Lured by the pleasant aroma of piñon incense and the buzz of talk and laughter, visitors with fishing on their mind often find their way to the Grateful Angler on RR12, next to Chulita’s clothing store.
Owner and guide Paul Torrez stands behind the counter, outlining trips and all things related to local fishing with everyone who asks. Effervescent, positive, embracing and knowledgeable, one senses that a trip with this outfit will be fun and memorable.
Pennsylvania visitors attending a wedding in the area seemed to know it too. During their friendly exchange at the counter with Paul, a little history was shared, several stories were swapped and a few jokes were traded before a trip for the group was booked.
There is an art to sport fish guiding. When a guide takes a paying customer out on the water, he is expected to be an instructor, a cheerleader, and — in some cases — a babysitter. True beginners might need a guide to choose a fly, tie all the necessary knots, teach him or her how to cast and point to where the fish are. For them, a cheerful and patient guide is essential. For the more experienced angler, in-depth information, pertinent ecological details and colorful anecdotes are usually desired.
Torrez, a licensed fishing guide, heads up a pool of expert guides who know the local waters well. Anglers can book pontoon trips on Canyon Lake, raft trips on the San Marcos and Guadalupe Rivers, wade trips on the Blanco River and jet boat trips on the Lower Guadalupe.
While many of his clientele are out-ofstate visitors who want to do a deep dive into the area beyond shopping and barbeque, most clients are either locals or in-state visitors from Houston and Dallas.
The shop serves as a base camp for guide services, but it also operates as a full-service fly and lure store, selling a variety of gear for the different kinds of fishing found in the area. Opened in October 2022, it was officially celebrated Saturday, April 1 with a live performance by jazz musician Steve Schoen and Grateful Dead alum Gerry Burns. Enthusiasts took in the music and the bonhomie that floated throughout. It appears there might be more than one reason Torrez named his guide service the “Grateful Angler.”
A self-professed Grateful Dead fan, Torrez survived a brain tumor, enduring both chemo and radiation treatments.
“It was a life changing event,” he wrote on his blog, and it influenced him to turn to the things he loved to do best. As an “obsessed angler” who has fished in many places throughout the world, he said he has never looked back from making the decision to do what he loved best.
When asked what the future might hold for the Grateful Angler, Torrez explained: “My goal for this business is for it to be totally local so that the high school kids I teach to guide today will become the next wave of guides in Wimberley.”
To learn more, go to thegratefulangler.com or YouTube and key in “The Grateful Angler” or email gratefu-langler11@ gmail.com. The shop at 13710 RR12 Suite 1 is open from 11 am to 6:30 p.m. most days.
