Looking to make a trip with some buddies to the Guadalupe for the first time. Any recommendations on areas to focus on for trout?

From what I understand the season is just about over. Water is starting to get warm. The trout fishing is definitely a winter thing.

Regardless, I wouldn't want to fish now anyway. You're gonna be constantly hounded by tubers and half drunk men on inflatable poolchairs. The bikini hatch can be pretty good tho.

You can go, but you need to go now rather than later. Once the water tempatures start getting over 70* you're supposed to stop fishing for trout. They can't recover from getting caught and will likely die when released. The river temps aren't hitting 70* yet and probably won't for another month or so. Even then the temps won't reach 70* till the afternoon.

GRTU has tempature montitors that are post online:
https://www.grtu.org/flow/

There are several places you can pay 5-10 bucks for day use. I'd recommend Rio Raft, L&L campground, Action Angler and Gipsy River. All are good place to catch trout.

This! Year round trout are a rare thing in Texas, and I'd wager that even most conservation-minded anglers are unaware of how fragile a rainbow trout can be once the water reaches a certain temp. If you do hook into a trout this time of year, haul it in quick. The longer you play it the greater the chance of it dying after release.

Speaking of the release, keep 'em wet. Meaning, once you net it, keep the net submerged while you remove the hook. Point the trout so it's facing the current and watch it for a bit until you are confident it has gotten its strength back.

And the rains can do a lot of relocating trout! We even catch them all the way down in Seguin on occasion - not exactly Blue Ribbon catch-and-release country. That image is from outside Seguin close to Alt.90 last Friday. The water had come down 8-feet by then.

This is one of the years that the GRTU-GBRA minimum flow agreement is in effect, which means that flows will be keep at or above certain minimum levels that will keep the river cool enough for trout through the summer. Check the water temperature gauges set up by GRTU at several points along the river to ensure that you are fishing in stretches that still have water cool enough for trout. Not sure what the flows and temps look like this year, but in past summers the river was fishable for trout within seven to ten river miles of Canyon Dam. More info is available at the www.grtu.org.

Thanks a bunch for the info!

Like others said go sooner than later. The water is fishing great right now. Lots of big bows and eager smaller browns in certain areas. Good luck! Heres one from last week.

That is a beaut!