anyone have any fishing reports from these areas or any places to try...i have heard behind the dam at garner is a good place....anywhere else...what type of lure should i use this time of year...thanks for all the help...also anyone know of any good places to eat?

Neal's Cafe in Concan has excellent food - I particularly like the fried chicken. And the dam is the best place to fish.

I'll be at GSP this weekend, so I can post a report later next week.

My go-to baits on the frio:

Orange/green/gold bladed Roostertail spinnerbait in summer and fall, white with silver blade in spring and winter.

Smaller crawfish shaped plastic jigs, or really any jigs fished up against cut banks. Green or dark colors are better.

Rebel teeny craw crankbait.

Small bomber model A crankbait in bluegill, crawfish, or baby bass

Flies: Sinking nymphs, streamers, grasshopper imitiations

Bait: Minnows, grasshoppers, worms, or pieces of hotdog. Seriously, for some reason the channel cats in the hill country LOVE hotdog.

I fish the entire river. Little knee to waist deep isolated holes may hold some surprizingly large fish. I just walk the river tossing at holes, cut banks, the top and bottom of riffles, any large rocks or tree trunks, any deep holes, any deeper areas in the midst of a wide shallow area, along the edges of strong currents, etc.

I do almost exclusively catch and release in the park. It gets too much fishing pressure as it is.

There are some good eats in Leakey and Utopia, but in the offseason a lot of places close shop. You might have better luck along the "three threes" where all the bikers like to drive, year round.

[This message has been edited by MouthBQ98 (edited 10/27/2009 10:19a).]

Thanks guys!....is there a website besides the TPWD site that is really helpful?
what days you gonna be there? you going to fish also or just hike and sight see? are you just going to GSP or to LM also?



how packed do you think it will be?


[This message has been edited by HirschfeldAg (edited 10/27/2009 10:58a).]

Saturday through Wednesday or so. The wife and I like to camp with our dogs in the offseason when the parks aren't crowded and the weather is cool. We'll probably do plenty of hiking, I'll get in some fishing, and probably a day trip to Lost Maples to do some hiking and photography.

If the sun is out, I've been known to swim in the Frio any time of the year. It's spring fed, so the temps don't get too warm, or too cold, either.

Saw your edit: Usually, in the off season, there are about 15-30 occupied sites in the entire park, if that. A few more on weekends. I went once early in the spring before Spring Breaks started, and we were the only people in our entire section of the park. We didn't even see any of the staff for 2 days straight.

[This message has been edited by MouthBQ98 (edited 10/27/2009 11:05a).]

awesome, i would like to have the whole river to myself...we will be down there this thursday thru sunday...but it looks like it might rain thursday so i will probably make garner on sat since lost maples will be more packed on teh weekend this time of year with the foliage

is there any place to fish in lost maples? or should i just stick with the frio and garner?

and the dam...is that towards the south part of the park? does it show up as a black line across the river on the map?
[This message has been edited by HirschfeldAg (edited 10/27/2009 12:47p).]

[This message has been edited by HirschfeldAg (edited 10/27/2009 12:51p).]

From the FAQs page on garner state park.com

Q: What about Mountain Lions?
A: Mountain Lions are common in the area, however you are more likely to see skunks, raccoon and vultures!



i'll bring back pictures!

The Sabinal River flows through parts of Lost Maples, but that is near its headwaters, and it is a small stream at that point, if not a trickle because of this drought. It does have fish, but probably couldn't stand much fishing pressure. It holds pure strain guadalupe bass, on the bright side.

The dam at GSP is in the lower, older section of the park. You can't miss it. There are also wide, deep areas of the river by the upper end of the Live Oak camping loop.