i fished at rio, it was packed, a lot of powerbaiters but we have to share, right? but i was able to get away from the crowd down stream a little bit and jumped two good trout that both broke my 5x tippet, one was an golden rainbow... but i was able to land one fish on a sz 16 prince nymph...



and to finish up the day i grabbed hamburger at Mozies in gruene it was worth noting...

thats a nice trout. are they all that size at rio. i wanna try there in january.

from what i saw, few where a little bigger and most of them where atleast 16ins i saw a bunch being landed by the powerbaiters

So here is what im wondering, is that powerbait legal there?

Guadalupe River

* In Comal County from the second bridge crossing on River Road upstream to the easternmost bridge crossing on FM Road 306, rainbow and brown trout may not be retained when taken by any method except artificial lures. Artificial lures cannot contain or have attached either whole or portions, living or dead, of organisms such as fish, crayfish, insects (grubs, larvae or adults) or worms, any other animal or vegetable material, or synthetic scented materials. This does not prohibit the use of artificial lures that contain components of hair or feathers. It is an offense to possess rainbow or brown trout while fishing with any other device in that part of the Guadalupe River defined in this paragraph.

* For rainbow and brown trout, minimum length limit=18 inches and daily bag=1 fish.

sounds like if that bait has any form of scent added, then that's a ticket.

No one can keep trout caught with bait in that section of the river (and PowerBait is considered bait), but the loophole is that if you release the fish, it's not illegal. Go figure.

The rest of the irony is that the bait-caught trout generally have higher mortality rates.

I'm no purist, i have been known to use bait, but i can't for the life of me understand why anybody would use bait specifically for C&R fishing.

Good question. When questioned by "authorities," most will say they are fishing with Power Bait for catfish, though the cats are pretty sluggish this time of year.

Many of the outdoor writers who do stories on the Guad (including those in Dallas and San Antonio) recommend "corn, cheese, and Power Bait", disregarding the fact that there is a "Special Regulations" area on the river.

I always believed the trophy section was lure/flies only and the only parts that everything is allowed is the tailwaters and from huco springs-downstream. I have seen a older couple using something like but wasn't going to bother them.

Good Gaud! That's a fat fish! Congrats.

Dang Mickfly. You are a walking talking encyclopedia of fish facts!

Vhs07 did you go up stream or down stream from Rio?

That's a nice trout. I plan on going down there in January. My brother in law fishes there a lot and he has had lots of luck lately.

thanks everyone i was really excited to land it...

scout i went maybe 30 yards downstream of the bridge. my strike in. went down! and i was fishing with those big 1 inch buble things...

anyways if i wasnt all about small goverment i would be all for making that strech fly only w. barbless hooks...

im going either this saturday or the next... so we will see
ill repost another report

i was there last year at rio and saw some bait fishers (worms). i thought that was illegal but i read this on tpwd

Please note special regulations are in effect from the second bridge crossing on River Road upstream to the easternmost bridge crossing on FM Road 306. In this area, there is an 18-inch minimum size limit, a one trout daily bag, and the restriction that only trout caught on artificial lures may be harvested. Anglers may fish with all other legal means and methods, and may harvest all fish except trout.