Troutfest Texas makes its return to Lazy L&L Campground in New Braunfels and the banks of the Guadalupe River this weekend after hiatus. The fishing festival put together by Guadalupe River Chapter of Trout Unlimited was canceled in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The festivities begin at 6 p.m. Friday with a banquet that will feature auctions, door prizes and remarks from keynote speaker Carter Smith, executive director of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. A movie night will follow Saturday from 5:30 to 10 p.m.
At the heart of the event is a two-day expo that will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. A wealth of information from seminars and casting instruction, activities for kids and more are open to the public at the expo.
“We don’t charge for any of the activities at the expo Saturday and Sunday,” GRTU president Bill Marshall said.
The money generated from the banquet and auctions goes toward programs like the GRTU Tomorrow Fund and other organizations like Casting for Recovery, Project Healing Waters, Reel Recovery, Fishing’s Future, Canyon Lake Animal Shelter and the Senior Citizens Food Bank.
Troutfest Texas returns amid a renaissance in the outdoor industry. The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred many to embrace outdoor activities like hunting and fishing as a refuge over the past two years, whether picking it up again after a layoff or trying for the first time. Fly fishing in particular has been on the rise.
An above-average turnout can be anticipated at this year’s Troutfest due to this phenomenon as well as the pent-up hankering from the canceled event last year. A lot of new faces and novice anglers will likely be mixed into the crowd.
“It’s the perfect place for someone who is considering the sport or just picked up the sport,” said Tiffany Yeates, an avid angler who has owned Gruene Outfitters since 2006 after beginning work there in 2000 as a Texas State University student.
Yeates will have a booth representing her stores (Gruene Outfitters and a boutique-style venue next door called The Pomegranate, which features women and children’s clothing) as well as a booth for Fly Girl Society, a growing group of women that meets once a month to hang out and hone fly-fishing knowledge and skills.
Fly Girl Society had one meeting in February 2020, right before COVID hit, with 10 participants. The meetings paused through the pandemic until Summer 2021. Now, 100 women are a part of Fly Girl Society, with about 30-40 showing up at each meeting.
“It’s pretty amazing how many women are interested in this sport and how that little group has grown. And I also see it in the youth. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a larger gathering at Troutfest than normal. I think people are hungry to learn,” Yeates said.
That educational side, all social and leisure aspects of the festival aside, is perhaps the very core of the event.
“It’s a community gathering point, it is an absolute education epicenter. The fly-casting instruction that’s made available alone is fantastic,” said Chris Johnson, owner of Living Waters Fly Fishing shop in Round Rock and an integral partner of Troutfest.
Ten Fly Fishers International instructors will be on hand to teach aspiring fly anglers of all skill levels.
“The absolute, most valuable thing the event provides is free education from top-level instructors, many of which are national-level caliber, some of the finest in the industry,” Johnson said. “That education is invaluable for those who maybe even just attend the event out of curiosity. To be exposed to that level of teaching and that level of skill is just awesome, especially with no charge on the ticket price at all.”
Johnson is slated to give a presentation Saturday morning on “Fly Fishing the Texas Hill Country.” He plans to get everybody excited for summer bass fishing by showcasing snapshots of some of Texas’ jewels, including his beloved Brushy Creek, the San Gabriel, Llano, Colorado and, of course, the Guadalupe.
The Guadalupe River is the only year-round freshwater trout fishery in Texas and the Guadalupe River Chapter is Trout Unlimited’s only one in the state. While Tennessee has eight and Colorado has 24 chapters, Texas’ lone TU arm is in a unique position, incorporating a large swath of Texans with a diversity of backgrounds and interests under one proverbial roof. GRTU is home to coastal anglers, bass-targeting Hill Country fly fishers and tried-and-true trout chasers alike. Troutfest has something for everybody, and most anglers like to dabble in a little of everything, anyway.
As such, it brings folks from beyond the Lone Star State. Pat Dorsey, a Colorado native and highly regarded fly-fishing guide in the Denver area, will be at Troutfest this weekend booking trips, demonstrating how he ties flies and sharing his extensive knowledge of tailwaters with those who attend. His presentation on “Tailwaters Top to Bottom” is scheduled for Sunday afternoon.
Dorsey has been a guide with The Blue Quill Angler for over 30 years and has been an owner since 2001. He has authored books on tailwater fishing such as “Tying & Fishing Tailwater Flies” and “Fly Fishing Tailwaters.”
“I enjoy sharing my passion for others on tailwaters and with the Guadalupe there, I think it’s a topic that’s well received,” Dorsey said.
Dorsey goes to many fishing shows this time of year and said there is just something about the quaint scene on the banks of the Guadalupe River that makes it one of his favorites.
“I think Troutfest is one of the best shows in the U.S.,” he said.
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