so the tanks on the hunting lease are drying up and the fishing gets slow in the summer.
the janitor at the school i work at has been telling me about river fishing for a few years now and i am getting pretty interested. everything i've read says that river fishing stays strong even in the hot months of summer. i'm thinking about exploring this new style as a new bonding activity for me and my two young sons. if my baby daughter grows up and wants to join in, bring it.
i've fished a lot of ponds and tanks and a few lakes. i've mainly fished for bass. never river fishing for cats and what ever else there is in there.

please let me know things i need to know to do this well.
i live in college station. i have no boat and know no one who has river property. i only have bass equipment.

1. what gear do i need?
2. how/where do i get to a good spot on the navasota or brazos?
3. what time of day is good?
4. can beer be consumed legally on the bank of a river at a public access area?
5. are there any other places that a boatless fisherman can catch some yummies with his sons?

TIA for what ever you can pass on...

You can use your bass gear to catch catfish. You can use a Carolina rig if you plan on fishing on the bottom. Depending on where you are, it may be better to use a cork or bobber, especially with the kiddos. There is a lot to snag in a river. Get some perch hooks for the kids.

You can catch catfish on shrimp, liver, stink bait, crawdads, zote soap, minnows, spleen, hot dogs, and pretty much anything that stinks. Pound for pound, a curled up minnow is hard to beat. For the price, go to Readfields in Bryan and ask for some beef spleen.

There is a decent access point to the Little Brazos on Highway 60. You may want to drive up OSR or 21 to see about access to the Navasota.

If you find a place to get to the Brazos, be very careful- especially with kids. That is a mean river. There is a lot more water moving through that river than one would think, and it is notorious for its currents. If your kids want to get in the water, you're better off on the Little Brazos or the Navasota.

Another thing about river fishing is that you can set throw lines (bank lines). I have good memories from when I was little going to check lines and seeing the branches shaking from fish pulling on the line.

Morning and evening are usually the best for fishing a river, plus it's just cooler.

Catfish like water that is moving- not running fast necessarily, but they like some current. And you don't have to fish deep. Some of my bigger fish have been in less than 3 or 4 foot of water.

I'm not sure if it is legal to drink on the bank, but I've seen me do it.

what about good access points? i don't want to be on someone's land. how do i make sure i'm in a good spot? is anywhere next to a public road a safe bet?

Good public access to the Brazos (or Navasota) river has always been a challenge around B-CS.
Hwy 21 at the Brazos is probably the easiest for vehicle access, and it is generally considered that personal movement up or down the river at water's edge does not cause trespassing issues, but if you ask 10 people, you'll get 10 different answers.
This link http://waterdata.usgs.gov/tx/nwis/uv?cb_00065=on&cb_00060=on&format=html&period=2&site_no=08108700 will allow you to know what the river level is, and whether it has changed between visits.
Fishing on the bottom with slip weights, or a suspended hook (on a leader) above the weight has typically been the most productive for rod/reel fishing.

Hwy 105 west of Navasota crosses the Navasota and Brazos river within a 3/4 mile distance. You can hit both spots pretty easily. Stay on the highway ROW until you get to the riverbank, and you have no legal access issues. I've used both spots as Kayak put-ins.