Frio River Floatable?

[Sackett]

Thanks for the explanation. First year I went was somewhere around 10 years ago and flow was 600! Too dangerous. We stay at Neal’s so we’ll do the best we can. I know a couple years ago the day after we left, flow was zero! Might be that by the time we get there😳

Neal’s is a lot of fun, when the river is up and their cafe serves a ****ed good CFS, especially after being on the river all day. If you want a lot more relaxed River stay, I’d look further upstream, North of Garner SP. A Lot less people, cleaner water, especially if you get around the springs and some dang good fishing too with ultra lite tackle or fly rods

[zztex]

Neal’s is a lot of fun, when the river is up and their cafe serves a ****ed good CFS, especially after being on the river all day. If you want a lot more relaxed River stay, I’d look further upstream, North of Garner SP. A Lot less people, cleaner water, especially if you get around the springs and some dang good fishing too with ultra lite tackle or fly rods

Yea, the problem is my daughter married into a family that has been going to Neal’s for at least 40 years so we’re with a big group. My wife wouldn’t want to go somewhere the grandkids weren’t

[NVR2LATE]

We have given up on the Frio, we've been going for 20 years straight. After last year's stagnant cloudy water, we decided not to renew our annual reservation when checking out last year.

We gave ours up last year for the same reason.

[RiverRat1]

I’ve been going almost yearly for 38 years and the past 10 years have been mostly disappointing for river flow. We’re booked end of this month and we’re praying for some good rains, but I’m not sure it’s going to happen. I’ve spoken to locals who’ve lived their whole life there and there are differing views on what’s going on. Popular consensus is that all the invasive Juniper (What most people call “Cedar”) that has taken over most of the watershed areas isn’t allowing rainfall that does come, to make it to the aquifers. I’d like to see some historical graphs on annual rainfall amounts in the Frio Watershed over the last 40 years because I just can’t buy the “Juniper Overgrowth” as a main contributor.

I will say, if you’re staying South of Garner State Park, you are going to have A LOT more human excrement in the water and “less-clean” water, period. Where we stay now, we have plenty of clean water to at least get in, fish, swim and recreate, even if the river is not “floatable”. It still beats being anywhere near Houston traffic, heat and the city……until the dumbass with a cooler radio thinks everyone up and down the river a 1/4 mile in each direction wants to listen to Jelly Roll Country or Hip-hop or a blaring stereo at all……

I assure you cedar growth/cover stops many springs. TPWD has done large ranch tests on this (and a huge private ranch also). I did a small test on my ranch that had a dry pond at the bottom. Since we cleared the cedar the pond has a lot higher average water.

But also (I'm no Frio expert) I'd assume it has just as much to do with the numbers of new homes and ranches along the Frio. The more roads, buildings, sheds = more fast runoff and less springs.

[ColinR]

We are headed there Friday. Water or no water the beer will still be cold, the food amazing, and the fellowship with life long friends amazing. This will be our 12th year in a row and have no plans of stopping.

[Philip-TX]

I’ve been going almost yearly for 38 years and the past 10 years have been mostly disappointing for river flow. We’re booked end of this month and we’re praying for some good rains, but I’m not sure it’s going to happen. I’ve spoken to locals who’ve lived their whole life there and there are differing views on what’s going on. Popular consensus is that all the invasive Juniper (What most people call “Cedar”) that has taken over most of the watershed areas isn’t allowing rainfall that does come, to make it to the aquifers. I’d like to see some historical graphs on annual rainfall amounts in the Frio Watershed over the last 40 years because I just can’t buy the “Juniper Overgrowth” as a main contributor.

I will say, if you’re staying South of Garner State Park, you are going to have A LOT more human excrement in the water and “less-clean” water, period. Where we stay now, we have plenty of clean water to at least get in, fish, swim and recreate, even if the river is not “floatable”. It still beats being anywhere near Houston traffic, heat and the city……until the dumbass with a cooler radio thinks everyone up and down the river a 1/4 mile in each direction wants to listen to Jelly Roll Country or Hip-hop or a blaring stereo at all……

Pretty neat stuff here re: junipers
(not rain fall) but that can probably be found too


Historic Aerials: Viewer

zoom into area of interest
click on "aerials" tab
pick the dates back to the '50s

[dclifton]

I think the Sabine is floatable right now.

[bundyducks]

i just got back from there and its not floatable

[MarkV]

I assure you cedar growth/cover stops many springs. TPWD has done large ranch tests on this (and a huge private ranch also). I did a small test on my ranch that had a dry pond at the bottom. Since we cleared the cedar the pond has a lot higher average water.

But also (I'm no Frio expert) I'd assume it has just as much to do with the numbers of new homes and ranches along the Frio. The more roads, buildings, sheds = more fast runoff and less springs.

The private ranch study on this is pretty awesome. They removed all of the cedars on a big chunk of land and suddenly they had spring fed water flowing again that hadn't in years. I think there may be something to the cedars, not the only reason but plays a big part in it. Its the selah bamberger ranch if you want to look into it.

[Johnny]

Looks like they had some good rain the past few days. I'm heading out there next week. Any update?

[bowmansdad]

Concan is showing 3cfs currently.

[zztex]

Got back yesterday. Almost no flow. We still had fun

[Hardware]

One 15 foot cedar uses 35 gallons of water a day twice as much as an oak. We help the rancher we lease from clear cedars and I can assure you it helps. On the 1200 acres we have completed and keep cleared springs now run again even with as dry as it's been.

[Quackerbox]

I’ve been going almost yearly for 38 years and the past 10 years have been mostly disappointing for river flow. We’re booked end of this month and we’re praying for some good rains, but I’m not sure it’s going to happen. I’ve spoken to locals who’ve lived their whole life there and there are differing views on what’s going on. Popular consensus is that all the invasive Juniper (What most people call “Cedar”) that has taken over most of the watershed areas isn’t allowing rainfall that does come, to make it to the aquifers. I’d like to see some historical graphs on annual rainfall amounts in the Frio Watershed over the last 40 years because I just can’t buy the “Juniper Overgrowth” as a main contributor.

I will say, if you’re staying South of Garner State Park, you are going to have A LOT more human excrement in the water and “less-clean” water, period. Where we stay now, we have plenty of clean water to at least get in, fish, swim and recreate, even if the river is not “floatable”. It still beats being anywhere near Houston traffic, heat and the city……until the dumbass with a cooler radio thinks everyone up and down the river a 1/4 mile in each direction wants to listen to Jelly Roll Country or Hip-hop or a blaring stereo at all……

This is the issue. Somewhere I saw a time lapse of the brush when it was controlled by ranchers vs ranchettes of Today's who want trees for privacy and have no livestock

[Hardware]

Good source for Frio river flow.

https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/08195000/#parameterCode=00065&period=P7D&showMedian=false