Chapter 18: Perdernales River
Extensive public park frontage, common carp, Guadalupe bass, solitude, and plentiful wildlife.
Access points: 3.
The Pedernales River is a 106-mile tributary of the Colorado River that rises in springs just west of Harper, Texas. Its confluence with the larger stream is hidden deep below the waters of Lake Travis, completed in 1942.
Like many other Central Texas streams, this one received its name from eighteenth-century Spanish explorers. Pedernales is Spanish for “flints;” chert nodules are common in the riverbed and were an important source of raw materials for tools and weapons for indigenous peoples.
The river, commonly pronounced “Purr-din-alice” because that’s how native son President Lyndon B. Johnson and other locals said it, can be a difficult stream to fish but is well worth the effort: each of my many visits has been rewarded with some new insight, not to mention solitude, wildlife, and an all-star cast of Central Texas fish species.
Chert or “flint” stone seen on Pedernales river.
At low to normal flows (and normal looks low by the standards of many streams, as the river runs beneath the limestone in some places), it’s a terrific river to fish with a friend or two. Numerous pools connected only below the surface (if at all) on some sections can be fished from nearly any direction. On better-watered reaches, public lands allow anglers to “leapfrog” one another in search of fish.
And there are plenty of fish. There is also lots of other wildlife. At each of the locations described below, I’ve seen at least one of the following: porcupine, armadillo, coyote, gray fox, spiny softshell turtle, Rio Grande turkey, osprey, ringed kingfisher, and screech owl. Interpretive displays in the state and county parks helpfully point out native plant species and geological features. At Milton Reimers Ranch Park, look for the small, black Texas persimmon fruits ripening in late summer.
The Ranch Road 1320 crossing is the westernmost crossing that provides both easy, legal access and quality water. During some flows and seasons, sections of the river at crossings upstream from this one can be choked with heavy algae mats, most likely a result of fertilizer runoff from the burgeoning vineyards in the Stonewall and Fredericksburg areas. Moreover, low-head dams at the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park near Stonewall and elsewhere upstream from the RM 1320 crossing create impoundments that are not easily wadeable.
Of course, wine is an objectively good thing, but so are clear, healthy streams, and I’m hopeful that as viniculture matures in Texas, so will practices for managing fertilizer and pesticide application and runoff. For now, the water above and below the RM 1320 crossing is in good shape, and even when flows are low or nonexistent, pools stay clear and cool.
The river here can be fished both upstream and downstream. We’ll look at the longer, upstream route first.
What You Will Find
There may or may not be water in the river at the bridge. If there is not, rest assured that there are some terrific pools a short distance both upstream and down.
I have run into a couple of other anglers here, though we have never arrived at the same time. There may be a #flybraryproject in the vicinity. Take a look around, and if you need a fly, take a fly. If you have a fly, leave a fly. Here’s another thought: Leave a note taped to the inside of your road-facing window indicating whether you’ve gone upstream or down. That way no one is spending time fishing in your footsteps. Or, alternatively, they can come say howdy.
Carptopia (Wading Upstream from the Bridge)
The upstream section of river at the RM 1320 crossing can be stellar. You’ll have approximately 1.8 miles of walking and wading in that direction before you encounter any serious obstacles, and you’ll likely have many shots at common carp, big largemouth bass, feisty Rio Grande cichlids, and Guadalupe bass. Depending on flows, it will be a combination of rock hopping and knee- to waist-deep wades, or clambers and strolls across corrugated limestone and gravel to sample numerous deeper pools.
The first of the pools stretching across the river is a mere 100 yards above the bridge. It is relatively shallow and unproductive (but check the shaded water beneath the trees river right). The pool just beyond is better, and it holds a variety of fish. A small school of carp makes its home beneath a towering stand of invasive carrizo cane (Arundo donax) on your right, though you can find them feeding in any part of the pool, and clumps of pondweed provide shelter for bass. The center of the pool is nearly waist-deep; when moving on, walk through the shin-deep water on your right.
The first large pool on this reach is the next one, about 400 yards above the bridge. Common carp are the stars here, though you may also encounter a relatively rare native, the river carpsucker.
Look for the carp in the shallows river right (your left) feeding along the submerged ridges that run diagonally upstream across the river. It’s possible to wade straight up the middle here, in deeper water, but go slowly as there is a lot of up and down over the corrugations and they can be slick with fine sediment when the water has been low for a while.
You can also wade against the bank river right, or pick one of the exposed, or nearly exposed, limestone dikes and follow it diagonally from the south bank to the middle of the pool before hopping into deeper water.
Exit the pool near the south bank, ignore the large landlocked pool directly ahead of you (it may well have fish, but I’ve never seen any), and rock hop around the smaller pools here for shots at Rios and sunfish.
From this point, a high ridge of dark, heavily oxidized limestone will carry you about 800 feet due west with the main channel of the river on your right. The ridge provides an excellent vantage point for sight casting the braided channel below you and ends at a long, narrow pool that is home to some solid Guadalupe bass and Rio Grande cichlids. The bass may be lurking beneath an undercut ledge here or at the head of the pool beneath a large tree.
Big largemouth bass also inhabit this stretch of water.
About three-quarters of a mile above the bridge, you will reach a broad pool that spans the streambed even during low flows. None of it should be over chest-deep at normal levels, but the knee- to waist-deep side is river right (your left) below the heavily vegetated south bank. This also is where the carp are, reliably, so go slowly and keep an eye out for shadows, tails, and bubble trails.
At the head of the pool, at a bit more than 0.8 miles, cross over on dry limestone or in shallow water to the north bank to cast beneath the trees downstream. This is prime bass habitat, but it has also turned up all sorts of welcome surprises.
At the 1-mile mark, a small pool along the north bank is worth some casts, and the deeper pool just above it has yielded 5-pound bass, giant channel cats, and carp. Walking here is easy on gravel bars along the south bank. A flood-ravaged fence extends into the riverbed—just step over it.
From here, you will be walking noticeably uphill in the streambed, and pocket pools, mostly river right, provide phenomenal, easy fishing. The pools stay relatively clear and cool, even in dry periods, and each is home to a carp or two, a few big largemouths, and channel catfish.
At 1.25 miles above the bridge, you will reach perhaps the prettiest of these pools—we call it the “red rock pool”—where a jumble of granite boulders spills down the riverbank. It is easily fished from either the upstream or downstream side.
“So while it’s true that there are many things I am unsure of, there are several things I do know for sure: some anglers fish for numbers regardless of their age, some fish for camaraderie with fishing buddies, and some fish just to get outside. But we all fish to learn, to feel like we’ve figured a part of nature out, to be proud of ourselves when we succeed in our pursuit.”
The next quarter mile will be mostly dry during normal flows. At nearly 1.5 miles above the bridge, the river again looks like a river, with a long, narrow pool stretched along the south bank. It is best waded along the edge of the north bank (this is actually an island, created by a second, narrow channel of the river—if you can find where it enters the main channel, in the vicinity of 30.26727, -98.56747, it makes for a good alternate route to the top of this section) or along the limestone ridge that runs down the middle. The water is deep here, and the rocks can be slick, so take care.
Near the top of this nearly 1,000-foot-long pool, a backwater river left is terrific bass habitat and worth a stop. At the very top of the pool, it will be a steep clamber over a small waterfall up to the next section of river: a final, deep pool with some stunning geology.
Straight ahead you’ll find deep, aqua water that can be fished from the periphery nearly all the way around; the exception is a section of the north bank, where a sheer, limestone cliff rises 50 feet or more above the river. As you face upstream here, another deep pool is hidden by the trees over your right shoulder.
There is an abrupt rock wall about 7 or 8 feet high at the head of this pool, at 1.8 miles above the bridge. It creates a beautiful cascade when water is flowing over it. Iron Rock Creek enters from river left above this falls.
Deike Ranch Reach (Wading Downstream from the Bridge)
The downstream reach at RM 1320 offers a bit less variety in both topography and fish species but contains beautiful, large pools that are easily waded. The surrounding land is owned by an amiable old-timer, Levi Deike, whose family once fielded a remarkable all-brothers baseball team and included the longest-serving postmaster in U.S. history; Mr. Deike’s namesake mailed Lyndon Johnson’s first letter from nearby Hye.
The first, and smallest, of these pools is a mere 40 yards downstream, but it is hidden from the bridge by heavy vegetation. Walk down the center of the streambed or on the limestone ledges river left. A channel braided through the rock, mostly river right, connects this pool with others downstream. The next narrow pool (560 feet below the bridge) is deep and has several submerged ledges that provide cover for fish.
I “dabbed” a carp here one hot summer morning, after tracking bubbles and the occasional swirl of a tail. With only my leader dangling from my rod tip directly above, it did not work out well for me. The carp must have been pleased, once it ejected the barbless hook from its lip.
There will be shallow water across the river in some places here, even during low or normal flows; river left is easier walking, but the opportunities to wade downstream river right should be obvious.
The downstream reach, which runs through the Deike Ranch, is more easily negotiated at low flows.
At about 0.3 miles, a broad pool stretches downstream. At first, it may seem intimidating, but the wading is easy here over a mostly firm sand-and-gravel bottom with a few limestone ridges to step across. A large, square limestone block about 40 feet out into the pool river left makes for a fine casting platform and puts the shaded shallows beneath the pecan trees on the north bank in reach. Cast to the edges of the block before wading out to it.
Another tenth of a mile will bring you to some exposed limestone center-left; it separates a shallow pool river left and a deeper pool river right.
Rocky Creek enters from the south bank at 0.7 miles. There’s a nice plunge pool in the streambed here, as well as a good pool just upstream in the creek (don’t travel beyond that first pool in the tributary, though, as the navigability of this creek is disputed). Beyond the narrow pools river right just downstream of the confluence of Rocky Creek and the river, it’s about a 0.4 mile walk to the next good water. Rocky Creek is a great place to call it a day and turn around to return to the bridge.
There are plenty of willing Rios in this reach of the river.
From downtown, take TX 1 (MoPac/Loop 1) south to US 290 west. At the Y intersection in Oak Hill (where US 290 and TX 71 split), stay left on US 290 toward Dripping Springs. Continue through Dripping Springs to the junction with US 281, turn right, and continue on US 290 through the town of Johnson City. From the Hill Country Science Mill in town (a huge, colorful silo on your left as you head west), it is 8.6 miles to Ranch Road 1320 on your right. Take RM 1320 north 1.8 miles to the low-water bridge and park off the road on the southeast side under a large, shading oak tree, or on the left if need be.
From Leander, Georgetown, and points north, take TX 29 west to Liberty Hill, turn left onto Ranch Road 1869, and go west until it dead-ends into Ranch Road 1174. Go south (left) at the T and enjoy the spectacular vistas as the road winds through Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge. RM 1174 dead-ends at Farm Road 1431 (you can also take FM 1431 from Cedar Park, but you’d miss that incredible drive through the wildlife refuge). Go right to Marble Falls, and then south on US 281 to Johnson City and follow the directions above. This route will take about 80 minutes from Leander.
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Pedernales Falls State Park, Johnson City |
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30.308043, -98.257662 |
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2585 Park Rd. 6026, Johnson City, TX 78636 |
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tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/pedernales-falls |
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41.0 road miles, 1:00 drive time |
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Difficulty: Easy to Moderate |
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Pedernales Falls State Park, the former Circle Bar Ranch, was acquired by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) in 1970 and opened to visitors the next year. The 5,212-acre park includes more than six miles of frontage on the Pedernales River. Along more than four miles of the river, park property spans the stream and visitors can legally use either bank. On the upper 1.7 miles of river, only the south bank is within park boundaries.
The terrain here is rugged in places, but trails to and from the water are well maintained, and the park offers anglers some amenities not found at public road crossings: parking lots, restroom facilities and potable water, marked trails, camping, and legal bank access. As in all Texas state parks, anglers need not purchase a fishing license to fish within the park boundaries (that goes for both resident and nonresident anglers); however, visitors 13 and older must pay the park entrance fee ($6 per person per day).
What You Will Find
The park headquarters, where you must check in, has a store with natural history guidebooks, maps, swag, vending machines, ice, and more. Park staff are friendly and helpful and can give you the lowdown on current conditions.
If you arrive before the headquarters opens at 8 a.m. daily, pay the $6 per person fee at the honor station. You’ll get a note on your windshield sometime during the day reminding you to come by the office, just in case you were planning to camp and need to get an assigned campsite; if you aren’t camping, there’s no need to stop by the headquarters. Campsites fill up fast for summer weekends and holidays, so make reservations online at least three weeks in advance if you are planning an overnighter.
With more than six miles of river, there is a lot of good fishing in the park. My favorite reaches are at either end; in the middle you’re more likely to have a group of tubers float through or have to navigate a family splashing in a riffle. The park’s road system, parking, and trailheads are all on the plateau; you’ll have to follow well-maintained trails down into the canyon to get to the river. Remember to leave a little gas in the tank for the climb out at the end of your day.
To reach the uppermost stretch of river in the park, the enchanting reach above the falls, take the road from park headquarters until it dead-ends at the Pedernales Falls Trailhead.
To reach the downstream section, take the second right from the park headquarters, park in a designated space between campsites 33 and 34, and take Trammell Crossing Trail down to the river.
Above the Falls (Rock-hopping above the Falls)
From the trailhead parking lot, it’s a short, easy walk downhill to the interpretive area above the massive Falls Formation, where the river plunges 330 feet in about three-quarters of a mile. Take the upland trail to your left as you face the river or head straight down to the sandy beach below.
The streambed above the falls is a series of slides and plunge pools, twisting channels carved in gray limestone, and potholes as deep as 10 feet. You might follow a likely looking and convenient line of boulders only to find you have dead-ended at another aqua pool. It’s a bit of a labyrinth, but in a fun way.
The river bed above the falls is a labyrinth of stone and water.
A series of unfortunate events shortly after the park opened led the state to adopt a “feet dry” rule for this section of the river (as well as a short reach just below the falls). No swimming, no wading, no paddling, no tubing. Visitors can, however, rock hop across the streambed and fish the numerous pools so long as they stay out of the water and off the far bank, which is outside the boundary of the park.
Some of these pools, like the pair along the north bank beginning about 1,000 feet above the base of the falls, offer anglers the opportunity to sight cast to fish 10 or 20 feet below them. It’s pretty cool to have a bird’s-eye view of a catfish rising to a slow-sinking damselfly nymph pattern, or to watch a Guadalupe bass pace a mouse, waiting to pounce.
Large pools above the falls are always worth a look, but so are the small potholes that may hold water year round.
Think about how you’ll actually land that fish before you do that, though, if you want your fly back. In some places you’ll be able to pick your way down to the water’s edge. In others, not so much.
Other pools, like the L-shaped lagoon centered on a stumpy cypress tree at 0.3 miles above the falls, can be fished like any other pool on any other river. There are some gorgeous Guadalupe bass and Rio Grande cichlids here, as well as sunfish.
It’s easy enough during low-to-normal flows to pick your way between the pools without running afoul of park rules and getting your feet wet.
A little more than one-tenth of a mile above the cypress, a narrow pool spans the river and may require you to take to the sandy trail above the bank river right (your left) to remain within the rules. Once you have skirted this pool, you can continue on in the riverbed to a largish pool along the south bank at 0.7 miles. There are several more pools that slash diagonally across the river just upstream from here. Look for carp in all three, and on the ledges in the deep pool below the north bank right at the park boundary (30.33683, -98.2629), which is a little more than 0.8 miles from the base of the falls.
You can continue upstream, now in a southwesterly direction, past the park boundary so long as you remain in the riverbed. The prohibition against wading no longer applies at this point, though the logic may remain.
At the 1.2-mile mark, a long and deep pool provides one last, good shot at carp from the ridges of limestone that reach their fingers into the water. Depending on water levels, you would likely have to swim to legally continue upstream from the bottom of this pool.
Trammell Crossing Reach (Wading Downstream from Trammell Crossing)
From the designated parking area between campsites 33 and 34 at the trailhead, follow Trammell Crossing Trail a little more than 0.3 miles down to the river. It’s a pleasant, mostly shaded stroll … on the way down. But you’ve got some round-trip trudgery through sand (it’s pink sand, so that’s interesting, anyhow) ahead of you, and you may not be feeling very sprightly on the way back up.
It’s about 2.25 miles from Trammell Crossing to the downstream park boundary, and the river here looks a lot more like a typical river than it does upstream from the falls, with long runs and clear pools, many shaded by stately cypress trees.
When you reach the river, head across to the far bank in ankle- to knee-deep water. Both banks are within the state park here, but this entire reach is best walked along the north bank (river left). This north bank is fairly level but it alternates between deep sand and inconveniently sized cobbles, and you may find walking easier in the water in some sections.
I usually take the bank past the first pool (though the deeper hole where Twin Falls Creek enters river right is worth a few casts), which is a popular family play area. The second pool, beginning about 1,000 feet below the crossing, can be productive up the middle, casting to the treed bank river right.
At the tail of this pool, continue on the bank river left. Cypress trees provide intermittent shade during the warm months, and the slight elevation of the bank will allow you to scout for fish as you walk. You’ve left the worst of the sand behind you for the moment.
At about 0.8 miles you will see a head-high boulder sitting all by itself river left. The washout at the base of the boulder shelters breeding pairs of Rios during the summer and is worth some time. The pool that opens up beyond the boulder is home to common carp, monster grass carp, freshwater drum, catfish, and largemouth and Guadalupe bass. If you continue along the north bank, a sand-and-rock ridge covered in springy grass will carry you to a vantage point a good 10 feet above the last quarter of the pool.
If you are planning a long wade downstream from Trammell Crossing, be sure to leave some gas in the tank for the hike out of the valley.
This spot affords you a rare opportunity to look down on the fish and cast to targets below and away. This is especially advantageous when fishing for carp, which with their large lateral lines are extraordinarily sensitive to the approach of anglers at the water’s level. From the high point of the ridge, just before a tree blocks your further progress, a rock ledge below and downstream will often hold feeding fish, as will the shallow water below the bank. Larger fish cruise in and out of a laydown against the north bank, just around the corner (but within reach if you cast carefully). If you do get an eat, there are several places where you can take a steep, short slide to knee- to thigh-deep water.
The reach between Trammell Crossing and the park's eastern border boasts clear water and plenty of shade.
To continue downstream, find your way around the small grove of trees and back down to the streambed. You’ll be dealing with some sand again, but with any luck it will be damp and not quite as deep as on the bank upstream.
At the 1-mile mark, a series of small pools and a backwater river right offer opportunities for bass and small carp, which often feed head-up in the riffle here. The river continues in a narrow channel along the south bank. Walk the next half mile mostly in the shade of the cypress trees.
This is one of the spots where my friend John Henry likes to find a convenient cypress knee here, make himself comfortable, and wait for a slowly cruising or feeding carp to come to him, casting when it is just past so as not to spook it.
At 1.4 miles, the river spills down a long, graveled riffle into a sandy pool. This is another terrific carp hole, with bass and sunnies lurking along the deeper north bank. Start on the sand river right and ease into the water to wade down the middle.
At 1.5 miles a large riffle creates an island in the channel (there is some excellent Guadalupe bass habitat at the edge of the fast water in that tangle of roots), and a large, carpy backwater river right. From here, continue on beneath the cypress trees, or slog through deep sand behind them. Note that the south bank, river right, is private property here.
Guadalupe bass on the Pedernales (there are no spotted or smallmouth bass here) are atypically pale, with golden rather than dark dots on their bellies.
The river here gets wider and deeper all the time, and at 1.75 miles you will find a jumble of boulders in the middle of the channel. This makes for a terrific turnaround point as well as a great place for a cooling frolic in the water. Some of the water will be over your head.
If you continue from here, you’ll find the river remains wide and relatively deep, flowing just a little east of north for about a quarter mile. Look for carp in the shallows river left and big bass around the occasional jumble of boulders river right. At about 2.0 miles, the river shallows and narrows and cuts a channel back over toward the north bank. About 1,000 feet beyond this cut, you’ll reach the park boundary (30.30626, -98.22326).
You can continue on, say to the mouth of Flat Creek, which enters from the south just around the bend, but you’ll need to remain in the streambed to avoid trespassing on neighboring ranches.
From downtown, take TX 1 (MoPac/Loop 1) south to US 290 west. At the Y intersection in Oak Hill (where US 290 and TX 71 split), stay left on US 290 toward Dripping Springs. Continue through Dripping Springs 32 miles to Ranch Road 3232 and turn right. Head north 6.4 miles to Ranch Road 2766, and take a right and then an immediate left onto Park Road 6026. The park headquarters (check in and pay the entry fee) is 2.5 miles up the road.
From the north or west side of Austin, or if you need to make a fly shop stop en route to the water, take Bee Caves Road west from TX Loop 360 (Capital of Texas Highway) to TX 71; Sportsman’s Finest (see Appendices) will be on your right at the junction (12434 Bee Caves Road). Continue west on TX 71. In the small city of Bee Cave, take a left onto Ranch Road 3238 (Hamilton Pool Road) and continue 6.8 miles to the junction with Ranch Road 12 (look for the Texaco station). Go south on RM 12 7.4 miles to US 290 and then west on US 290 from Dripping Springs as described above.
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Milton Reimers Ranch Park, Dripping Springs |
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30.33370, -98.12231 |
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23610 Hamilton Pool Rd., Dripping Springs, TX 78620 |
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parks.traviscountytx.gov/parks/reimers-ranch |
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29 road miles, 0:40 drive time |
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Difficulty: Easy to Moderate |
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Milton Reimers Ranch Park is the largest unit of the ever-expanding Travis County Parks system and is a longtime favorite among rock climbers and mountain bikers from across the state. The 2,427-acre park includes nearly three miles of Pedernales River frontage, with public access and trails along the south (here it is east) bank.
The park has for decades been a popular fishing spot during the spring run of white bass (rancher Milton Reimers long allowed anglers entry for a small fee). It also features all the other Pedernales River species, plus some lake-dwelling species like white and black crappie year-round.
When Lake Travis is full (at a pool elevation of 681 feet, a rarity in recent years), the riverbed fronting the park is nearly completely inundated, and is best fished from a kayak or canoe, or from the bank. At lower lake levels, the channel is braided and sometimes disappears altogether beneath the sand between pools, particularly downstream from the “River Beach” below the paved paddlecraft launch. The fish are necessarily concentrated in the deeper pools then, and stalking and sight casting opportunities increase.
Reimers Ranch is a day-use-only park, open from 8 a.m. until dusk, and visitors must pay a $10 per vehicle entry fee on weekdays, $15 per day on weekends and holidays from May through September.
What You Will Find
The road and trail system along the river looks a lot larger on a map than it is in reality. You can easily walk and fish the nearly three miles of river in a day and have a leisurely walk back to your vehicle, wherever you park. The second parking area, called “River Bend” parking on some maps, leads down to the kayak launch and swimming hole; it is the most central. The last parking area, used primarily by rock climbers, offers the most difficult climb down to the river. There are restrooms and potable water at all of the parking areas except at the climbers’ trailhead.
Reimers Ranch (Upstream and Downstream, Multiple Access Points)
From the second parking area, you can follow the hiking trail down to the river or walk down the paved road to the kayak and canoe launch (it’s pick-up and drop-off only at the launch; you still have to park uphill).
From the large pool, the “swimming hole,” you’ll have 1.6 miles of river downstream (to 30.38028, -98.10194, near the mouth of a creek that enters river right) and a little less than that upstream (to 30.35972, -98.12722) before you leave the park boundaries. The county owns the southern bank of the river all the way to the Hamilton Pool Road crossing, upstream, but portions are still reserved for the Reimers family at this time. What you can do with that stretch of water depends entirely on the lake level.
When the lake is below full but above “really low,” the river is walkable between pools or wadeable over a sand-and-gravel bottom. Even at low levels, there will be fish in the intermittent pools, and in the deeper, permanent pools you can find huge river largemouth bass; I’ve seen catches of 4, 5, and even 7 pounds from this stretch.
When the lake is full or nearly full, you’ll want to paddle or float the river. You can get out and wade where you find sand or gravel bars (usually upstream of the swimming hole) and won’t run out of floatable water until you are above the park boundary.
You can also fish the river from the banks, typically from boulders jutting into the channel. Two trails parallel the river nearly the entire length of the park’s frontage. Lower River Trail gives you the better opportunity to scout for fish and access the water’s edge. Upper River Trail is used mostly by rock climbers headed to cliff faces at the top of the canyon.
Upstream from the swimming hole about 0.3 miles, a long, deep pool begins. This pool is not wadeable even during low water levels, except at the head and the tail. You’ll have to use Lower River Trail, river right, or hug the sandy north bank. Note that the trail (and currently public park property) ends before the pool does, and if you continue past the old iron fence posts, you will be trespassing on private property.
During the annual white bass spawning run, about the time the redbud trees begin budding out (late February through the end of March most years), you’ll need to arrive early, especially on weekends. The rest of the year, especially on weekdays, you may have the river almost to yourself.
Cory Sorel slowly strips a fly past an unsuspecting carp in low-water conditions on the Pedernales River.
From downtown, take TX 1 (MoPac/Loop 1) south to Southwest Parkway, go west on Southwest Parkway to avoid the Y intersection at Oak Hill, take a right on TX 71 west, and continue through Bee Cave to Ranch Road 3238, Hamilton Pool Road, on the left. It is approximately 11.5 miles to the entrance to the county park on your right. If you cross the Pedernales River, you’ve gone too far.
Seven Year Drought, Jamie Lin Wilson
Pecan Street Brewing
Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily
Pecan Street Brewing is located on Johnson City’s historic town square, across from the Blanco County Courthouse (free parking). The atmosphere is casual and friendly, but if you’re extra grungy from a morning on the river, you can always ask to be seated in the biergarten out back; it’s pet friendly, too.
So far as I can tell, and I’m still working my way through the menu, everything here is good: the beer, brewed on site, as well as standbys like the Texas Old Fashioned hamburger and chicken fried steak. The more creative offerings, which rotate, are worth a gamble: the Brisket Tejano served as street tacos is one of the most memorable lunches I’ve enjoyed while taking a break from exploring a river.