Table of Contents
Part 1 First Things 9
Introduction to Fly Fishing Houston and the Surrounding Waterways 10
Chapter 1 A Brief Look at The Bayou City and Its Vast Waterways 11
Chapter 2 How to Use This Book 25
Chapter 3 Gearing up for Southeastern Texas 31
Chapter 4 A Southeast Texas Fly Box 43
Part 2 Pineywoods Waters 53
Behind the Pine Curtain 54
Chapter 5 West Fork San Jacinto River and Lake Conroe 57
1 Stubblefield Lake Recreational Area 61
2 The First Jungle 63
3 Stow-A-Way Marina 65
4 1-45 Wade (Wading or Paddling Downstream from 1-45 Bridge) 69
5 Woodloch Wade (Wading Upstream from the Community of Woodloch) 73
Chapter 6 East Fork San Jacinto River 79
6 Lone Star Hiking Trail (LSHT) Wade (Wading Upstream from the LSHT Footbridge) 83
7 Low Water Bridge (Wading Upstream from the Low Water Bridge) 88
8 One-Oh-Five Wade (Wading Downstream from the TX105 bypass bridge) 93
Chapter 7 Peach Creek and Caney Creek 99
9 The Bridge to Nowhere (Wading Upstream from the Bridge) 104
10 Roman Forest Wade (Wading Upstream from Roman Forest Boulevard) 109
11 Canoe Launch Wade (Wading Upstream from the Canoe Launch Road Parking Lot) 115
12 Confluence Float (Paddling Caney Creek, Upstream from the Confluence of Peach and Caney Creeks) 118
Chapter 8 Spring Creek 123
13 Riley Fuzz Wade (Wading Upstream from the Bridge) 126
14 Carter Park Wade (Wading Upstream from Carter Park Canoe Launch) 133
15 Bald Eagle Wade (Wading or Paddling Downstream from Carter Park) 134
Part 3 Legal, Safe, and Ethical 141
Know Your Rights, Be Safe, Respect the Resource 142
Chapter 9 Texas Laws Regarding Access to Our Shared Waterways 143
Chapter 10 Staying Safe in the Woods and Urban Fisheries 155
Chapter 11 Ethics of Fly Fishing 163
Part 4 The Concrete Flats and Other Urban Waters 171
Urban Fly Fishing 172
Chapter 12 Cypress Creek 175
16 Coyote Float (Paddling Downstream from Mercer Arboretum to Cypresswood Drive) 179
Chapter 13 Sheldon Lake 187
17 Garrett Road Kayak Launch 193
18 Pineland Road Boat Ramp 198
Chapter 14 White Oak Bayou and Little White Oak Bayou 201
19 Tidwell Wade (Wading Downstream from the Park) 207
20 Stude Park Wade (Walking Downstream from the Park) 211
21 Little White Oak Bayou at Woodland Park 215
Chapter 15 Buffalo Bayou and Its Tributaries 219
22 T-103 Ditch (Hiking Upstream from the Bridge) 225
23 Mason Creek (Wading Downstream from the Bridge) 228
24 Briarbend Paddle (Paddling Downstream from the Park) 232
Chapter 16 Brays Bayou 239
25 610 Flats (Wading Downstream from the Bridge) 246
26 Marmon Flats (Wading Downstream from the Bridge) 250
27 Bevlyn Flats (Confluence of Concrete Outflow and Brays Bayou) 253
28 Poor Farm Ditch (Confluence of Poor Farm Ditch and Brays Bayou) 255
29 Hermann Park Flats to 288 Flats (Wading Downstream from South MacGregor Way Bridge) 257
Chapter 17 Urban Park Ponds and Lakes 261
30 Burroughs Park 264
31 Northsbore Park 266
32 Mary Jo Peckham Park 267
33 Lake Friendswood Park 269
34 Marshall Lake 271
35 Tom Bass Regional Park 273
Part 5 Sporting Fishes of Southeastern Texas 275
A Grab Bag of Fishes 276
Chapter 18 King of the Bayous: The Black Basses of Southeast Texas 277
Chapter 19 Panfish: The Scrappy Flyweights 283
Chapter 20 Carp: Ditch Tarpon 289
Chapter 21 Gar and Bowfin: The Dinosaurs 295
Chapter 22 White and Yellow Basses: The "True" (Temperate) Basses 303
Chapter 23 Other Fishes, Including Exotics 307
Part 6 Farther Afield: Village Creek 313
A Brief History of the Big Thicket 314
Chapter 24 Village Creek 319
36 Baby Galvez Float (Paddling Downstream from the Bridge) 324
37 Panfish Paddle (Paddling Downstream from the Bridge) 328
38 Village Creek State Park (Paddling Upstream or Downstream in Close Proximity to the State Park) 331
Part 7 The Future of Houston Waterways 335
Surface Water and Demand 336
Chapter 25 An Angler's Role in Protecting Water Resources 339
Appendices
Shops, Clubs, Guides, Liveries 347
Stream Access 353
Acknowledgments 357
Photo Credits 360
Sources and Further Reading 361
Index 365
