The Mason County WinterFisch season provides an opportunity for Hill Country residents and visitors to reel in their limit of rainbow trout, a sportfish not native to area rivers and lakes. But there’s no limit on the amount of fun you can catch!
Texas Parks & Wildlife Department releases 1,500 rainbow trout immediately preceding the annual WinterFisch Celebration, a day filled with activities, vendors, demonstrations and lots of fishing. The fifth annual WF opening day is scheduled for December 4, 2021, at the James River Crossing of the Llano River, eight miles south of Mason.
Mason county resident Tony Plutino, owner of Llano River Region Adventures, organized WF to participate in TPWD’s winter rainbow trout stocking program, which was designed to create a freshwater fishing experience when most game fish are not active and to promote families in the outdoors. Fellow residents Don Gray and Pete Munoz came onboard soon after, and the three men remain the primary WF team.
In late January or early February 2022, 1,000 more trout will be released. The date hasn’t been determined and will be posted on the website, Facebook page and other media.
“It is such a popular program that we have fishers waiting on the banks for the trout to be released on the downstream side of the bridge and on the upstream end of the mid-river island. Some fish stay where they are released, while others move downstream a bit and are more of a challenge to catch,” Plutino said. The WF season ends March 13, 2022, but trout fishing remains active until the river temperature reaches a sustained 70°F.
“We have loaner poles available during the WF Celebration, and for groups during the entire WF season. Our fishing poles were purchased with a grant from the Mason Community Foundation, funded by the Mason Community Thrift Store. For any day other than the opening day, reservations of the equipment are needed,” Plutino explained.
During the WF Celebration, Gray and other team members are available to help beginners learn how to select bait, cast a line and clean and cook their trout.
It’s a family-friendly event and free to the public. A valid TPWD fishing license is required, and all state laws are observed. WF isn’t a fishing competition, so there are no entry fees.
Some activities are held at Dos Rios RV Park, a WF sponsor located on the bluff overlooking the fishing location. Demonstrations include fishing kayak rigging, rod building, fly fishing, fly tying, Dutch oven cooking and onsite cooking of caught fish. Live music is enjoyed all afternoon.
“People can expect a casual, fun day on the banks of the Llano River as we celebrate the great outdoors and the changing of seasons,” Plutino said. “We have a tagged prize fish category, which adds a lot to the fishing fun. Red and yellow tags are inserted into 3-5% of the fish.”
Catch a tagged fish and you can redeem the tag for prizes valued between $15-50. All tag submissions are automatically entered into a post-season raffle for grand prizes valued at $200 or more. After the opening day celebration, many tagged fish are still caught throughout the remainder of the WF season.
But as Plutino noted, sometimes things just don’t go as planned. “In December of 2018 we let 1,500 trout go into a river that was flowing clear and strong on the heels of October floods. We never saw those fish again!” Oops.
Gray gets a kick out of interacting with the kids. He “names” trout being released from their holding tank. “That allows me to have a fun conversation with kids when I see them catch a trout and then tell them “who” that fish is. One of my favorite lines is, ‘Hey, I see you caught Randy Rainbow, III. I remember his father from last year and his grandpa from the year before’.”
“Seeing families and a parent and child working together, witnessing a child catch a fish, maybe even their first one, is quite extraordinary and touching,” Plutino said. WF takes a lot of time, but the rewards are worth it. “When I occasionally wonder what the heck I’m doing, I look at the folder of images with all the smiling kids. It never fails to remind me.”
In 2020, the WF team and Mason community lost a beloved friend, Joe Martinez, to Covid. Joe loved the Llano River and at last year’s WF Celebration, his wife Irene sponsored a “smallest trout” contest in his honor. It was a touching tribute and will likely become a regular event. Excited kids and adults brought their small trout to Gray for measuring. “That event was a hoot for all. Two kids tied for first place, each winning a gift.”
“I’ll never forget opening day WF 2017,” Gray said. “We enjoyed seeing ospreys and eagles flying overhead, watching the trout and we saw a few ospreys dive to pick up fish. A family from Fredericksburg with two young boys and an infant would arrive most every Saturday before dawn, start fishing at daybreak and cook a shore breakfast over a fire, long before most other anglers arrived.”
The outdoors can be a place of reflection, contemplation and meditation – a reassurance in uncertain times of the stability and beauty of nature – bringing people together in simple pleasures, far away from stress and satellite signals.
Participate in the camaraderie and fun of Mason County WinterFisch opening day or take advantage of quiet solitude at this uncrowded trout release site during the extended WF season. Whether you fish or not, you’ll be hooked on the sunrises, sunsets and beautiful crisp winter days, where the pristine Llano River flows through its unspoiled natural setting. It’s a place to catch your dreams and make memories.
