The first announcement pertains only to east Brushy Creek, downstream of the Brushy Creek Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant. Brushy Creek above and west of that section has been unaffected by this issue and has been fishable and guidable all year long.

For those that have been following The Fight for Brushy Creek, we have exciting news to share. WE WON! At the demand of local residents and our greater fly fishing community, the City of Round Rock has agreed to install tertiary filtration at all of their wastewater treatment plants. Currently they are in the design process, so we are still a minimum of two years out from seeing this change take full effect and to see full recovery of the creek below the Brushy Creek Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant. However, that plant brought on a clarifier at the end of spring, which has already made huge improvements in the water quality. They went from being one of the worst in water quality ratings to now being in the top twenty percent of water treatment plants in the state!

THANK YOU to everyone who wrote, called, and showed up to demand action. Our voices were heard, and the echoes are still carrying out and up the chain, where we hope to see even greater effect on a state level in the future.

More blessings came at the end of August in the form of rain storms, including a system that parked over the headwaters of Brushy Creek, creating a seven foot rise and a desperately needed flush. The water below the Brushy Creek Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant is once again fishable! A wide variety of species are present in fishable numbers. That said, if you choose to fish downstream of the plant, we recommend wearing waders as an extra precaution for the time being. After a couple more floods, it should be squeaky clean again and fine for wet wading. We are hopeful to see a full recovery within two years.

In other news, we have a big announcement for the fly shop as well. For the first time since 2008, we will not be guiding the Guadalupe River. Our trout guide Alex Herrera is hanging up his oars for now and joining the family business, Jesus’ Heavenly BBQ. We have great relationships with many other guides on the Guadalupe and are happy to make recommendations for those still interested in guided trout trips this winter.

Meanwhile, our other guides, Marcus Rodriguez, Jim Kettleman, and KC Williams prefer to focus on warm water species and fisheries, and that is fine by us! We support our guides working in their passion and are excited to partner with our team on alternative winter guiding options. Does technical dry fly fishing on Brushy Creek or floating the upper spring-fed channels of the San Marcos River for wintertime bass sound up your alley? If you are interested in expanding your winter repertoire, give us a call!

If you have questions call or stop by the fly shop. We look forward to seeing you in store and on the water!

Take care and God Bless!

Tight Lines,
Living Waters Fly Fishing
www.livingwatersflyfishing.com