bluecordfishermen 
Chandler Ranch / Independence Creek / Terrell County TX
Lat / Long: 30.457983 -101.742905 (location of the Ranch)
Chandler Ranch Contact Info: 535 Independence Creek Road, Dryden TX 78851
(This is not the physical address of the Ranch.)
Phone: 713.703.6615
email: Info@ChandlerRanch.com
Background:
In 2017, I was working away from my family at Fort Bragg and my daughter-in-law had the great idea for the extended family gathering at Chandler Ranch for Easter Weekend. We came from all over to Terrell County Texas to enjoy aweekend on the ranch. Grand kid learned how to fish. A daughter learned how to cast a fly rod and catch panfish. All got to Swim, explore, relax around the fire and eat some great ranch style cooking. It all combined to make a terrific get together for a very reasonable price. I can not endorse this place enough. The Guys (Ranch Hands) who make up the team made it great. We ran out of weekend before we ran out of things to do.
Description:
This is a ranch that offers fishing, hunting, swimming along with great food and some very comfortable cabins.
Independence Creek has running water all year long and has bass. The Pecos has bass, gar and catfish. The ponds contain panfish, bass and catfish. Independence creek is easy wadding. The Pecos is narrow but deep and good for floating down. A shooting range is near the ranch.
I used my fly rod on the Independence and wadding with sneakers and caught bass just after dawn. Caught another on a floating popper using spinning tackle. The pond is full of panfish, bass and catfish. It is a great place to teach kids and adults how to fish. The grand kids kept busy catching fish and Pawpa baited hooks as fast as they caught fish.
Editor’s Observation:
No cell phones. No coverage. Great place. Absolutely a prime spot to introduce young kids to fishing. The ranch has so much to do and your departure time will come too quick. Check out the website, but understand that it does not do the Ranch justice. You may want to quit your day job and join the team as an extra set of hands for the Foreman. This needs to be on every families list.
Access:
Option One: The ranch has an air strip. You can fly a small private plane to Chandler Ranch.
Option Two: Drive. Closest commercial airport is minimum of 3 hours away. (Elpaso, San Antonio, Midland) This is west Texas. Do not pass a gas station without topping off the tank. The closest gas station is Sheffield TX just south of I-10 at the intersection of TX 290 and TX 349. This is about 37 miles from the ranch.
The best route is I-10 to Sheffield TX and then south on 349 to Independence road. Phone coverage is spotty so have a back navigation plan to your smart phone. Independence Creek is clearly marked on TX 349 and you can not miss it. There are not many creeks with running water all year long in this part of Texas. Independence road takes you from 349 to the ranch. This is a dirt road. Keep Independence creek to your south and you can not go wrong.
Once you are on the ranch, the team will give you a great tour and will take you or provide ATVs for you to use to get to the Pecos. Independence Creek is a short walk from the cook house. The pond is immediately next to the cook house.
Point #1 (Lat/Long 30.738162 -101.840480 ) Intersection of I-10 and TX Highway 349
Point #2: (Lat/Long 30.465922 -101.825574 ) Intersection of TX 349 and Independence Road
Point #3: (Lat/Long 30.457983 -101.742905 ) Chandler Ranch
Launch Site on Pecos River: Team Chandler will get you to the Pecos by ATV along with kayaks or canoes that are available at the ranch. Its an easy float to the pick up point BUT make certain you can identify the pick up point. The next stop is a few days down the Pecos. There are no public roads connecting TX Highway 349 to the Pecos. The alternative is a helicopter to search, locate and extract you.
Hot Spots:
A: Stocked Pond
B: Independence Creek. Channel runs along south bank.
C: Pecos Launch site
D: Pick up site
Timing: Late Fall or early spring is best but wait long enough for swimming weather. In the summer you are bound to swim more than fish. The Independence was best in the morning just after dawn.
Bank Fishing: The pond is well stocked. The east end is the dam breast and best place for little guys to fish. The west end should not be ignored.
LOGISTICS:
Lodging: The cabins are very comfortable and have plenty of room. Carefully plan filling up on gas. Price is very reasonable.
Food: Great! Its all done for you. 3x tremendous meals a day. The only bad point is you will gain weight unless you do some serious hiking. I do not know if they do vegan. I’m not sure you can do vegan ranch cooking. Its a Texas ranch, enjoy the brisket.
Tackle: Ranch has some tackle on site to borrow. Bring the worms!
Travel: Watch your gas tank carefully! After Del Rio, The towns on the map along US Highway 90 do not have gas stations.