826 | Texas Hill Country Fly Fishing with Chris Johnson – Guadalupe Bass, Rio Grande Cichlids, Living Waters Fly Fishing, Fly Fish the Republic
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
Dave Stewart
4.7 • 530 Ratings
🗓️ 10 October 2025
⏱️ 65 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
#826 Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/826
Presented By: Mountain Waters Resort, On DeMark Lodge, San Juan Rodworks, Patagonia
Sponsors: https://wetflyswing.com/sponsors
Texas Hill Country is its own little ecosystem — limestone banks, spring-fed creeks, and a species list that reads like a road map of surprises. Chris Johnson of Living Waters Fly Fishing walks us through why central Texas fishes year-round: the state-endemic Guadalupe bass, the only U.S. native Rio Grande cichlid, water that fishes like trout one month and bass the next, and a shop-led conservation program (Fly Fish the Republic) that's funding real science. We get practical rigging and fly choices (sink-tips and diving hair bugs for big bass, tiny jigs for picky cichlids), how to read fall windows for multi-species trips, and the backstory on a Texas-built fly line — the Texas Taper — developed with Scientific Anglers and sold through the shop.
Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/826
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | In today's episode, we're heading deep into the heart of Texas Hill Country. |
| 0:06.0 | Picture limestone cliffs, spring-fed creeks, and a fishery unlike anywhere in the U.S. |
| 0:12.0 | By the end of this episode, you'll know why this area and these rivers are a 365-day fishery, |
| 0:19.0 | which flies to pack if you're planning a fall trip, and how techniques borrowed from trout streams can unlock big bass and fast water. |
| 0:26.8 | You also hear about the conservation projects that stretch from Texas to the Rockies, including work with the Rio Grande cutthroat trout and the community model that's protecting hill country waters for the next generation. |
| 0:39.1 | This is the wet fly swing podcast where I show you the best places to travel to for fly fishing, |
| 0:43.1 | how to find the best resources and tools to prepare for that big trip, |
| 0:46.6 | and what you can do to give back to the fish species we all love. |
| 0:50.3 | Chris Johnson, the owner of Living Waters Fly fishing in Round Rock, Texas, is going to take us into the hill country today. |
| 0:57.9 | He's a guide, fly designer, conservation leader. |
| 1:00.6 | We're going to get into it all. |
| 1:01.5 | We're going to talk about two key species today. |
| 1:04.9 | The focus is going to be on Guadalupe bass. |
| 1:09.3 | And we're also going to get into c lids we're going to talk about a |
| 1:13.8 | sicklet species you probably may not have heard about before it's all here today you can find |
| 1:20.5 | chris johnson at living waters flyfishing.com here he is chris johnson how you doing chris doing Doing great. Happy to be here. Thank you so much, Dave. |
| 1:30.5 | Yeah, yeah, this is going to be an exciting one. We definitely have a number of listeners in your part of the |
| 1:36.2 | world. And I'm not as familiar. We're going to talk about the Texas, kind of the hill country, |
| 1:41.1 | which I've heard a lot about. I know there's some famous water, some species |
| 1:44.6 | we're going to dig into today. But first, let's get started just on, you know, what you have |
| 1:49.1 | going this time of year. We're talking now. It's almost October. What's it look like there for you |
| 1:53.8 | guys? Are you guys winding down or still gearing up? If anything, we're probably gearing up. |
... |
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