Public fishing and paddling access is expanding in the Wimberley Valley as the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has partnered with John Knox Ranch along the Blanco River.
“We all know that a lot of Texas rivers are bordered by private property, so it is really challenging to have access for the general public,” Henry Owen, executive director of John Knox Ranch, said. “Texas Parks and Wildlife’s vision for a partial solution to that is to lease land from private landowners to create access for paddling and fishing Texas rivers. They have a special program that is centered around kayak and canoe paddling as well as fishing.”
This is part of the state’s River Access Conservation Area program.
The new river access area at John Knox Ranch is located off Wayside Drive just past the Slime Bridge crossing of the Blanco River. John Knox Ranch offers a complimentary parking area for TPWD leased access users, and access to the Blanco River for fishing and paddling purposes. Access for wade fishing and launching non-motorized boats, canoes, kayaks or other floatable devices for the purpose of fishing is open each day from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset.
Visitors must email John Knox Ranch at [email protected] before they arrive to make a reservation and ensure the availability of parking space. Visitors are required to make a reservation in advance. The code in the confirmation email is needed to unlock the gate and gain access to the parking area.
“We are all trying to figure out how we preserve spaces naturally and conserve the water resources we have in this area while also sharing them with people and allowing new generations of people to fall in love with these water resources,” Owen said. “… Our mission is fostering experiences of Christian community in the beauty of God’s creation… We feel like we need to be sharing our site in a way that allows people to create these emotional connections to the natural world.”
John Knox is the first RACA site on the Blanco River and Owen said that he is hopeful that it will encourage other area property owners to do the same thing.
“We are the first spot on the Blanco, and I’m hopeful we aren’t the last,” Owen said. “…Part of the reason we want to do this is so we can participate and see the usage of it, If there is anyone else on the Blanco, either businesses or individuals, we can help facilitate more of these so there would be a string of these paddling trails to put in and take out on the river.”
The site provides new and exciting opportunities for anglers to catch some of Texas’ most popular sport fish. This segment of the Blanco River has abundant populations of largemouth bass, channel catfish and Guadalupe bass, which is the state fish of Texas. Anglers are encouraged to practice catch-and-release of sportfish.
River Access and Conservation Areas are currently funded by a combination of sources, including donations from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, grant awards from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Sport Fish Restoration Program and U.S. Department of Agriculture – Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program, as well as sales of the Texas Rivers Conservation License Plate.
