Photo: Frank L. Engel / U.S. Geological Survey Opens in a new tab. · Public domain. Historical photograph, not today's conditions.
Fishable with caution. Keep the trip short.
Fish from the bank. Keep to a short bank-fishing plan. Check heat, storms, posted rules, and the latest water-quality result before you go.
Rating updatedRiver local time:
The current NWS air forecast is about 85F, and the next 24-hour high reaches about 101F. This is an air forecast, not a water-temperature reading. Keep the trip short and early, carry drinking water and sun protection, and leave when heat makes the outing unsafe.
NWS air forecast near
This is an air forecast, not a river-temperature reading. Keep the trip short and early, carry drinking water and sun protection, and leave when heat makes the outing unsafe.
Discharge
Latest reading: 21 cfs. Stable over about 6 hours. Chart covers Sep 5 through Sep 12; readings are provisional and may be revised.
Partly Cloudy
The National Weather Service forecast is temporarily unavailable.
Current U.S. Geological Survey gauge: Medina River at Bandera, TX
Seasonal starting points, not a live hatch report. Match what you see on the water.
Start with what fish are actually eating. These warmwater choices change with season, flow, shade, and observed feeding.
Each pictured fly name opens its matching Fly Box guide. These are seasonal planning choices, not a live hatch claim.
Choose one confirmed Bandera access and reassess onsite. Rising water, unsafe heat, poor footing, a water-quality warning, or a closed gate can end the plan even when the gauge looks steady.
This chart uses Bandera discharge and stage. USGS may revise readings. Use the trend as context, not as a safe-wading threshold.
Open USGS 0817887350 for Patterson Road or USGS 08178980 above English Crossing. Neither shares this page's Bandera score.
Read BCRAGD's latest dated sample and any current advisory. Current water temperature, current clarity, and bacteria are not measured by this chart or included as live water-quality inputs.
Check the Bandera forecast and upstream rainfall. Carry water and sun protection, keep a clear exit, and cancel when heat, thunderstorms, or rising current makes the outing unsafe.
These scores compare the risks of wading, bank fishing, and floating.
Wade only from a named public access after checking current flow, safe footing, and the latest water-quality result. Stay out if any check fails.
Use a named public bank access. Check posted rules, stable footing, heat, and storms before you go.
This report does not recommend floating this reach.
Plan a short upper Medina trip around Bandera. Check the Bandera flow, public access, heat, and water-quality updates before choosing a bank or wade session.
Use the Bandera chart for a local flow check, then confirm park access, water-quality updates, and heat before choosing a bank session. Wade only after checking the water and footing onsite.
The current NWS air forecast is about 85F, and the next 24-hour high reaches about 101F. This is an air forecast, not a water-temperature reading. Keep the trip short and early, carry drinking water and sun protection, and leave when heat makes the outing unsafe.
Wade: Wading is in play only where your chosen access has clear footing, legal entry, and no forced crossings.
USGS shows 21 cfs. The flow has been stable over about 6 hours. USGS marks this reading provisional and may revise it. USGS records for this date (1983-2025, 43 readings) show a typical middle range of 7 cfs to 80 cfs. USGS 08178880 at Bandera reports provisional flow and stage for the upper Medina near Bandera, above Medina Lake. It does not report current water temperature, clarity, E. coli, or access conditions. Patterson Road and English Crossing are separate reach checks; USGS 08180700 near Macdona is downstream of Medina Lake and cannot describe this upper-river trip. Flow is within the typical range for this date, so weather, temperature, and access become the next checks.
September through December: Adjust to cooling weather, changing flow, and the rules effective on your trip date.
No active NWS alert was returned for this forecast point.
Use the Bandera trend as context, not a universal safe number. Onsite current, visibility, footing, water-quality advisories, weather, and park access still decide the plan.
Skip when heat or thunderstorms make the outing unsafe, water rises, footing or visibility fails, a water-quality warning affects the plan, or legal access cannot be confirmed.
Check USGS 08178880, City Park notices, and BCRAGD updates. Then choose one open park bank with shade and an easy exit.
Compare the Guadalupe, Pedernales, or San Marcos only after checking that river's own conditions, access, rules, and weather. None is automatically a safer substitute.
When: Weather- and flow-dependent warmwater fishing
Try compact streamers in accessible current seams. River records establish presence, not today's feeding or abundance.
When: Year-round context; adjust to conditions
Work available cover from a legal bank and change retrieve before changing flies.
When: Useful when small forage is active
Scale down to a small surface bug or nymph when observed feeding supports it.
Bandera has documented park access. Confirm today's gate, fees, signs, and bank conditions before setting up.
A valid Texas fishing license and freshwater endorsement generally apply unless exempt. Check the Outdoor Annual edition effective on your fishing date, especially across August 31 and September 1. A future-season page is not proof of today's harvest limits. Current rules and posted access restrictions control.
| River section and season | Fishing rules |
|---|---|
| Banderaprimary report reach | Use USGS 08178880 for this page's chart and score. City Park and the Angler Park pads are the documented access starts. Current park notices and onsite signs still control. Official rule |
| Medina and Patterson Roadupstream | Use USGS 0817887350 for this separate upstream check. A gauge location or a park named in an old waterways report does not establish a currently open fishing entry. Official rule |
| Above English Crossingdownstream | Use USGS 08178980 near Pipe Creek. Confirm the actual entry, parking, bank boundary, and current conditions. The crossing name alone is not access permission. Official rule |
| Below Medina Lake and Macdonaoutside this report | USGS 08180700 is at Macdona, downstream of Medina Lake. It is not the Bandera gauge and is not used for this page's chart, forecast location, or score. Official rule |
Enter at 8th and Maple. Posted hours are 8 a.m. to 30 minutes before sunset. The 2026 notice charges entry on weekends and holidays June 20–September 7, plus July 3. Posted rates are $10 general admission and $5 for Bandera County residents and children 6–11, with listed exemptions. Confirm current notices, fees, and gate status.
Site detailsTPWD documents four fishing pads, one ADA-accessible, plus ADA parking within the City Park project completed in 2023. This supports a bank-first plan when the facilities are open. Verify current condition and posted access after floods.
Site detailsOfficial gauge, park, water-quality, rules, and weather sources were checked August 25, 2026. No field visit, current water temperature, current clarity, or same-day access inspection is claimed.
Check what is allowed, where the rule applies, and whether the river is open.
Check the latest river reading and forecast before you leave.
Check public entry points, land rules, and seasonal access changes.
Use these links for stocking, safety, and other local details.
Check what is allowed, where the rule applies, and whether the river is open.
Open the current rules and check the river section, season, and special limits.
Open the current rules and check the river section, season, and special limits.
Check the latest river reading and forecast before you leave.
Open this page and check the latest safety advice before your trip.
Open this river reading to check the latest level, flow, and update time.
Open this river reading to check the latest level, flow, and update time.
Open this river reading to check the latest level, flow, and update time.
Check public entry points, land rules, and seasonal access changes.
Open this page for more river information and check when it was last updated.
Open the land or access page, then check signs before you park or enter.
Open the land or access page, then check signs before you park or enter.
Open the land or access page, then check signs before you park or enter.
Open the land or access page, then check signs before you park or enter.
Open the land or access page, then check signs before you park or enter.
Use these links for stocking, safety, and other local details.
Open this page for more river information and check when it was last updated.
Open this page and check the latest safety advice before your trip.
Open this page and check the latest safety advice before your trip.
What was checked: Official sources support the gauge locations, named park infrastructure, water-quality check path, and trip-date rules. The USGS photograph is from December 2018. Historical river descriptions and dated bacteria samples are not current conditions. No field visit, current water temperature, current clarity, verified open gate, universal safe-wading flow, or float inspection is claimed.
Live measurements and forecasts keep their provider timestamps. Rules, access, and trip guidance use the source-review date shown here. BlueStreamFly planning advice is editorial interpretation, not an agency notice.
First-hand experience: BlueStreamFly does not claim a first-hand visit or local field test for this report unless a real contributor is explicitly named and linked.
USGS 08178880 at Bandera powers the live chart and flow input for the score. Patterson Road and above English Crossing have separate gauges. The Macdona gauge below Medina Lake is not used for this upper-river report.
No. The Bandera gauge reports discharge and stage, not current water temperature, clarity, or bacteria. BCRAGD's samples are dated checks and are not ingested into the fishability score. Read the latest local advisory and confirm conditions onsite.
Bandera City Park and the Angler Park fishing pads are documented public starts when open. Check the current gate, fee notice, designated parking, and posted boundaries. Neither a bridge nor an old access list guarantees a legal entry.
Start with a confirmed park bank. Wade only after checking legal entry, water quality, visibility, footing, current, and an easy exit. This report does not verify or recommend a float route.
Use the pictured seasonal rows as a starting box, not a live hatch report. Compact Woolly Buggers and Clousers cover subsurface searching. Small surface bugs fit observed feeding, and smaller nymphs can suit sunfish or cichlid.
Check the Texas Outdoor Annual edition effective on the trip date and the posted park rules. A valid fishing license and freshwater endorsement generally apply unless exempt. Pay particular attention to the August 31/September 1 rules and license transition.
