SAN ANTONIO – Bass, catfish, crappie and bluegill are just some of the fish being caught in the San Antonio River both north and south of downtown.
Some anglers have even reeled in large fish in the heart of the world-famous River Walk itself.
Hoping to avoid unfortunate encounters between anglers and other river visitors, KSAT sought the advice of the San Antonio River Authority (SARA) for best practices on urban fishing.
Mike Gramley, with SARA, spends his days promoting spots like Davis Lake, a wide spot in the SA river formed by Espada dam on the Mission Reach of the river.
The park area, south of downtown, features picnic tables, trails and riverside docks tailor-made for fishing.
Gramley says, “that’s one of the things I hear a lot when I bring groups out here. Mike, I didn’t know this was here. And I was like, well, it’s here and it’s for you. Come out and enjoy it.”
He says another spot that attracts anglers on the San Antonio River is just north of downtown along the river’s Museum Reach.
KSAT connected with some fishermen who’ve caught sizeable largemouth bass in the area.
One kayak fisherman, Clint Hopkins, says he caught a big bass in the middle of downtown but it happened in December of 2020, mid-pandemic.
The river authority asks kayak anglers, in particular, to plan ahead.
“You’re really not able to put your kayak in downtown. There is an opportunity through Mission Adventure tours to do kayak rentals. And they do run some kayaks there in the morning time but that’s very structured. And even if you’re going to bring your own kayak, you still have to pay a fee to get in the water there. And they have to be out at a certain time because there is barge traffic in that area,” Gramley explained.
He reminds all river anglers to be courteous to others, have a valid fishing license and leave no trace of your activity by cleaning up your area.
Most importantly, the river authority asks anglers to abide by park police guidance.