I have fished the Llano River many times, but I have never fished the Llano from where it originates. Llano River State Park is located a few miles away from Junction, Texas which is a small town of under 3000. If I had to say, there is probably more fish in Llano River State Park than people in Junction, Texas. If you are not from Texas or have not yet had the opportunity to fish for Guadalupe Bass, I highly encourage you to target this great species that is at risk of being lost.
The Guadalupe Bass is the State Fish of Texas and is only found in a small portion of Texas called the Edward’s Plateau, which is home to the Edward’s Aquifer. The State record weighs in 3 pounds 11 ounces, and one should know that this is really a world record because this fish is not found anywhere else in the world.
A Guadalupe Bass is a black bass, which is closely related to Largemouth Bass and Spotted Bass. It is quite simple to distinguish a Guadalupe Bass, as it has a black diamond shaped pattern along the lateral line with rows of dots on the belly that makes stripes. Guadalupe Bass also have much smaller mouths than that of Largemouth Bass, as a Guadalupe’s mouth is entirely in front of its eye, and the Largemouth Bass has a mouth that extends beyond the eye socket.
As far as a Guadalupe Bass environment, it is entirely opposite from a Largemouth. A Guadalupe Bass is found in flowing rivers and streams while a Largemouth Bass is found in still water and deeper water.
When I went to Llano River State Park, I caught an extremely large Guadalupe Bass at two pounds. This may not sound very large, but think about this comparison. The Largemouth Bass world record is around 22 pounds, and the Guadalupe Bass is a little over 3 and a half pounds. So by way of math, a two pound Guadalupe Bass is like an 11 pound Largemouth. Pretty big!
I caught this huge Guadalupe Bass with a lipless crank bait with a spastic retrieve. I was using a medium action seven foot rod along with a Pflueger President Spinning Reel. I matched all of this with 15 pound Braided Spiderwire. As I hooked this fish, it started off somewhat slow, which is extremely rare for Guadalupe Bass. I say this because Guadalupe Bass live in flowing water which requires constant swimming, which in hand produces very strong muscles. Once I got the fish near my Jackson Kayak Big Tuna Kayak he exploded and bent my rod over as he swam under the kayak. I eventually got him in the kayak and unhooked him to find I had a trophy fish that many will never catch in their lifetime. I was extremely excited because I actually thought that I was reeling in a Largemouth Bass, because I was in a somewhat stagnant area of water which Guadalupe Bass are rarely found.
All in all, this was a fish that I will never forget and I hope I have the opportunity to find another Guadalupe Bass of this size. So if you venture off to Texas or have never fished for Guadalupe Bass, I strongly encourage you to. The beautiful scenery, the clear water, and the great fight of Guadalupe Bass are just a few reasons to fish for the State Fish of Texas.
About the author: My name is Clint Taylor and I fish the out of the way and mostly overlooked locations on Texas Rivers. I am sponsored by Jackson Kayak, Aqua-Bound Paddles, and MTI Adventurewear. I am also a member of the Jackson Kayak Fishing Team, and a proud ex-member of the Brownwood Lions Varsity Football Team – Go Lions. I enjoy outdoor activities and going target shooting as well. I also have a website,texaskayakfisher.blogspot.com, in which I give articles and reviews over gear, destinations, Jackson Kayaks, Aqua-Bound Paddles, and MTI Adventurewear.
