Guadalupe Bass Stocked in Llano River

The Llano River has always had a fond place in my heart. As a young boy I would fish this river with my father and grandfather, catching channel catfish, bluegill and, of course, Guadalupe bass. Though Guadalupe bass never grew to the sizes that a largemouth could achieve, they were just simply neat to catch. Back then these fast-feeding and numerous bass were always reading to bite, but they have been on the decline in the Llano River for some time now.

Just this week, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) inland fisheries biologists completed the first stocking of Guadalupe bass in the South Llano River. The release of bass there marks a new chapter in a decades-long restoration effort the state fish of Texas. It’s also the first, prototype effort of a new watershed scale approach to water resource conservation in the state of Texas. It’s an ambitious effort by the state to save an important ecological resource.

Since 1992, TPWD has been stocking Guadalupe bass in the Guadalupe River system, trying to restore a balance that was upset when native Guadalupes started interbreeding with imported smallmouth bass. Interbreeding creates a hybridization problem where the native fish lose their genetic identity. In the South Llano, biologists have a chance to make a big difference. Gary Garrett with TPWD inland fisheries stated this regarding the state’s point of view:

“When we started in the Guadalupe River system almost 20 years ago, Guadalupe Bass hybridization there was already at 30 percent and worsening. But in the South Llano, samples show only 3 percent hybridization. We’re starting this one early, and that’s why we have such a great chance to nip the problem in the bud.”

Four fish releases done in recent weeks totaled about 175,000 Guadalupe bass fingerlings stocked into the South Llano River this year. These are juvenile bass are about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in length. Some of this fish will become food for larger fish, but many of them will make it to drastically increase the overall percentage of Guadalupes in the River. This will decrease hybridization chances with smallmouth bass.

But there is more to the Llano River project than just fish stocking. Led by TPWD, a diverse coalition is also planning to fight erosion and protect river water quality through tactics like riverbank stabilization with native plants, mimicking natural conditions by creating log complexes and tree root wads, and installing boulder complexes. An important goal is to re-do poorly designed road crossings that alter the river and are often barriers to fish movement.

The TPWD Landowner Incentive Program is offering grants to landowners to manage not only the Llano River corridor but also uplands that drain into the river and affect water quality. All of this will help naturally occurring and stocked Guadalupe bass.