You may have heard of Living Waters Fly Fishing in Round Rock, Texas. The shop is owned and operated by Chris and Emily Johnson. Whatever you know or don’t know about fishing in Texas, know this: These folks are the real deal. They’re Gold Level TU Business members and just great people.
Chris and Emily fish all over the Texas Hill Country and beyond, but it was my friend Mick McCorcle who introduced me to the Guadalupe River. From its source in the Hill Country all the way to its impoundment at Canyon Lake, it fishes just like every other Central Texas warm-water stream. However, below Canyon Dam everything changes. The tailwater below the dam is home to the only fishable, year-round trout population in Texas.
The unofficial Texas trout season usually starts around the middle of November and runs through May. Depending on the amount of water released from the lake, the trout fishing can last all summer long. Winter, spring, summer, or fall there are always trout in the Guadalupe!
Conservation is one of the pillars of the fishing community and as anglers we are meant to be stewards of the aquatic environment. The removal of dams unlocks so much more than just the water they hold — it unlocks the natural potential of anadromous fish.
Chris Johnson, Living Waters Fly Fishing
Living Waters specializes in guiding not only the Guadalupe but other warm water fisheries such as the Llano River, San Gabriel River, and Brushy Creek. These rivers are home to native Guadalupe bass, Rio Grande cichlids and a plethora of sunfish. Chris grew up fishing these waters and now has the privilege of guiding them. Living Waters Fly Fishing is just seconds from the cool, clear water of Brushy Creek. This creek has a very special place in the hearts of many local fly fishers, and so does this shop. Make no mistake, it’s a great shop, but like Chris says: “Anybody can sell equipment, but a true fly shop teaches and invests in the next generation of anglers!”
Chris Johnson is a passionate teacher of fly fishing and conservation. Not surprisingly, he’s a big supporter of TU’s proposal to remove the lower four dams on the Snake River in eastern Washington. Like Chris says, “Conservation is one of the pillars of the fishing community and as anglers we are meant to be stewards of the aquatic environment. The removal of dams unlocks so much more than just the water they hold — it unlocks the natural potential of anadromous fish. By deconstructing our own creations, we allow nature to rebuild itself in a way that we could never imagine! For this reason, as a business and as anglers, Living Waters Fly Fishing supports the removal of dams on the Snake River.”