The Devils River

A smallmouth adventure in the West Texas desert

Ambrose Taylor watches in fascination as a chunky desert smallmouth rises slowly to take a Puglisi sunfish pattern suspended in the deep limestone pool. Before the day is over Taylor finds several dozen more Devils River bronzebacks holding along submerged cliff faces, in plunge pools below scenic falls and along fluted channels lined with river cane. Located north of Del Rio, the Devils River is a sparkling oasis of life in the dry, rocky ranch country of West Texas. It was named in the 1840's by a Texas Ranger who looked down at its steep-sided gorge and thought it fit only for demons. Read more – offline – from the current issue; subscribe to FRR.