Fly fishing report · Southwest

Pedernales River

A Pedernales River report for anglers planning the Johnson City and Pedernales Falls corridor with live flow checks, public-access limits, and realistic warmwater fly guidance.

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.

Wade30/100

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 fit42/100

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 Pedernales like a broad limestone warmwater river with sparse public access, not like a bank-hopping creek where every crossing opens miles of water.

The Pedernales is strongest when RiverReports and USGS 08153500 show stable or gently rising water, the state-park corridor is open, and you are willing to keep the day centered on a few defensible public entries. Use this page for short wades and selective walk-in fishing first, respect the hazards around the falls and slick slabs, and skip the day when flash-flood risk or very thin water removes the river's main advantage.

TPWD says the Pedernales Falls State Park corridor is the main public-access anchor on this 39-mile reach, with only three road crossings across the broader section.
TPWD's waterways analysis says the river stays relatively shallow at normal levels and fishes or paddles best when it is on a 1 to 2 foot rise rather than scraping low.
Pedernales Falls State Park allows fishing and paddling, but it does not allow swimming, wading, or put-ins and take-outs in the falls area itself because the river can rise from calm to dangerous very quickly.
TPWD water-body records show the river supports Guadalupe bass, largemouth bass, white bass, catfish, carp, gar, and other mixed warmwater targets that fit a versatile Hill Country fly plan.

Why this score moved

Best mode nowLowers score

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

FlowUse caution

USGS shows 3 cfs with a falling about 11% over about 6 hours trend. same-date USGS history (1939-2025, 87 readings) puts normal around 26 cfs and the lower quartile near 8 cfs; today's flow is below normal for the date. This is below normal, so edge depth, temperature, and pressure matter.

Short-term weatherUse caution

The forecast has storm or heavy-precipitation risk, so timing and access matter more than the score alone.

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.

SeasonHelps score

Early summer: Good for dawn surface action and compact streamer work before heavy heat and weekend traffic take over.

Read the water

What changes the plan.

The best Pedernales sessions come when the river has enough push to define seams across the limestone without turning the crossings into a flash-flood problem. If the gauge is spiking, the water is muddy, or park traffic is high, shorten the session and move to a simpler Texas backup.

Stable moderate flow

The best fit for wading selected runs, fishing seams off the limestone shelves, and covering enough water without forcing long hikes.

Slight rise

Often better than dead-low water because more channels connect and the current becomes easier to read, but only when the river still looks safe and clear.

Very low water

Shorten the day, target the strongest shade and slots, and accept that some broad famous-looking runs are just too thin to fish well.

Storm rise or muddy water

A strong skip signal because the park itself warns that the river can rise quickly and become dangerous within minutes.

Field plan

Fish it with intention.

Best flows

Use the Johnson City trend with clarity. Stable or slowly falling clear water is the best signal.

When to skip

Skip when the river is rising, muddy from storms, too low and hot, the falls area is closed or unsafe, or public access cannot be confirmed.

Local plan

Start with the Johnson City gauge, then choose Pedernales Falls State Park or a verified crossing before picking flies.

Backup water

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

Hatches & flies

Bring a flexible box.

TimingWhat to watchUseful flies

March-MayBaitfish movement, crawfish activity, and mixed spring insectsOlive streamer, small craw pattern, rubber-leg bug, black bugger

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 family · report says “small craw pattern”Crayfish and Crawfish PatternsCrayfish patterns differ in claw size, eye placement, shell profile, leg motion, weighting, hook orientation, and snag resistance. Rust, brown, olive, tan, and pale molting colors remain labeled choices rather than aliases for one recipe.See family guide + 2 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box

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

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-NovemberCrawfish and baitfish feeding windows in cooling 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

Build the day around Pedernales Falls State Park or an obvious crossing rather than spending the morning trying to invent access.

Fish the first clean riffle-to-pool sequence thoroughly before hiking farther because public water is more limited than the map makes it look.

When the river is low, target the shade, drop-offs, and current tongues instead of casting across every wide shallow shelf.

If the water is rising, muddying, or pushing harder than expected, leave early rather than treating the falls corridor as a place to gamble.

Access & responsibility

Know the entry. Know the exit.

Check TPWD freshwater regulations and any park-specific access or safety notices before fishing because this page relies on statewide warmwater rules plus state-park access conditions.

Pedernales Falls State Park

The main public-access anchor on this page, with fishing, paddling, and park-managed entry into the river corridor away from the closed falls zone.

US 281 crossing near Johnson City

TPWD lists limited shoreline on the highway right-of-way, making it a quick public look rather than an all-day wandering entry.

Hammett's Crossing

A downstream public crossing worth keeping as a backup, but TPWD says access here is poor and should be treated conservatively.

Transparent sources

Check the facts behind the plan.

Last material review: 2026-06-02

flowRiverReports Pedernales River flowUSGS 08153500 Pedernales River near Johnson City accessPedernales Falls State Park accessTPWD Analysis of Texas Waterways - Pedernales River accessTPWD River Fishing in Texas backgroundTPWD Pedernales River water body records regulationTPWD freshwater fishing bag and length limits safetyNational Weather Service point near the Pedernales River

Common questions

Before you leave.

What flow should I trust for the Pedernales River?+

Use the RiverReports chart for a quick read and keep USGS 08153500 open as the official backstop before committing to the state-park corridor.

Can I fish right at Pedernales Falls?+

Plan around the broader river corridor inside the park, not the falls zone itself. The park says swimming, wading, and put-ins or take-outs are not allowed in the falls area for safety.

When should I skip the Pedernales River?+

Skip it when storms are nearby, the gauge is jumping, the water is muddy, or the public-access points are too crowded to make the limited legal water worth it.