Fly fishing report · Southwest

Medina River

A Medina River report for anglers planning the Medina-to-Bandera corridor with live flow checks, public park guidance, and practical warmwater fly tactics.

Check flow & weather

Today's river scoreHigh source confidence

Caution

Best option: Bank / edge.

Bank and edge fishing is the safer default when water is high, pushy, or not fully verified.

Updated Jul 13, 11:17 PM UTCUsually refreshes about every 45 minutes

Recommended approachBank / edge

Mode scores adjust the river-wide score for the risks of wading, bank fishing, or floating.

Wade44/100

Wading is the most sensitive plan today. Use protected edges only, avoid crossings, and downgrade quickly if clarity or current feels wrong.

Bank / edge · Best fit56/100

Bank and edge fishing is the safer default when water is high, pushy, or not fully verified.

FloatCheck

This report does not describe this as a primary mode. Verify legal access, depth, launches, and retreat options before planning around it.

Confirm before you leave

Flow and weather right now.

Use the flow trend to confirm the score before you leave. Weather can change the safest and most productive fishing window.

River strategy

Fish the upper Medina as a smaller spring-fed Hill Country river with selective public access, not as a river where every roadside bend becomes fair game.

The Medina above Lake Medina is strongest when RiverReports and USGS 08180700 are stable, the water keeps its clear spring-fed look, and your day stays anchored to Moffett Park, Bandera City Park, or clearly public crossings. This is a short, careful warmwater plan that rewards compact gear and disciplined access choices, and it loses value quickly when summer lows or muddy runoff flatten the current.

TPWD describes the Medina as a spring-fed Hill Country river with crystal-clear water, bald cypress banks, limestone structure, and the best recreational conditions above Lake Medina.
TPWD's Medina-to-Bandera waterways section says the river is readily accessible through road crossings and city parks, but it also notes private camps and shallow summer conditions that force a selective access plan.
Bandera City Park officially offers fishing along the Medina and posts current water-level and bacteria-monitoring links through the Bandera County River Authority and Groundwater District.
TPWD Medina River records include Guadalupe bass, largemouth bass, spotted-bass crosses, Rio Grande cichlid, sunfish, carp, catfish, and even a small rainbow-trout history, which supports a mixed warmwater fly approach rather than a single-species plan.

Why this score moved

FlowUse caution

USGS shows 11 cfs with a falling about 25% over about 6 hours trend. same-date USGS history (1981-2025, 44 readings) puts normal around 51 cfs and the lower quartile near 30 cfs; today's flow is below normal for the date. This is below normal, so edge depth, temperature, and pressure matter.

Public alertUse caution

A Flood Watch is active near this forecast point, so the score is capped until runoff, clarity, crossings, and road access are checked. NWS alert: Flood Watch issued July 13 at 10:03AM CDT until July 16 at 7:00PM CDT by NWS Austin/San Antonio TX.

Best mode nowUse caution

Bank / edge: Bank and edge fishing is the safer default when water is high, pushy, or not fully verified.

SeasonHelps score

Early summer: Good for dawn poppers and compact streamers before heat and very low water start shrinking the fishable lanes.

WeatherHelps score

The NWS forecast is about 91F with Mostly Sunny.

Read the water

What changes the plan.

The best Medina sessions come on clear stable water when the current still pushes through the limestone runs and cypress banks without dropping into a summer trickle. If the gauge is sliding hard, the water turns cloudy, or Bandera access looks crowded, shorten the session and keep a backup river in play.

Clear stable flow

The best Medina window for short precise streamer or popper presentations and for reading the cypress-and-limestone structure cleanly.

Moderate rise with fishable color

Can improve current definition and connect runs, but only if the river still looks clear enough to support sight-feeding bass behavior.

Summer low water

A caution signal because TPWD says the upper Medina can become extremely shallow during dry summer periods.

Dirty storm flow

A skip signal because the small-river advantage disappears fast once clarity and footing margin are gone.

Field plan

Fish it with intention.

Best flows

Use the Pipe Creek trend with clarity and water-quality context. Stable clear current is the best signal.

When to skip

Skip when summer water is too low, storm mud is present, water-quality concerns are active, park pressure is heavy, or access is uncertain.

Local plan

Start with Pipe Creek flow, then pick Bandera City Park or another verified public crossing before choosing flies.

Backup water

Compare Llano River, Guadalupe River, or Pedernales River when the Medina is too low, muddy, crowded, or access-limited.

Hatches & flies

Bring a flexible box.

TimingWhat to watchUseful flies

March-MaySmall baitfish, crawfish movement, and spring aquatic insectsOlive streamer, black bugger, small craw pattern, rubber-leg bug

Reviewed family · report says “Olive streamer”Trout Streamer PatternsStreamer is a method-and-silhouette family, not a recipe. Size, color, weight, and presentation phrases stay visible, while baitfish, leech, sculpin, Woolly Bugger, and articulated identities link to their more specific destinations when known.See family guide

Reviewed pattern · report says “black bugger”Woolly BuggerThe shared pattern language is a marabou tail, chenille or dubbed body, and palmered hackle. Bead heads, dumbbell eyes, flash, rubber tails, colors, and body materials materially change the tied variation and must be labeled.See photos & how to fish it + 2 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box

June-AugustTerrestrials, minnows, and dawn topwater windowsSmall popper, slider, foam bug, ant, baitfish streamer

Reviewed family · report says “Small popper”Bass and Panfish Popper PatternsPoppers may use cupped foam, cork, balsa, deer hair, or pencil-shaped heads. Head face, size, buoyancy, tail, legs, and weed guard determine sound and action; a generic popper label does not identify one fly.See family guide

Reviewed family · report says “slider”Warmwater Slider and Diver PatternsA slider has a tapered, flat, or softly shaped head that glides or pushes a small wake with limited noise. A diver has an angled, collared, folded, or otherwise shaped head that pulls below the surface when stripped and rises on the pause. Frog, baitfish, and large-insect profiles can be tied on either idea, so the exact head action, buoyancy, hook orientation, weed guard, and material must stay named.See family guide + 3 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box

September-NovemberBaitfish and crawfish feeding windows in cooler clearer waterClouser, bugger, crayfish fly, jig streamer

Reviewed pattern · report says “Clouser”Clouser Deep MinnowThe reviewed chartreuse-and-white form uses sparse layered bucktail with flash around lead barbell eyes. The eyes make the fly sink between strips and ride hook point up; color, eye weight, hook, and saltwater materials must remain labeled.See photos & how to fish it

Reviewed pattern · report says “bugger”Woolly BuggerThe shared pattern language is a marabou tail, chenille or dubbed body, and palmered hackle. Bead heads, dumbbell eyes, flash, rubber tails, colors, and body materials materially change the tied variation and must be labeled.See photos & how to fish it + 2 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box

Winter stable daysSparse insect activity with slower forage-driven feedingSmall leech, jig streamer, lightly weighted bugger

Reviewed family · report says “Small leech”Leech PatternsLeech patterns share an elongated moving silhouette, but material, weighting, hook orientation, and retrieve vary. Pine-squirrel, rabbit-strip, balanced, and Woolly Bugger forms remain separately labeled rather than being presented as one recipe.See family guide

Reviewed family · report says “jig streamer”Trout Streamer PatternsStreamer is a method-and-silhouette family, not a recipe. Size, color, weight, and presentation phrases stay visible, while baitfish, leech, sculpin, Woolly Bugger, and articulated identities link to their more specific destinations when known.See family guide + 1 more reviewed guide in the Fly Box

Start at one verified public access and fish it thoroughly instead of driving the valley looking for miracle pull-offs.

Give the broken current and cypress banks the first part of the morning before easing into slower park water.

If summer lows flatten the riffles, shorten the day and target the shadiest deeper slots rather than trying to force the whole corridor.

Keep an eye on clarity and the BCRAGD safety notes around Bandera before deciding to stay late.

Access & responsibility

Know the entry. Know the exit.

Check TPWD freshwater regulations before fishing and follow any posted park rules or local safety notices at the access point you use.

Bandera City Park

The clearest official Bandera entry on this page, with posted fishing access, park rules, and direct water-level and bacteria-monitoring links.

Moffett Park in Medina

TPWD's upper-river access list starts here, making it a useful upstream public look when you want the clearest small-river water first.

SH 16 and FM 470 crossings near Bandera

TPWD lists these as public roadside or bridge-access points, best treated as quick checks and short sessions rather than assumed all-day water.

Transparent sources

Check the facts behind the plan.

Last material review: 2026-06-02

flowRiverReports Medina River flowUSGS 08180700 Medina River near Pipe Creek accessBandera City Park safetyBandera County River Authority and Groundwater District water-quality testing accessTPWD Analysis of Texas Waterways - Medina River backgroundTPWD Medina River water body records accessTPWD River Fishing in Texas regulationTPWD freshwater fishing bag and length limits safetyNational Weather Service point near the Medina River

Common questions

Before you leave.

What flow should I trust for the Medina River?+

Use the RiverReports chart for quick reads and keep USGS 08180700 open as the official backstop before you commit to the upper Medina corridor.

Where should I start on the Medina River?+

Bandera City Park is the clearest first stop because it openly allows fishing and posts current water-level and bacteria-monitoring links. Moffett Park and public crossings make good backups.

When should I skip the Medina River?+

Skip it when the water turns muddy after storms, when summer lows make the river extremely shallow, or when your access plan depends on guessing where private property starts.