On Jun 27, 10:10*am, wrote:

I don't know if still is, but Austin's TU chapter used to be the largest in the
US (by something like triple the next largest chapter)....

The Guadalupe River TU chapter is the largest.

I guess it was the
stocking at Granbury that did it...OTOH, I think the Austin Angler went belly
up, so...???

Yep. I happened to drop by there a couple of weeks before they had
their going out of business sale, and it was pretty obvious they
weren't doing well. Trout fishing is still going strong on the
Guadalupe, but they couldn't compete with the Interweb thingie.

Seriously, though, the Hill County, and really, much of the eastern half of
Texas, has some pretty damned good fishing, fly or otherwise, albeit no even
half-assed trout fishing (...and no, those stockers don't count...)

Our problem now is simply a lack of water. I don't even go to my
favorite spots because it makes me almost sick to my stomach to see
how low the rivers are. There are some spring-fed streams that are
(barely) holding their own, but the Pedernales and Blanco are not even
running in most of the spots I used to fish.

Ironically, because of an agreement between the Guadalupe River TU
chapter and the river authority, the lower Guad is holding up better
than most, as they continue to release water from Canyon dam (even
while the lake dries up to nothing). The agreement stipulated that
they would keep the flow at 200 cfs or higher year-round, and due to
the drought, they've had to cut back, but as I'm typing this, the
release rate shows as 61 cfs. (Contrast that to the Pedernales at
Johnson City which is flowing at 1.2; median for this time of year is
about 50.)

As for the comments about Texas in general -- it's all about what
you make of it. Austin is one of the nicer towns anywhere. At least
it was until all the northerners and Californians moved in. (It cuts
both ways, boys.) The Hill Country where I live is beautiful, and the
people are friendly.

Yes, there are plenty of assholes, and our politicians are idiots,
but I'd say the same goes for most places.

For our two most vocal anti-Texas friends I have a couple of
questions:

Are all Illernoise politicians like your governor?

Are all Idahoans wacko racist survivalists?


Chuck Vance