Travel - San Antonio, TX

A River Runs Through It

For a state with a rig named after it – the Texas rig – I expected fishing information to be readily available. Never in the US have I had to work so hard in website searches and phone calls to find out the basics.

First, in State and city parks, no fishing license is required. Nevertheless, check. Some of the sites I found useful:

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/annual/general/information/

(Call the phone numbers)

www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fishboat/fish/programs/gofishing/santoniofish/satx_map.phtml

Because there is a Tourist bus that leaves right behind the Alamo (Route 7 – Sightseer Special), I decided to try Brackenridge Park, which is the Zoo stop and only 15-20 minutes away. When I arrived, all I saw was a small, almost, decorous, canal – not a river. I asked at the zoo, visitors in the park, but no one seemed to know anything about where to fish. I wandered all over for the better part of an hour and a half, before I found a lady who said I was going in completely the wrong direction. For the record, the area is Oak Street or look for directions to the golf course.. Get off the bus, and almost immediately follow a path that leads to the right You might need to cross over the concrete Japanese bridge first.) There you will begin to see what looks like a creek. Keep on going, as the brush along the bank makes fishing almost impossible – even if tantalizing. I found a few spots, rigged up (Texas-style, of course) and found some sunfish. Just to make sure I wouldn’t be skunked for the day, I switched on a sunfish jig and caught a couple of 6” sunnies. After nibbles but no bites, I switched back to my bass rig and was finally able to catch a 12” bass.

But that was it. I had a half hour left to get the bus (which leave/arrive hourly)

If I had to do it over again, I would go to Millers Pond, south of the city, but it would be over an hour by bus 76.