Brazos River Kayak Camping

Post Reply
Wolfman57
TKF 4000 Club
TKF 4000 Club
Posts: 4148
Joined: Tue May 10, 2005 3:05 pm
Location: League City

Brazos River Kayak Camping

Post by Wolfman57 »

Hey Kayakers, if you have not camped the Brazos River at Possum Kingdom you need to give this a try. Last weeks trip
https://youtu.be/PDctkEGvefc
Tgh523
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2020 12:48 am

Re: Brazos River Kayak Camping

Post by Tgh523 »

Did you have an outfitter drop yawl off and pick up or stage another vehicle at hwy 4.
User avatar
Hirsch
TKF 10,000 Club
TKF 10,000 Club
Posts: 17850
Joined: Sun May 27, 2007 4:11 pm
Location: Killeen

Re: Brazos River Kayak Camping

Post by Hirsch »

Tgh523 wrote:Did you have an outfitter drop yawl off and pick up or stage another vehicle at hwy 4.

http://www.rochellescanoeandkayakrental.com/about
LakeTrashMH
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Jan 28, 2021 10:19 pm

Re: Brazos River Kayak Camping

Post by LakeTrashMH »

This is great to hear.

I've been interested in making this trip with my oldest son to test it out before bringing my wife and younger sons along.

We have our own kayaks and would be fishing most of the way. I see the shuttle offering through Rochelle (thanks for that info).

I do have a few questions for you though...

What's the camping situation like? Where do you camp? And is it strictly camp / kayak with what you bring? Like stop, set up camp, eat, wake up, breakdown camp, hit the water...? And are you able to build a fire at camp? Gather wood?

We'd be looking at the 2-day trip, and we'd likely be going here in the next month when the water is in better shape.
Is it a non-stop paddle push, or is there plenty of time to fish? And are there target points to hit by a certain time to make sure you're keeping pace?

Anyway, sorry for so many questions... just want to clarify.
If you recommend I just call Rochelle's, then just say so.

Appreciate you sharing your trip with the community.
Hope you're able to share many more with your loved ones.

Cheers,
MH
User avatar
Hirsch
TKF 10,000 Club
TKF 10,000 Club
Posts: 17850
Joined: Sun May 27, 2007 4:11 pm
Location: Killeen

Re: Brazos River Kayak Camping

Post by Hirsch »

Go up to the pinned topic"Camping Reports: All of Them" open it and go down to Brazos River. It will cover several sections of the river, but that below Possum Kingdom will be heavily covered. There should be plenty of information to keep you busy for a while. :D
User avatar
Neumie
Site Admin
Posts: 4012
Joined: Sat Nov 27, 2004 10:10 pm
Location: SA, Hallettsville, or Rockport

Re: Brazos River Kayak Camping

Post by Neumie »

LakeTrashMH wrote:This is great to hear.

I've been interested in making this trip with my oldest son to test it out before bringing my wife and younger sons along.

We have our own kayaks and would be fishing most of the way. I see the shuttle offering through Rochelle (thanks for that info).

I do have a few questions for you though...

What's the camping situation like? Where do you camp? And is it strictly camp / kayak with what you bring? Like stop, set up camp, eat, wake up, breakdown camp, hit the water...? And are you able to build a fire at camp? Gather wood?

We'd be looking at the 2-day trip, and we'd likely be going here in the next month when the water is in better shape.
Is it a non-stop paddle push, or is there plenty of time to fish? And are there target points to hit by a certain time to make sure you're keeping pace?

Anyway, sorry for so many questions... just want to clarify.
If you recommend I just call Rochelle's, then just say so.

Appreciate you sharing your trip with the community.
Hope you're able to share many more with your loved ones.

Cheers,
MH
This is for Hwy 16 to Rochelles.

Plenty of camping spots along this stretch of river. Just study Google Earth and anywhere you see an island or gravel bar you'll be able to camp.

Yes, you'll paddle and fish throughout the day, find a suitable camp spot, set up camp, spend the night, tear camp down in the morning, and repeat. You'll need to bring everything for camping with you; there is no public access between Hwy 16 and Rochelles. Camp fires are legal as long as there is no county fire ban in place and fire wood is plentiful find on the river.

Rule of thumb is plan on covering about 8 miles in the day if you're fishing. Hwy 16 to Rochelles is considered a 3 day 2 night float when fishing. It's a really pretty stretch of the river so even if you don't fish just slow your pace down and soak up the views.

Rochelles is the only game in town for shuttling this stretch of the Brazos.
imaoldmanyoungsalt
Posts: 477
Joined: Mon Dec 25, 2017 11:21 am

Re: Brazos River Kayak Camping

Post by imaoldmanyoungsalt »

LakeTrashMH wrote:This is great to hear.

I've been interested in making this trip with my oldest son to test it out before bringing my wife and younger sons along.

We have our own kayaks and would be fishing most of the way. I see the shuttle offering through Rochelle (thanks for that info).

I do have a few questions for you though...

What's the camping situation like? Where do you camp? And is it strictly camp / kayak with what you bring? Like stop, set up camp, eat, wake up, breakdown camp, hit the water...? And are you able to build a fire at camp? Gather wood?

We'd be looking at the 2-day trip, and we'd likely be going here in the next month when the water is in better shape.
Is it a non-stop paddle push, or is there plenty of time to fish? And are there target points to hit by a certain time to make sure you're keeping pace?

Anyway, sorry for so many questions... just want to clarify.
If you recommend I just call Rochelle's, then just say so.

Appreciate you sharing your trip with the community.
Hope you're able to share many more with your loved ones.

Cheers,
MH
2 days/1 night will limit how much fishing you can do. As Neumie said, It's much better to do 3 days/2 nights to give yourself time to fish. It's just under 20 miles from Hwy 16 to Rochelle's at Hwy 4. It's become a pretty popular trip and I'm sure it will get a little busier during the spring break weeks that are coming up so give yourself plenty of time in the afternoon to find a suitable camping spot since there could be others on the river camping as well. It is a great trip and a lot of fun though and I highly recommend it. This stretch of river is absolutely beautiful and when the water starts to warm a little more the fishing can be fantastic!

I just came back from a day trip at Rochelle's yesterday. We've been doing this short single day trip quite a bit the past year and it never disappoints. We put in at Rochelle's at daylight and went upstream about 3 miles, then back that same afternoon. Fishing was a little slower than usual this time since water temps are still mid 50's. We did manage to catch 6 or 7 bass apiece. Several were quality fish in the 3 to 4 lb. range. We also caught a couple of drum that were 5-6 lbs. each. Through spring, summer, and fall, it's nothing to catch 30-40 fish a day. Granted the majority of the bass are usually 12-15 inches but we almost always catch a few nice ones in the 2-4 lb. range. There's some smallmouth in there too and we've caught them up to 3 lbs.

If I were going to do a single night stay, I would fish upstream from Rochelle's until late afternoon and start looking for a place to camp. That way you can fish as much as you want, go as far as that will allow, and you know you'll make it back to Rochelle's on the next day. Plus it will give you a chance to get a little more familiar with the river. And as an added bonus there's no shuttle needed. Then when you have a chance to do the 3 day/2 night trip you can do the longer version and you will be a little more experienced with the river.

Hope some of this helps and you have a great trip and some awesome time with your son. And by all means, report back here on you trip when you get back!

FYI - there is basically no cell service on the river between Hwy 16 and Rochelle's so plan accordingly. As a side note though, my GPS on my phone and my Lowrance graph worked almost the whole way (a few spots it would stop but start again after a short distance) so I was able to track my location on the river as I went and could see how much progress I was making each day.
LakeTrashMH
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Jan 28, 2021 10:19 pm

Re: Brazos River Kayak Camping

Post by LakeTrashMH »

Hirsch wrote:Go up to the pinned topic"Camping Reports: All of Them" open it and go down to Brazos River. It will cover several sections of the river, but that below Possum Kingdom will be heavily covered. There should be plenty of information to keep you busy for a while. :D
Excellent!
Thanks much!

MH
LakeTrashMH
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Jan 28, 2021 10:19 pm

Re: Brazos River Kayak Camping

Post by LakeTrashMH »

Thanks so much for all the information... really appreciate it.
Exactly what I needed.

MH
teresariedlinger31
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2022 6:51 am

Re: Brazos River Kayak Camping

Post by teresariedlinger31 »

Thanks for sharing a cool location! I was just looking for a place to spend some time at.
I would also like to make a big campfire there to cook food on it. It’s my favorite part of camping because it’s the time when everyone gathers around the fire and listens to one another’s stories. My favorite role in such cases is the role of the cook because I like making scrambled eggs in my large cast iron sandwich maker. And after eggs, I usually bake many hobo and pudgy pies with any fillings you can think about. It’s cool when everyone brings the filling they like, and I make a pie for them. My favorite ones are bacon and cheese.
Post Reply