Guadalupe River Earns “Top 100” Trout Stream Nod

The Guadalupe River—the southernmost year-round trout fishery in the United States—is back in the national spotlight. The Victoria Advocate reported on February 10 that Trout Unlimited has again recognized the Guadalupe as one of America’s “Top 100 Trout Streams,” a distinction that resurfaced this week alongside the release of Chris Johnson’s new book, “Texas Fly Fishing,” and the lead-up to a reimagined Troutfest TX 26 event in New Braunfels, Texas.

The timing is no accident. Last July’s devastating floods hammered the Guadalupe corridor, and the local Guadalupe River chapter of Trout Unlimited (GRTU) has retooled its signature annual gathering into a direct flood-relief and habitat-restoration fundraiser. This year’s theme—”Mend the River”—signals that Troutfest TX 26 is designed as much to rebuild as it is to celebrate.

Troutfest TX 26: Mend the River

Troutfest TX 26 takes place Saturday, February 21, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Lazy L&L Campgrounds in New Braunfels, Texas. The format is a banquet night featuring a keynote address, a live auction, an online silent auction, door prizes, and food and beer. Regional reporting has underscored the event’s pivot toward flood relief, and GRTU has made clear that proceeds will go directly to river-restoration efforts on the Guadalupe.

For fly fishers outside Texas, the event doubles as an introduction to a tailwater fishery that has quietly earned national credentials. For locals, it is a chance to invest in the river’s future at a moment when that investment matters most.

A Tailwater Built on Cold Releases—and Protected by Special Regs

What sets the Guadalupe apart is the same thing that makes tailwaters everywhere worth the trip: reliable cold water, even when the surrounding landscape is anything but “trout country.” Cold releases from Canyon Lake keep downstream trout-management zones cool enough for rainbow trout to hold over year-round—an exception to the broader Texas model, in which stocked trout are harvested before summer heat makes survival impossible.

Those management zones come with specific regulations. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) defines two special trout zones on the Guadalupe, both artificial-lures-only:

• Trout Zone 1 (800 yards below Canyon Dam downstream to the east bridge on Highway 306): a 12- to 18-inch slot limit, five-fish daily bag, and only one trout 18 inches or longer may be kept.
• Trout Zone 2 (from the east Highway 306 bridge downstream to the second River Road crossing): 18-inch minimum, one-trout daily bag.

For visiting anglers, those regulations are a big part of why the Guadalupe has remained more than a novelty. The rules are designed to create a real fishery—one where holdover fish are possible and larger trout are not just a rumor.

Stockings, Access, and Why the River Is a Focal Point This Winter

Texas trout season is always a short runway. Statewide, TPWD planned to stock 335,048 rainbow trout from late November through early March, and the agency openly encourages harvest in most waters because trout cannot survive Texas heat once spring arrives. The Guadalupe tailwater is different—so it gets different attention.

In a winter-season access and stocking announcement, TPWD highlighted a “no fee” public-access lease at Camp Huaco Springs, located between New Braunfels and Sattler, offering nearly a half-mile of fishable bank. The lease opened December 5 and runs through March 7 during daylight hours.

The same release detailed the winter stocking push in the Canyon Tailrace: close to 20,000 rainbow trout stocked during weekly runs from early December through late January, including a supplemental batch provided through the Water-Oriented Recreation District of Comal County (WORD). TPWD also credited GRTU as a partner that stocks additional rainbows during the colder months—typically larger fish than the standard state stockers—stacking the odds in anglers’ favor at the exact time Texas fly fishers most need a tailwater option.

Why It Matters

The Guadalupe’s “Top 100” status is a reminder—especially for anglers outside the region—that Texas trout fishing is not a once-a-year stocking-day curiosity. It is a managed, heavily regulated tailwater fishery with national bona fides, and it is entering the heart of its prime season at the same moment the local community is asking anglers to show up for more than catching fish.

If you needed a reason to head south this winter, the Guad has two: a nationally recognized trout stream at the edge of trout country, and a Troutfest that has been refocused into a direct river-repair fundraiser.

If You Go: Quick Facts for Anglers

• Read the regs before you fish. The Guadalupe’s two special trout zones are artificial-lures-only with different size and bag limits.
• Check the stocking schedule. TPWD emphasizes that dates and locations can change due to weather and other factors.
• Public access: TPWD’s Camp Huaco Springs lease provides bank and wade access through early March.
• Support restoration: Troutfest TX 26 “Mend the River” runs February 21 at Lazy L&L Campgrounds in New Braunfels, Texas, from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

For more information on Troutfest TX 26, visit GRTU’s event page. For stocking schedules and trout-zone regulations, visit the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department website.