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DESTINATIONS
Weekend Angler: Austin
Angler Meets Wrangler
in the Texas Hill Country

By Doc Thompson

Austin, Texas, set in the beautiful Texas Hill Country, has historically been a mecca for singer/songwriters. The capital city of Texas is known for the likes of Willie Nelson, Ray Wylie Hubbard, and Gary P. Nunn playing the little honky-tonks scattered around the hip, laid-back town. Austin is the major hub for the Hill Country, famous for its hippies, authentic food, and the University of Texas.

Texas Hill Country Stream in fall
Fall colors hit the Texas Hill Country

But few outsiders know enough to take the opportunity to escape for the weekend, to head to the quaint towns of Gruene, Wimberly, or Lampasas. There are several excellent fisheries located near these towns, just waiting to be explored with a fly rod, including miles and miles of trout water.

Fly fishing? Trout? In the Texas Hill Country? You better believe it. The local hard-core anglers know about the fertile waters of the Colorado River, the Blanco River, and the Guadalupe River, to name but a few. Anglers can fish for smallmouth, largemouth, and spotted bass. They can drop a line for fat rainbow trout. The clear, cold Hill Country streams also hold sunfish the size of a Texas flapjack. In fact, with its abundance of resources, the Hill Country around Austin may be the fly-fishing mecca of the Southwest.

Austin Angling Resources:
Fly Shops/Guide Services
Orvis Austin: Austin, TX, (512) 231-1645. Fly shop.

Austin Angler: Austin, TX, (512) 472-4553. Fly shop/guide service.

Gruene Outfitters: Historic Gruene, TX, (830) 625-4440. Fly shop/guide service.

Guadalupe Camp & beyond: Scott Graham, 877-TX-TROUT. Guide service.

MUST EAT RESTAURANT: The Grist Mill in Gruene, Texas, is a historic landmark stacked high up on the banks of the Guadalupe. After dinner stop by Historic Gruene Hall for a cold beer and great live music.

Move on to *Guadalupe River

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Article © By Doc Thompson.

Doc Thompson St. Louis native Doc Thompson first drifted a dry fly in New Mexico during the early 1980s, where he now lives and runs a fly-fishing guide service, High Country Anglers. Doc's articles, columns, and photos have appeared in numerous newspapers, magazines, and books.

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