Medina Lake

I fished Medina Lake alot in the 80's. Im planning on going back this Feb to chase them White Bass. Anyone have any luck or tips they would like to share. I know the Lake is very low. Do the whitebass still make a run, or do they gather in deep pockets when its this low? Thanks to all.

I can account for last spring. I made a few trips up river during what should have been the spawn. I caught zero whites up river. There was a gentleman that fished up there quite often and I saw him catch a few during my trips up there. It didn't seem like the run ever happened. I did catch them pretty decent in the backs of coves around the end of March/beginning of April. I was targeting crappie, and caught white bass and largemouth inbetween. Apparently there is even less water in the river than last year, so I would guess that there will be no run, but you never know. I didn't plan on fishing up river this spring unless I hear otherwise. I will fish for crappie end of March on the upper part of the lake though. I never caught more than 15 a day, but they were slabs/big fish.

You wanna share where exactly you are catching those slabs in March???

No secret really. Just fish the backs of any coves at the upper end of the lake. I put in at the park and hop from cove to cove. I also try to hit any standing timber in 10 foot of water or more near the coves. Crappie spawn in waves, so at any point during the spawn you will have some hanging out in deeper water too. A good spot is the large cove on the opposite side of the lake from the park. It's the first big one as you are heading up the lake towards the river. It has several docks in it on the left side. Some of those docks have brush on the bottom. I haven't found one particular area to hold a ton of fish. I had to move around catching a few here and there. Then again, last spring was the first crappie spawn I fished on Medina. Maybe I'll find that honey hole this year!

I've had good luck trolling next to those coves with 6-7 ft divers, and rattle traps. I launch from reds, work the bank directly across while heading up the lake. You have to keep moveing to find the fish. I,ve had some sweet honey holes on Medina. When I went to find them, they are now sticking out of the water. With the constant changeing level of the lake, keep the boat moveing. When you find them they will hit anything. Ive had 3 rigs set up-1 spinner,1 silver spoon, and the good old black plastic worm. I was able to hook up with each rig.

Bandera creek looks like the Medina river this afternoon and the Medina is running hard at Bandera. Looks like Medina Lake will get some much needed water today.

Is the lake that held the State Record Bass for so many years at 13-8?

http://ahps.srh.noaa.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=ewx&gage=bdat2

Yep.. Medina at Bandera is WAY up. last summer I was watching this indicator pretty regularly and it was at about .5ft for most of the summer. picked up to around 4ft this winter and stayed steady. My guess is that this winter/spring is going to put a few feet back into Medina lake. My hope is that the added flow will bring the run all the way up to red-bluff creek, or just south of there, since there is a place to access the riverbed there.

Water is a good thing. Gonna try and head out there to do some scouting arround. Maybe get lucking and catch a few. Hopefully I will have a good report to share.

Looking at the chart it showed when the Medina reached maximum flood stage of almost 47 feet back in 1978. I remember that year because that was when all those giant centuries old cypress trees were toppled by the raging flood waters. They were snapped off at ground level like matchsticks and these trees where enormous, and left what was once a shaded beautiful river looking like a moonscape. It's come back since, but still those majestic cypress treees are gone forever!


I use to fish that camp there at red bluff creek and it was a great place to fish off the bank, and I hauled many a limit out of there. You paid a few dollars and an elderly womoan would come to the gate and take your money and you walked around the huge bolders that lined red bluff creek, on narrow rotten boarded foot bridges with no handrails to get from one bolder to the next making your way down to the river. It was scary and if you fell you landed on smaller rocks and boulders about fifteen to twenty feet below. You had to walk across about twenty to fifty feet of span in three spots, and I often think about how that wouldn't go today, as the first person who fell off that bridge would sue and own that ranch.

Try to picture a skinny kid carrying a couple rods and reels, tackle box, an ice chest, a minnow bucket, and a stringer of 25 large whitebass, and walking across a rotten foot bridge easing along one foot in front of the other like it's a tightrope!

But that was then and this is now. Oh the memories!

Jimbo,

You should head on back there, because from what I can tell the place hasn't changed much.

We drive up and an old man meets me at the car to take my 5 bucks a person. Then we drive through their ranch to the back corner where they have parking and some camping spots set up. We park and make our way to the creek edge where there is a walk way leading to a short fence.

this is where the legality issue comes into play.

people who camp at Red-Bluff have to cross a fence line to get to the river. that fence line absolves the ranch of anything that happens to you on the other side. not sure who owns the land on the other side, but that's where the same rickety wooden bridge is.

its a real adventure, especially when hauling a cooler full of beer.

once in the riverbed (which is quite wide there) we are on state controlled property and can walk all the way down to those great boulders.

here are some pics from the summer.. this was with the water flow at .5ft

That's it!!!

Man I'm excited. That one bridge has been redone and looks like the I10 overpass compared to what it used to be but that is the place.


If you look at the bottom of the picture you can see the old foundatin pipes sticking up that used to be the old footbridge I was talking about!

I've often thought this place was gone forever when they closed access to it, but now it seems to be open again. It's a shame it couldn't be made into a state park. Others should be able to enjoy this area for years to come!

Thanks for posting!

I'm just glad it hasn't fallen victim to over-zealous litigation. It really is a great place and quite beautiful.

thankfully we have some pretty good water rights laws in this state, so no matter what happens to that cliff edge, the riverbed is public and those bolders downstream are open to anybody.

speaking of places that should be a state park.

ever been to Edge Falls?

Its private now, but i have found my way there a few times.

talked to the sheriff and attorney for Kendal County about kayaking up Curry Creek to get there legally, they said to go for it and make a case if i get arrested.

I've been to Edge falls many years ago. It's too bad we are losing many of these places to private subdivisions and such. I really never would have imagined that this place at Red Bluff creek was still accessable.

It really is a natural treasure, and it's so close to our city which makes it even more attractive.

That is one of the prime areas for the white bass run on the Medina, and the scenery is breathtaking. Even as a young man I could appreciate the beauty of the place!

You can bet I'm going to go back there when the weather gets nice!

That is exactly where i plan on hitting the white bass run this year. Never fished the run before, but it sure looks like the right spot to me. late Feb sound like the right time?

Late February is about right if we don't get a lot of cold weather, but a good indicator that I use is when the peach trees blossum with the little pink flowers.

Ultra light tackle using 1/32nd to 1/16th ounce curly tail or maribou jigs and roadrunners. Usually you can get by with three colors. White, chartruse, and black, or a variation of those will work.

Cast up current at about a 45 degree angle and start your retrieve right after the lure hits the water, but not a very fast retrieve, and with your rod tip held high, just enough to take the slack out of the line, and just enough to allow the bait to swim along with the current just off the bottom so as not to snag.

It takes a little practice to get it down but once you do, you will know when to reel and when to let the lure drop, and just keep your eye on the line for the suttle tap, tap, and set the hook.

Is this area upstream from Pop's place?

thanks Jimbo for the advice. I will be using both spin cast and fly, figure woolly buggers on the fly should produce some hits.

Kyle, yes this is up stream from Pop's. just about two bends up.

Yep. Its further up. Not sure exactly how far. My dad would take me when I was a kid. Havent been out there in years. I dont know if I would remember How to get there. When the Lake is up, can you get there by boat?

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=29.668841,-98.970455&spn=0.004531,0.007972&t=h&z=17

thats where red bluff creek dumps into the medina.

Ruede rd. is the ranch road to take off of red bluff ranch road.

as you can see.. when they lake was high it went pretty far up but not quite to the boulders. I can't imagine a boat could get even half way there these days, even with all the rain.

should be plenty of flow for the whites it seems though.

it looks like there is a park at English crossing though, so if the flow is way up, that might be a good place to park and bank fish.. if you want to avoid that precarious bridge at red bluff.

We used to go up almost to the big boulders when the lake was all the way up, but there are a lot of huge boulders in the middle of the channel that you would see just under the surface of the water on the way up, and it was pretty hairy running an outboard up to the shallows, but it can be done when the lake is up, and then you have to get out and wade up to the upper pools.

Back when I fished there I'd rather go to Ruedes camp and walk in and wade fish because you were right where the fish were and didn't have to mess with dragging a boat around.

It wasn't a place for the faint of heart or if you had small kids, and having to cross that rickety bridge, although the new one doesn't look all that bad, and at least you can brace yourself against that wall and there is a handrail.

I googled it, and it's really different from when I was there years ago. It was just a simple winding ranch road that lead to the Ranch house on the banks of Red Bluff Creek. Now it's more or less a subdivision now and I'd probably get lost trying to find it especially if the old farm house is gone, which it probably is.

I can add to English crossing. I fished there quite a bit two summers ago. Fished upstream and down. The very first trip there two springs ago, late April, I saw a few white bass that still hadn't made their way back to the lake. Since then the water has been too low to head more than a couple miles downstream from English crossing, or a more than a mile upstream. And that's with a canoe. I can pull a canoe in a couple inches of water, and there wasn't even that. The rain will at least get us access from english to the lake.

When the lake is up you wouldn't have much trouble going from English crossing toward the lake for sure, but unless it's changed up there they used to be pretty strict about letting anyone access the river from the bridge and didn't allow any parking whatsoever even near the bridge. Barbed wire, no parking and posted signs, tow away signs, along with complimentary No Trespassing signs, used to be heavily used in that area.

is red bluff off of whartons dock rd. or hwy 16

There is a parking area maybe big enough for 5 vehicles on the left side before crossing over the bridge. There are no "no parking signs" in this area. It's a gravel shoulder about 5-10 yards wide. The past two summers this has been the case.

If people are saying there isn't any water at Pops, then English Crossing and Ruede Ranch which are upstream aren't going to have enough water for a run either.

Good point. There is a wide, 300 yard long section upstream from Pops and Red Bluff that is shallow and all limestone cuts. This was high and dry two summers ago. This is another area that would need a decent amount of water over it for whites to make it past.

I guess this is one case where developement is a good thing. The Medina river used to be mostly private ranches along the river and folks didn't take kindly to people using "their" river thru "their" property. With the development, and popularity of the Guadalupe and tubers it looks like someone caved and provided access to river which is only right.

Won't have to worry much about that unless we get some much needed water in the lake and the river continues to flow.

Im headed out there today about 1;00 or so. Is there any other boat ramps usable besides reds?

I went to Pops Place about a 1 1/2 weeks ago and there was just a little stream running. I dont think you could float a kayak in it.

That is what I thought. Thanks for the info. Decided to pospone the fishing trip taday. Gonna burn some meat and watch the game.

I doubt there's much chance of getting whites all the way up to Red Bluff Creek this year. The lake has come up about 10' in the last 3 wks and the river's flowing about 400 cfs @ Bandera (last summer it avg'd about 8), but its got a long way to go. I'm gonna go hit it for whites soon and plan on taking my kayak to Pop's. I'll paddle upstream if possible, wade if not.

Jimbo, that bridge ain't as comfy as it might look. That girl was bending over while walking along it because the rock wall above her head forces one to. Its tons of fun for a 240#er like myself. They used to have a plank bridge that was a straight shot across that gap, but I'm pretty sure it got washed out during the flooding in 2002.

On my last trip out there they had about 40 strands of wire blocking off that bridge, that requires one to step about 26" up to get over it. I'm guessing this functions as a "sign" that its closed to the public, and thus they're legally safe. One can also walk down the hill by the parking area and walk the far side of the creek to get out to the main riverbed, but you're liable to spend alot of time arm-pit deep.

I'm glad to hear that there's now public parking at English Crossing. That's a great spot, and last I knew it was closed off to the public.

Yeah i figure RedBluff is way too far for the whites, but its a good access point for walking down the bank. not sure how far the walk will end up being though. it seemed last summer that the spot in those pictures was about 300 yards from where the river widened back up and slowed down.

let us know what you find out Cliff

That old plank bridge was what I used to cross, and it was like a circus act walking across it with no hand rail and nothing to grab but air on either side. I saw people crawl on all fours across it.
First time I saw it before I crossed, I had to build up the nerve to attempt it as some of the 1 x 6's layed crossways on the pipe rails that spanned that long gap looked pretty rotten, and to be honest that was the only part I dreded was crossing that foot bridge.

Public access at English Crossing was non existent, but I guess times change with the population upstream now using the river they finally gave up trying to keep people out, and all the old ranchers who owned property on that river either sold out or passed on long ago turning over those ranches to the developers.

It used to be that the closest thing to public parking at the crossing was a private park about 150yds away, but they had lots of signage declaring that park only for the use of residents of a nearby subdivision.

They checked, and ran you off if they saw anyone there that wasn't supposed to be there! Don't ask me how I know!

Don't ya'll just love this weather. I wish we could get some arround Bandera and Medina. I lived in Medina and you can tell when the lake is on the rise just by looking at the river. When are those white bass gonna start? Im guessing 1st part of March. Any other guess out there. Its a [censored]-shoot with the ever changing water level.

I just keep looking out there and trying to figure out when this global warming b.s. is going to kick back in?

I've got cabin fever so bad I can't stand it. It clears off, a couple days, but it's still too darn cold for my old bones to deal with. Sixty degrees and I'm good, but those cold icy mornings I can't. A little wind and forget it!

I know for a fact the fish are moving up into the rivers, but it's just that I don't have enough drive to want to get out there and freeze just to find out! LOL!

Jimbo,

With all due respect, and i really do mean that, fluctuations in weather from month to month have nothing to do with climate change.

not one climatologist has ever stated that cold snaps like the one that is happening in the north east will go away. what they say is that the cold snaps will become fewer and fewer, and the heat waves will become more frequent.

to make an analogy to the situation right now with non-scientists weighing in on the climate change debate, it is similar to non-investment bankers calling up their portfolio managers and screaming "sell sell sell" every time the Dow loses 50 points in an afternoon.

there is a HUGE difference between day to day fluctuation and overall trends.

again, i say this out of complete respect, just make sure you are not listening to a bunch of people who have never actually done one ounce of research on the subject they claim to know so well.

I imagine you wouldn't listen to somebody who has never fished, let alone fished the Medina River white bass run, with regard to where they will stack up and what lures to use.

its the same with climate change.

Yeah, Climate change is real, it changes every year. Global Warming is a pile of carp. Bogus science based on Bogus "research".

FoldCat,

there is a reason scientists have droped the name Global Warming in favor of Climate Change.

Because often times people make assumptions about the term Global Warming and assume it means that every day will be warmer then the last.

as for your claim about bogus science, am i to assume that you are a climatologist? or a scientists of any sort?

Two things: Given that one of the "symptoms" of GW/CC is increased drought in the interior areas of continents, I think we might have had a bit different take on its likelihood last summer and early fall.

I also think the fact that we went from the worst drought in 50 years to months of damn near Seattle-like conditions here on the edge of the desert means there might be something to this "Global Weirding" phenomenon.

Just my $0.02

(ps. I don't care so much about the cold, but I like fishing rivers that look more like water than chocolate milk)

It's raining right now so every bit counts!

This weather (for whatever reason) ,does not get me motivated much for fishing either. Its more like chase momma arround the house weather. Last week I knocked the dust of my boat, fired it up for a few seconds,and was all ready to go. Then this weather came on in. Enough crying. We need the rain. Just not the cold. The lake needs the rain. Thanks Jimbo for your insight on the white bass. Cabin fever is hard to deal with. Good thing is it has to come to a end sometime. I'll be waiting.

as much as i would like to complain about the weather i know the the area, especially Medina, needs it bad. I'm just looking forward to this weekend. looking like its going to be picture perfect.

I agree Jimbo, I think the whites are moving up the rivers right now also. Probably too muddy and high to fish them though, and cold.

Looks like some good strong rain bands going through the area. The lake needs all it can get.

My parents live out in Medina the city. That is where we need the rain fo sho. Last week my dad dumped the rain gage at 3 1/2 " . Since then they have picked up about an inch and it was still raining as of 30 mins. ago. Not enough to fill the lake. however with all the other contibutaries, we should see an increase in water level. Heres to hopeing.

Its coming up, but its got a long way to go. (conservation pool is 1064')

Last weekend it came up about 4 feet and was real muddy. lots of debris floating from up river. red Bluff creek is flowing good as is the river. As others have said it still has a long way to go. Water temp on the 6th was 51 degrees. mid march looks like it maybe ok if the temps stay up and creeks keep flowing. English Crossing was closed off last sunday morning.

Went out there today at about 1:00 with my wife.Launched at Reds. The lake was like glass and saw 1 waterbike and 3 other boats way in the distance. It was Great. We trolled for a while on the main lake. downrigger at 30 feet w/rattle trap. also a deep diver only at about 7-9 feet. No luck

There was alot of debris. The lake is up since the last time I was there. Thats a hopeful sign. We hit a couple of coves still no luck. However it was a Great day to be on the water.

We got off the lake at about 4:30 just as the wind started and clouds moved on in.

Does anyone no a good place to launch closer to pops or thousand trails? I haven't heard on where to launch except for reds since the lake is low.
Wish I had a better fishing report. But it was a great day.

newtothis - please don't wear me out with your Global Climate Change Kool-aid. Climate change is just as much hooey as global warming.

I have no experience launching a boat and trailer at the park launch, but it is rocky/gravel type substrate. I've seen people launching relatively easy there back in the fall. Depending how much the water came up recently, it could be even better. What was the water clarity on the main lake today?

It was poor for Medina. It wasn't muddy either. To be expected with the rains up north I guess. Its nice to see a rise in the lake level. The debris wasnt all that bad, just small branches to look out for.

I'm gonna give it a try further up the lake next time. Thats where i have most luck. Plus white bass should be fun to chase.

FoldCat

I will leave you with this..

I sure hope you don't consider it an insult if I take the word of the VAST MAJORITY of scientists over some dude on the internet who probably hasn't done one iota of research on the subject and is probably getting his information from people who haven't done any either.

I understand you feel real strong that its a bunch of hooey, but I know you are wrong.

so good day, good luck fishing, and I sure hope you can avoid sailing off the end of your flat earth.

An ever growing number of climate scientists are doubting global climate change. The latest questions center on more and more examples of "cherry picked data", and weather recording stations that WERE IN ISOLATED AREAS", but now are next to things like buildings, A/C condensers and the like.

BTW, to establish scientific credibility , my BS and MS are in Microbiology from Virgina Polytechnic Inst. Yours??? When I learned and performed scientific research we came up with a postulate and performed experiments to prove or disprove. If the data collected proved our theory then we performed the experiment numerous additional times to ensure the results were not a one time happenstance. If the data (facts) collected did not support our theorem we changed the postulate. What we didn't do is neglect, change or cherry pick the data. I can prove almost anything if I can decide which data is relevant and which isn't. Global warmers still deny that the warm period back in the 1400's existed, BECAUSE if it did exist it means that warm periods are cyclic, not man-made. Your kool-aid is getting warm.

"An ever growing number of climate scientists are doubting global climate change."

while that statement might be factual, a handful out of thousands does not constitute a shift, it constitutes a blip. and the questions about cherry picked data have been answered.

your kool-aid line is old.. find a new one.

FoldCat

look.. there are far batter places to have this discussion, and personally I have no interest in beating this very dead horse.. the debate is over, your side lost.. too bad

I will however say that i have absolutely no interest in a lecture from somebody who continuously insults the intelligence of other with idiotic and childish calls of kool-aid drinking.

you are entitled to your opinion, however misinformed it may be.

this subject only came up with I RIGHTLY pointed out that a snowstorm in the North East does not in any way refute the claims made by climate scientists that the earth is steadily growing warmer due to a HUGE spike in atmospheric CO2.

I would hope that when somebody make a glaringly obvious logical misstep you would do the same, but next time, you might not want to pepper your comments with insults to the character and intelligence of those you disagree with.

OK so does anyone have any new news about Medina or heading out there anytime soon?

I checked out a coupla spots sunday while babysitting. (wife out of town) The river looked awful at the British Intersection , and I went and checked Pop's as well. For some reason I was expecting that area to look more like it does near the Red Bluff Creek confluence, rather than so much like the SA River south of downtown.

After seeing the speed and shallowness of the river there, I'm definitely rethinking my ideas about putting in there and paddling upstream. Both because it looks like more work than fun for me, and the river's current conditions make it look like the whites would have to work pretty hard to get TO Pop's, and still harder to get any further up. There was a long pool near Pop's, and then a shallow turbulent riffle just below it.

Based on what I saw, the lake needs to come up a good bit more before there's much use in fishing for White Bass upstream from Pop's. Then again, maybe white bass are more salmon like on their spawning run that I'm giving them credit for.

"questions about cherry picked data have been answered"

You are correct!!! The "scientists in question have admitted to cherry-picking the data.

I guess anyone with B#@%h about anything under any topic even if its completely off the topic just for the sake of B@#$hing to hear themselves B@#$h.

Medina Lake needs more water. However the fish are still there. Just not enough people trying to fish it. I think it great. More room for me to fish in peace.

newtothis Thanks for ending that cr@#

Big Cliff, what was the water clarity at Pop's Place? Thanks!

Fish have pretty strong built in instincts. When they want to reproduce a certain way they will try anything to get it done. Like you said, I don't know if they are as stubborn as salmon during the spawn but I would imagine if there is enough water to try it they will.

I watched white bass swim up a small 3'wide by 1 foot deep set of rapids on the Guadalupe last spring. I could step over this stream. They were determined to get up river and they were doing it. As anyone knows who has caught one, they are strong swimmers.

I've seen them swim upstream on their sides on the Medina River.

I'm aware that they're burly, but I'd still rather fish where most of them got to than just the "Michael Phelps"s of the white bass world.

I didn't get very near the water, (was just looking down from the parking lot while still in the car) but it had that slightly milky sage green coloration to it. Not super clear, but far from muddy.

Bigcliff, you may still want to give the first mile dowstream of Pop's a try if you have a kayak or canoe. I fished that area a few times this time last year and did pretty well on crappie. Caught a few whites here and there, but was surprised at the amount of crappie in there and feeding. The only thing that slowed me down was water color. When it got muddy, they didn't bite as well.

BLAH BLAH BLAH!! take it to a different thread. Nothing worse than gettin up in the morning to read a lake report only to see this political [censored] going on.

It is winter so what temperature is it suppose to be? Summer is coming so what temperature is it suppose to be? Who freaking cares!
Keep you politics to yourself and lets just talk about Medina lake and how the fishing is lately.