The Llano River is one of the pristine fisheries of Central Texas. The waters run quite clear and due to most of the supply of water coming from springs, the Llano River is almost always flowing.
I went to downtown Llano to a nice park where river access is somewhat easily accessible by foot, and moderately accessible for putting in a kayak or canoe.
There are many types of fish in the Llano River, but probably the most prominent fish is the Guadalupe Bass which is the state fish of Texas. The Guadalupe Bass is only found in the Edwards Aquifer, which lies in the Central to Western part of Texas. Guadalupe Bass have more of a diamond patterned lateral line rather than a straight lateral line from that of Largemouths.
The world record Guadalupe Bass, or more so state record Guadalupe Bass weighed in at three pounds eleven ounces. A good Guadalupe Bass is considered to be anything over one pound, as this is comparable to a three to four pound Largemouth Bass. Guadalupe Bass are often confused with small Largemouth Bass, but there are several ways to identify Guadalupe Bass from Largemouth Bass. Below are a few pictures of Guadalupe Bass and how to identify this pristine fish.
- Guadalupe Bass have more of a diamond patterned lateral line rather than a straight lateral line from that of Largemouths.
- Guadalupe Bass have a brown patch of coloration on their tongue and Largemouths do not.
- A Guadalupe Bass has a jaw that is in front of their eye, were a Largemouth has a mouth that continues past their eye.
I had a successful time catching what I like to call “quality” fish at the Llano River, and this basically means not the biggest fish but enjoyable fish to catch. For the time that I had on the river I used a Worden’s Rooster Tail with twelve pound test monofilament Spiderline. For TKFTV Episode 2 I used a GoPro Hero 3 Silver Edition camera with the settings at 1080 and thirty frames per second. One of the best things about the Llano River is the wide variety of fish that you can catch. There is obviously Guadalupe Bass, Largemouth Bass, Rio Grande Perch, a wide variety of sunfish, Spotted Gar, and a couple different types of Carp. There is even trout in the winter months to early spring, as the Llano River is stocked with trout for fishermen to enjoy. If you are all out of fishing spots, consider the Llano River in downtown Llano, as this is a small enjoyable town with a great fishery.
Take a short fishing trip with Taylor by clicking on the video below. Video produced and edited by Clint Taylor. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tswcFSXTy9Q
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About the blogger/videographer: My name is Clint Taylor and I fish the out of the way and mostly overlooked locations on Texas Rivers. I am a member of the Jackson Kayak Fishing Team, and I am a proud 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, and Jackson Kayaks.
