The Guadalupe below Canyon Dam: Trout Zone 1 and Zone 2, in plain words

The stretch of the Guadalupe below Canyon Dam is a popular winter trout river, and it has its own harvest rules. TPWD's map of the river calls the two stretches "Trout Zone 1" and "Trout Zone 2," and its page says "two sections of this river are subject to special harvest regulations." This guide uses Zone 1 for the upper section and Zone 2 for the lower. Check the TPWD page before you fish: rules and access change, and this is a summary, not legal advice.

What applies in both sections

TPWD says that in these sections, all rainbow and brown trout that are harvested must be caught on artificial lures. The page says nothing here about catch and release, so check TPWD if you plan to use bait and release everything. The two sections then split on size and number.

Zone 1: the upper section

It starts 800 yards downstream from the Canyon Dam release gate and runs to the easternmost bridge on FM 306. TPWD says there is a 12-to-18-inch slot limit: trout 12 inches and under, or 18 inches and longer, may be kept. The daily bag is five trout, and only one of them can be 18 inches or longer. A fish between 12 and 18 inches goes back.

Zone 2: the lower section

From the easternmost bridge on FM 306 downstream to the second bridge crossing on River Road, TPWD says there is an 18-inch minimum size and a bag of one trout a day. TPWD's map shows Zone 2 running past Sattler and the 4th and 3rd bridge crossings on River Road and ending at the 2nd bridge crossing. Below that the map key shows statewide regulations, and Camp Huaco Springs sits in that stretch.

A quick way to hold it in your head, upstream to down

This is a plain-words list of the boundaries TPWD names. It is not a map and not to scale. TPWD's page has a map of the trout fishing area between the dam and New Braunfels, with Zone 1, Zone 2 and the numbered bridge crossings, and it is the authority.

Where the public can fish

TPWD says many camps and resorts on this stretch offer river access to paying guests, and that free public access is at Guadalupe Park, run by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, all year. In its December 1, 2025 release TPWD described Camp Huaco Springs, between New Braunfels and Sattler, as a no-fee access lease with nearly half a mile of bank along alternating pools and riffles. Leased areas let anglers fish from 30 minutes before daylight until 30 minutes after dusk, from the bank or from a non-motorized boat, TPWD says, but leases are seasonal. TPWD's page still showed last season's dates when we read it, so look for this season's announcement.

Clear shallows over limestone ledges on the Guadalupe below Canyon Dam, Dec. 14, 2025. Photo: TexCast.

The Guadalupe River at Camp Huaco Springs, Dec. 12, 2025. Photo: TexCast.

Stocking, and who does it

TPWD's page says it stocks trout at Guadalupe Park, Whitewater Camp, 4th Crossing, 3rd Crossing and Camp Huaco Springs. The release adds that the local Trout Unlimited chapter, a TPWD partner, also stocks rainbow trout in the colder months, usually larger fish. A stocking changes where fish are, but not which section's rules apply: the boundaries above are what count.

A rainbow trout in the net on a float below the dam, Dec. 14, 2025. Photo: TexCast.

Related guides

Agency pages this guide draws on

Home · Waters · Rivers · Lakes · Coast · Trout stocking · Tackle · State parks · Gulf reefs · Learning Center · About · Privacy · Terms

Contact: hello@texcastfishing.com