is enough water to float.

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Access

Pedernales Falls State Park - the primary public access, with trails, bank fishing and the falls formations.
Cypress Mill low-water crossing - a common upstream put-in for kayak floats toward the park.
Hammett's Crossing on Ranch Road 962 - mid-river access and a popular wade-fishing stretch.
Highway 281 crossing at Johnson City - roadside access near the gauge and the town reaches.
Reimers Ranch Park in Travis County - lower-river access on the approach to Lake Travis.
Milton Reimers and Westcave Preserve area - limited-permit and day-use access on the lower river.
Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park - riverfront frontage near Stonewall on the upper river.

Seasons

Spring: highest and most reliable flows, best floating, and Guadalupe bass feeding hard in the chutes.
Summer: low and warm, wading and sight-fishing the pools, with early morning by far the best window.
Fall: flows recover with autumn rain and the river fishes as well as it does all year.
Winter: cool, clear and quiet, slow fishing but the most pleasant wading conditions of the year.

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Questions

What is the current flow on the Pedernales River?

As of Sep 8, 12:00 am, the USGS gauge Pedernales Rv nr Johnson City, TX reads 8 cfs. Conditions update every 15 minutes.

What species can you catch on the Pedernales River?

Anglers target Channel Catfish, Guadalupe Bass, Largemouth Bass, Longnose Gar, Redbreast Sunfish, Rio Grande Cichlid on the Pedernales River in Texas.

Where can you access the Pedernales River?

Pedernales Falls State Park - the primary public access, with trails, bank fishing and the falls formations. Cypress Mill low-water crossing - a common upstream put-in for kayak floats toward the park. Hammett's Crossing on Ranch Road 962 - mid-river access and a popular wade-fishing stretch. Highway 281 crossing at Johnson City - roadside access near the gauge and the town reaches. Reimers Ranch Park in Travis County - lower-river access on the approach to Lake Travis. Milton Reimers and Westcave Preserve area - limited-permit and day-use access on the lower river. Lyndon B. Johnson National...

When is the best time to fish the Pedernales River?

Spring: highest and most reliable flows, best floating, and Guadalupe bass feeding hard in the chutes. Summer: low and warm, wading and sight-fishing the pools, with early morning by far the best window. Fall: flows recover with autumn rain and the river fishes as well as it does all year. Winter: cool, clear and quiet, slow fishing but the most pleasant wading conditions of the year.

Where are the fishing regulations for the Pedernales River?

Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Texas agency site: https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/fishing