Fishing the Guadalupe River with Jed Mazour
For the avid outdoorsman, February is a slow time of year. Hunting season is wrapped up and it’s too cold to fish most waters. This leaves most of us packing away our camo, cleaning the blood off of our tailgates, and planning our next adventures for early spring. Honestly, this is my favorite time of year! It’s a transition from early morning sits or stalks, walks back to camp from the blind at dark, cold and quiet to turtle box speakers and bright colored kayaks. March is Mother Nature’s birth to a new season. Warm sunshine and spring rain bring back the green to the trees, blooms the cottonwoods that line the rivers, and signals the white bass to make their run up the river to spawn.
I always have the same conversation every year with my son about this time. “Do you like hunting season or spring fishing more?” and it’s always the same answer. Hunting season for him and for me, this is my favorite! I will spend any free time I have in my shop unpacking and cleaning my boat, loading the kayaks back on the jeep (The Moose Caboose), lining fishing rods, sorting tackle, cleaning ice chests and mapping our next drop in location on the Guadalupe River.
In the Boerne area, spring is a great time to catch the Largemouth Bass building their beds on the shallow banks preparing for the females to spawn. This is an exceptional time to catch them at a very aggressive state. The males (Buck Bass), smaller in size to the females, will clean an area in a circle shape for the larger female to spawn in. They will be very protective of this spot! Because of this, they will be much easier to aggravate and catch. If you are lucky, you can catch a few of the males and then work slowly at persuading the prized female to take a bite of what you have to offer. This bite is also usually done out of frustration that someone is in her area.
My tips for the angler looking to take advantage of this time of year are simple and will make for an enjoyable weekend with friends or family. We are blessed to have the Guadalupe River run through our county. Take advantage of it!! If you don’t have a kayak, you can park at any bridge crossing and walk the river bed. When fishing the river, use smaller baits. This will help generate more bites. Small crawfish crankbaits, ned rigs, jigs or worms. Keep with the faithful watermelon red for color. Look for bedding bass but never leave a good rock or log unattended. These are always good spots for a bigger bass to set up and wait for a meal. This river is also the perfect opportunity to pick up a fly rod and learn something new. I will caution you! once you pick up a fly rod and land a few good bass, you will quickly be investing into more fly fishing gear! Another one of my favorite local spots for this time of year is Joshua Springs Park and Preserve. There are two main ponds. Both of them hold bass in the 10 lbs. range. This is one of the best places to walk and stalk bass working on beds. Don’t be afraid to walk all the way around the lower pond. The grass is higher but the water is deeper. The park allows you to hike around and fish or you can use a kayak. There is a loading area on the dam for convenience. Don’t forget a lifejacket! State law. If you are so lucky to catch one of the large female bass on a bed, congratulations, it’s probably a trophy fish! But don’t keep her out of the water for too long. Take a few pictures and quickly return her to the exact same spot. With some luck, she will have a healthy and successful spawn producing more quality fish for the area.
This area is special to me and my family. My wife and I grew up here, floating the river and camping as kids. We have raised our babies doing the same with them. Take care of this beautiful river so we can all enjoy it for years to come. Take more than you came with when you leave. I encourage you to explore these areas, share it with others and have a true appreciation for the resources we are blessed to have!
