Just before we exit the beautiful Hill Country we need to stray a few miles east of Llano to Lake Buchanan, uppermost in the Highland Lakes chain of reservoirs that stair-steps southeastward to Austin. Striper fishermen troll or use downriggers in Buchanan's open waters, or catch them casting or with live shad on points or near the mouths of major coves in late spring. A dynamic fishing guide business has developed because of Buchanan's striper fishery. Spring also is a good time to visit Colorado Bend State Park near Bend. White bass moving upstream from Buchanan often congregate in the shallow river when weather and flow conditions are right.
Good catches are possible while wading or fishing from the bank.
Cross Timbers' Mixed Bag Pulling out of Llano, we travel through the northern edge of the Edwards Plateau through San Saba and Goldthwaite, crossing the San Saba and Colorado Rivers. This is an area of transition, from the brushy and rocky hills of the Plateau into a region of mixed habitats, where agriculture has had more noticeable impact. Mills County is aligned with Edwards Plateau counties for wildlife management purposes. It is whitetail country, with a harvest of more than 4,000 each fall, but it also offers a high population of turkeys and good quail and mourning dove hunting in agricultural areas. An interesting historical note is that one of the last jaguars ever killed in Texas was taken east of Goldthwaite in 1903 by a group of surprised bobcat hunters and their hounds.