TexasKayakFisherman.com

Flats stalker wrote:What kind of yaks would be good for this trip, would I be good in a Ultimate?

If you take the Ultimate make sure you have the front spray skirt. If you don't have the skirt I would recommend you get one or use another self bailing kayak.

Castnet! It's legal because they are exotic fish not native to Texas.

BTW you can camp on the gradient bank of the river without fear of harrasment unlike the Devils. I find this river more enjoyable just for that fact alone.

Yes the rock is pretty bad. Make sure you have a way to repair holes because duct tape won't last very long. I would make sure I had a way to plastic weld and practice before you're on the water.

4 or 5 nights should be good. My group was paddle happy and we did it in 3 days and nights last time. Portage river right at Painted Canyon Rapid.

Kayaks. The river is very similiar to the Devils but it is also very doable in Canoes.

It is real difficult to know what water levels will be. Last year a week before our trip there was a rise in the river to near flood stage. when we got on the river the conditions were perfect. You just can't predict it though. How many days are you allowing for? You will need this so go ahead and o...

One thing I do know is that love them or hate them, it has been the riverside landowners that have protected the jewel that is the Devils. Fragmentation such as Blue Sage is possibly an exception to that and another challenge to address preserving the long term pristine character of the river. But ...

"Lawful Activities The case of Dincans v. Keeran, 192 S.W. 603 (Tex.Civ.App. San Antonio 1917, no writ) recognized a public right to use the waters and shore line. In overturning the lower court’s decree for being too restrictive, the court stated: [T]he trial court’s decree was too comprehensi...

"Q: Some landowners in my county have deeds to the riverbed. Can they exclude the public from their part of the river? A: Not if the river is navigable. The policy of the government of Texas, expressed in statute since the days of the Republic, has been to retain the beds of navigable streams a...

There are several treaties governing water and land the state of Texas operates under. Under one type of treaty (mostly out west) all the land is owned by the landowner including the river bed and only the water is public. Most of the populated parts of the state (east) are under the rules where th...

Finn Maccumhail wrote:Never having been there, would this campsite be trespassing?

Depends on who you ask. Since the Texas Govt Land Office has not surveyed the river its left to anyones interpretation of where the gradient boundary is.

Yep we forced the Comanches out and now some of us call ourselves "Landowners". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Devil's_River All the while we marvel at the pictographs left behind, fret about dogs pissing on them, call ancient hunter gatherers "art" private property, and ...

BTW in the dogs defense I doubt he could "piss" on the petroglyphs 8+ vertical feet above. Also did the dog have to get a permit?

rivergeek wrote:The first slide in the show reveals that this group shuttled with Gerald's service.

Shuttle Operators are required by TPWD to keep a log of names and addresses of their paddlers.

MudDuck...watch the slide show...it answers some of your questions. Having never been down the Devil's, the slide show will mean more to you than it did to me. Thanks Bigrock, With the new permitting rules Parks and Wildlife or the shuttle operator knows who they are. They should be sent Trespassin...

Another question would be is "If these are paddlers did they go through the Park or did they obtain private access and if they did go through the park does the shuttle operator recognize them or possibly the Park Ranger?".

I doubt I would bring a dog on this paddle trip. Are we sure these are paddlers?

Rivergeek,

It was my understanding that if you shuttled for TPWD you could not Guide? Not sure why though.

MudDuck - Good point. For sure, those with access to the rio from private property and not camping on or using SNA land are avoiding a DRAP fee. But I think, via conservation ethics and river etiquette, it would be the landowner's and outfitter's obligation to ensure that their friends, family or c...

Riverfront landowners don't have to use the permit system as long as they do not use TPWD facilities. The new permit system is in IMO only for the general public using TPWD properties. There are a couple of ranches that charge fees for access no permit needed. I don't see how this will work in the l...

Fishing gets better the lower the Lake gets. BTW this isn't nearly as low as it was in 1997.

Spam!

http://www.melborponsti.com/inxspa.html

Here is something consider before setting up a tournament.

http://www.nps.gov/amis/planyourvisit/tournaments.htm

texnomad wrote:I drove across Amistad a week ago and it is extremely low. Lots of the normal launch spots are virtually worthless right now.

Yep the fishing is terrible! My buddy landed a 9# and a 10# last weekend it was horrible!

The fish are where you find them. :D I tend to stick with larger topwater baits especially right after a rapid to cut down on undersized fish. Smallmouths tend to stick to cover during the warm parts of the day and presentation will be key to lure them out. Wear polarizing glasses so you can see the...