Went with a friend from texaskayakfisherman.com on a fishing adventure on the Brazos River in North Central Texas near Marlin Texas. We put in at a place called Falls on the Braxos. While definitely a falls, its not a high falls, measured only in a few feet as water cascades over limestone. The falls goes across the entire river for at least a 150 feet. This was not really kayak fishing, the kayaks were mainly serving as sleds.
Anyway, after a long time taking our kayaks and gear down a steep embankment, we were in the rapids below the falls. Spent the next hour catching shad and freshwater mullet and hellgramites. Them hellgramites were 3-5 " long and the big ones pinched the crap our of you if they got aholde of you.
Moved downstream to our fishing spot and, no sooner had we wet our lines, than we began catching channel cats up to 4.5 lbs, none less than 3. All told, that night we caught 10 channels, 4 freshwater drum, the largest about 7 lbs and the others in the 3-4 lb range, and a ton of gar fish. I hooked at least 20 gar, mosly long nose gar, and managed to land 10. My buddy hooked another 30 or so, bringing in 15. Toothy little bastards, mean and whippy, not nice to take off the hook. My largest gar was abou 4-5 lbs, my fishing partner caught an alligator gar of about 7 lbs (a baby) and a long nose of 12 lbs.
Then, it all came to an end and it was back the the truck. After a night of fishing on the Brazos, the sruggle to get our kayaks and gear was no picnic, but we managed. After all, that tired feeling got there from not only toting the world arround, but a long nite of being awake and catching fish.
Very cool
Sounds like my idea of a good time.
- Big D
what a way
to spend a summer evening. Great report.
Freshwater drum? What are they?
Freshwater drum look a lot like their
cousins of the saltwater, black drum, but not as lean as their other cousing, the redfish which is also know as red drum and channel bass. Considered by many to be a rough fish and not protected by limits, my advice if you catch one is not to discard it, as its as tasty as catfish, nice firm white flesh. If you want to know more, here’s a link:
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/fwd/
Excellent!
I love those days out fishing when you can do no wrong and catch a sh#tload of fish.
Good for you.
Would have liked to have been on the
river, same location, when my friend’s brother caught a 60 lb alligator gar and my friend brought in a 42 lb one that looked like a cross between a long nose and alligator gar. There are some big mean gator gar in Texas, especially on the Trinity and Rio Grande Rivers, though the Brazos is no slouch.
My partner for this adventure is a former sport fishing captain. Divorce and losing his boat forced him to move back to North Central Texas, just below Waco and 5 miles from the Brazos, though not where we fished. His knowledge of fish behavior and environmental factors is extensive, so it makes fishing with him a real treat. Just wish he wasn’t 200 miles away.