Fishing Report: Guadalupe River Spring 2026

The Guadalupe River is running clear and cold this spring, and the fishing has been exceptional. After decades of chasing stories across Nebraska and beyond, I always find my way back to the waters where I learned to fish. The rhythm of a good cast and the whisper of the current ground me before a big investigation.

This is my mid-May report on Guadalupe River fishing Texas anglers will want before the weekend — where the fish are, what is taking them, and how the spring flow has changed the game on the Hill Country’s most beloved water.

Current Conditions

As of mid-May 2026, the Guadalupe is running at 427 cfs at the Kerrville gauge, which are ideal conditions for wade fishing. Water temperatures hover around 58-62°F, perfect for rainbow and brown trout in the catch-and-release section below the dam.

The spring spawn is winding down, but the fish are still aggressive. I’ve landed several rainbows in the 14-18 inch range over the past two weeks, particularly around the Box Canyon reach and Cypress Bend.

That flow number is worth explaining, because it matters more than the temperature reading. At roughly 400 cfs the river runs clear enough to see the bottom in the wadeable sections, but there is enough current to keep the seams and eddies working. Below 300 cfs the river gets lazy and the trout get spooky. Above 600 cfs it turns into a different river — green, pushy, and not where I want to be standing.

The temperature range matters more than most people expect. Trout feeding slows sharply below 52°F and picks up again past 55°F. We are sitting right in the productive window.

What’s Biting

The topwater bite has been excellent in the early morning hours, think 6:30 to 8:30 AM. I’ve had success with Gordon Griffiths and Boogle Bug poppers in sizes 4-6. If the surface bite slows, switch to a Woolly Bugger or Clouser in olive or crawfish colors.

The spring creek hatch is just starting. I’ve seen caddisflies and a few small mayflies, though the heavier mayfly hatches are still two to three weeks away. A #14 caddis or elk hair caddis in tan is a good bet.

Where to Fish the Guadalupe River in Spring

Spring pushes fish into the seams: the seam between fast and slow water, and the inside of every bend. That is where the feed concentrates now. Three reaches stand out.

Box Canyon and the run below it. The pools here hold trout through the middle of the day because the spring water keeps them cold and shaded. This is where the biggest rainbows of the spring have come to hand.

Cypress Bend. Quieter, more remote, and excellent once the crowds thin out around 10 AM. The bend itself holds during a wind.

Upper Mountain Grape. Lighter pressure and healthy fish. If you want to spend a morning without shoulder-to-shoulder waders, this is the stretch.

A note on the trout section below the dam: the rainbows are stocked, the browns are wild. That distinction is the most important ethical fact about spring fishing on this river.

Best Times to Fish the Guadalupe This Spring

Early morning is still the answer, but the reason has changed since March. In the spawn weeks, fish were keyed on movement and visibility, so dawn was about getting ahead of the boat traffic. Now that the spawn is over, the fish are feeding on the hatches, and the feeding window has widened.

My practical schedule is a two-part morning. I am on the water around 6:15 AM with a topwater pattern, working the seams and the seams near the bank. When the sun clears the ridge around 9 AM and the surface stops working, I switch to subsurface patterns and stay with it through 11:30. Then I get off the water for the hottest part of the day.

Cloud cover is the best thing that can happen to a spring trip. On an overcast morning I have had fish feeding at noon that refused everything at 7 AM on a clear day.

Hot Spots and Tips for This Weekend

1. Upper Mountain Grape — Best for solitude. Light pressure, healthy fish.
2. Kerrville City Park — Accessible, good for beginners. Watch for boat traffic.
3. Cypress Bend — Trophy water. Move down after early morning.

If you are fishing with kids or anyone who does not wade, Kerrville City Park is the sensible choice. The fish are smaller, the current is gentler, and you can see the bottom from the bank.

A few weekend rules I have learned the hard way. Go early, because the crowds will be out by 10 AM on Saturday. Watch the weather, because afternoon thunderstorms are common this time of year. Bring layers, because it cools off quickly when the clouds roll in. Check the gauge before you leave home, because an upstream release will change your plans. And bring a second rod if you have one — it takes the small fish while the first works the pool.

Spring Fishing Tactics for the Guadalupe River

Fly fishing is the most productive approach right now. The fish are looking up and looking forward. A good nymph rig — a caddis or pheasant tail over a small weighted bead — beats anything else I have tried in the last two weeks.

For lure fishing, work the deeper seams with a 3.25 inch soft plastic on a jig head, slowly, and let it swing with the current. Trout in the spring are not interested in speed.

And pay attention to the weather. Spring fishing in Texas Hill Country means the forecast is the most important piece of equipment you own. Storms down the hill at 2 PM will raise the gauge in a hurry and turn the river the color of coffee.

Reading the Gauge and the Forecast

Every trip I make on the Guadalupe starts the night before with the Kerrville gauge and the upstream release schedule. The river is dam-controlled, which means its personality on any given day was decided hours earlier by someone else.

If the gauge reads under 100, I go upstream where the smaller tributaries are still running well. If it reads over 250, I go downstream to the deeper pools and I stop trying to wade. Between 80 and 250 is the productive window where the seams hold fish and the bottoms stay visible.

Forecast-wise, I am watching for two things: any rain in the watershed, and a rising barometer. A rising barometer in the forty-eight hours before a front often means the fish will feed hard right up until it arrives. Once the front passes, give the river a day to settle before you make a trip around it.

A Note on Ethics

For those new to the Hill Country: please practice catch-and-release in the trout section. The rainbows below the dam are maintained by stocking, but browns are wild and vital to the ecosystem. Handle all fish with wet hands and get them back in the water quickly.

Spring is when the browns hold in the deepest seams and when the largest fish in the river are the ones you can reach. Landing a spawner takes a fish out of the population that would have produced next year’s fish. That is the whole argument, and it does not take long to make.

If you take one photograph, take it with the fish in the water. If you land one fish, release it quickly. If you catch twenty, you have had a very good day on a river that is generous with everyone who treats it well. That generosity is the reason Guadalupe River fishing Texas keeps drawing people back, and it will keep drawing me back every spring.

Matthew Bovee is an investigative journalist who grew up fishing the Guadalupe River in Kerrville, Texas. When he’s not investigating stories or writing books, you’ll find him on the water—or researching his next book.