Map of the Nueces River and associated watershed
The 'Nueces River' is a river in the
U.S. state of
Texas, approximately 315 mi (507 km) long. It drains a region in central and southern Texas southeastward into the
Gulf of Mexico. It is the southernmost major river in Texas north of the
Rio Grande. ''Nueces'' is Spanish for ''nuts''; early settlers discovered numerous
pecan trees along its banks, thus giving the river its name.
Location and flow
The Nueces rises northwest of
San Antonio in the
Edwards Plateau, in
Real County approximately 50 mi (80 km) north of
Uvalde. It flows south through the
Texas Hill Country, past
Barksdale and
Crystal City, approaching to within 35 mi (56 km) of the Rio Grande on the border with
Mexico. East of
Carrizo Springs it turns to the east, flowing the scrub plains of South Texas, across rural
Dimmit,
La Salle,and
McMullen counties. In central
Live Oak County it is joined from the northwest by the
Frio River, then flows southeast along the
coastal plain past
Mathis, where it is impounded to form the
Lake Corpus Christi reservoir. It enters
Corpus Christi Bay on the Gulf of Mexico at
Corpus Christi.
History
One of the first settlers to scout the area was Cpt.
Blas Maria de la Garza Falcón in
1766.
[1] From before the end of the
Texas Revolution,
Mexico recognized that the Nueces River was historically the border of
Texas from the rest of the country. However, the
Republic of Texas claimed the
Rio Grande as its border with Mexico. This dispute continued after the
annexation of Texas, and was one of the causes of the
Mexican-American War as the U.S. pursued their
Manifest Destiny. The
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the dispute, with Mexico recognizing the Rio Grande as its northern border.
Fishing
The Nueces is one of several clear warmwater spring creeks in the Hill Country of Texas. The river originates in Real County, Texas and flows south and then east until it finally heads south again and into the Gulf of Mexico at Corpus Christi. In its upper reaches, the water is crystal clear and cool.
Unlike spring trout creeks in the Rocky Mountains, the Nueces holds largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and the native Guadalupe Bass, along with a variety of panfish such as yellow-belly sunfish, rock bass, green perch and Rio Grande perch.
Footnotes
1. Clotilde P. García
See also
★
List of Texas rivers
★
Fly Fishing
External links
★
★
Nueces River Authority home page
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