CENTRAL TEXAS
Looking at the most visited tourist attractions in Texas, all roads must lead to San Antonio. Five of the state's top 10 most-visited venues in the state are there: the Alamo (No. 1), River Walk (No. 2), Sea World (No. 6), Six Flags Fiesta Texas (No. 8) and the San Antonio Zoo (No. 9). A new Bass Pro Shops opens in October across the road from Fiesta Texas. The kids love the amusement parks, and standing in line for rides builds character for those who claim they lack the patience to fish.

Head north on I-35 and you go through New Braunfels, home of Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort, Texas' 15th most-visited site. Continuing on 35 North, you pass the San Marcos Outlet Malls, the No. 4 attraction. Thirty miles farther is Austin, with the state Capitol (No. 7 attraction), the Bob Bullock State History Center (grossly underrated at No. 24), the LBJ Library (No. 27), and unranked attractions such as Barton Springs and the new Cabela's store. If you can't build a fishing/sight-seeing vacation around these varied choices, you must be easily bored.

Water-wise, San Antonio's got the goods: It's all over the place. Just to the south of town are two power-plant lakes, Braunig and Calaveras. Both are excellent for catching freshwater redfish, hybrid stripers and catfish. Jeff Snyder of Southwest Fishing Charters -- (210) 383-1119 -- expects this to be an exceptional year for hybrids and reds. A bit farther south is Choke Canyon Reservoir.

Swinging around to the northwest is Medina Lake and some gorgeous country. The longest-standing state record for largemouth bass came out of Medina and stood up until Florida bass were stocked in our waters. But maybe there's another one lurking there. If not, there's fun fishing for goggle-eyes.

Just northwest of Medina Lake is Bandera, the dude ranch capital of Texas, if not the world. Local ranches offer full-service Western vacations. One of my favorite small-venue fishing getaways is nearby. The folks at Cool Water Acres -- (830) 796-4866 -- have a cabin overlooking their 7-acre lake. They provide fresh fruit, yard eggs, a couple of small boats from which to fish, 54 acres to roam, a waterfall, solitude and a dog to pet.

The scenic Guadalupe River flows into Canyon Lake north of San Antonio and west of New Braunfels. True, this is a popular tubing and rafting stream, but if you get there before the waterborne beer bust begins, there's good fishing for smallmouth and largemouth bass, perch and catfish. The lake offers the same.

Below Canyon, the Guadalupe becomes Texas' No. 1 trout stream. Heavily stocked during the winter, it sees some fish make it through the summer heat in the cold water. Trout Unlimited has also stocked larger fish in the nine miles below the dam. There are special regulations for them, however, so consult the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's Outdoor Annual for specifics. There's more tubing in this lower stretch, too.