Texas Hill Country

Guadalupe River Fishing: Best Times to Go

The Guadalupe River below Camp La Junta offers year-round fishing, but timing matters. Here’s my guide to when to go for the best experience.

Seasonal Breakdown

Spring (March-May) ⭐ TOP CHOICE

Spring is prime time on the Guads:

  • March: Spawning runs bring fish upstream
  • April: Post-spawn feeding frenzy
  • May: Warm water, active fish

Best for: Large trout, consistent action

Water conditions: Moderate flows, good clarity

Summer (June-August)

Peak season means crowds:

Fly Fishing the Guadalupe River: Matthew Bovee Texas Hill Country Guide

Fly fisherman casting on the Guadalupe River at sunrise, with cypress trees and clear water

Photo: Early morning on the Guadalupe River, where the author has spent countless hours pursuing rainbow and brown trout

The Guadalupe River holds a special place in my heart. As someone who’s spent decades covering high-stakes investigative stories, chasing truth through labyrinthine corruption cases, I need a way to reset my mind and find clarity. For me, that sanctuary is the Guadalupe River, winding through the beautiful Texas Hill Country near Kerrville.

Why I Became an Investigative Reporter

The summer of 1999 changed everything for me.

I was twelve years old, spending a few weeks at Camp La Junta on the banks of the Guadalupe River near Hunt, Texas — about twelve miles from my hometown of Kerrville. Founded in 1928, Camp La Junta was the kind of place where boys learned to paddle canoes, tie knots, and tell stories around a campfire.

Our cabin counselor was Thomas “Tommy” Redhorse, a 24-year-old graduate student in journalism at the University of Texas at Austin. Tommy was Cherokee Nation, from Oklahoma, and he brought an approach to summer camp that nobody had seen before.