Anyone ever been? Taking my 8yo son there this weekend camping. Not in an RV just a tent. He wants to fish and see gators. Curious if anyone has ever fished there, where did you catch them? Also, since camp sites are first come first served, curious if you have a preference on camp site?

Can't tell you much about BB, but did want to mention something you might be interested in at some point. We were at Martin Dies SP over the weekend. Absolutely beautiful park that is not nearly as busy as Lake Livingston or BB. Many campsites and shelters right on the water. Most campsites heavily shaded too. It would be a great place for camping and fishing.

M. Dies SP is between Livingston and Jasper (closer to Jasper), or about 2.5 hours from B/CS. Definitely put this park on your list of possibles for the next time you go out.

Brazos Bend should be beautiful this time of year.

I have not done much fishing there, but have seen others fish. Honestly, If I were taking kids along I would stop by Academy and pick up some worms and bobbers and spend the day reeling in bluegills.

Watch for snakes and leave the alligators alone. Keep your distance. I've seen people try to get right next to them to take pictures. That is incredibly foolish.

While you are down on that side of town, check out the Varner Hogg Plantation and George Ranch Historical Park. They are both close enough to Brazos Bend to merit a visit and I believe they offer an incredible glimpse into Texas history and heritage.

Also, if you ever get tired of the crowds at Huntsville, Livingston, or Brazos Bend dont forget about Stephen F Austin State Park in San Felipe, just west of Katy. This is another great park with excellent historical sites nearby. SFA SP doesn't get the number of visitors it truly deserves.

[This message has been edited by PineTreeAg (edited 5/7/2013 3:09p).]

It's a good park. I've never fished it, but I do see others catching them. Seems like I notice the most fishing at 40 ac. lake. George Ranch is close if you get a chance.

[This message has been edited by RoseRichAg01 (edited 5/7/2013 3:23p).]

went a few times when i was a kid. lot of fun for a youngster. Dont know how the fishing is, but you will see more gators than you might be comfortable with. Dont bring a dog. Bring bicycles if you can.

George Ranch is about a 5 minute drive from the park. Varner-Hogg SP is just outside of West Columbia. It's a good 45 minute drive from the park via the main roads (probably 30 if you take the Cow Creek shortcut), but still a neat trip to take the kids to and see what antebellum Texas life (if you were rich) was like.

There is also the remains of the sugar processing mill at the old Bynum Plantation (Bar-X ranch) that is kind of neat to look at that would more or less be on the way. Lots of other old sites in West and East Columbia, but most of them you have to look for. Not sure when the Brazos Belle Runs anymore, but it's an old fashioned paddle wheel boat that runs up and down the Brazos. Docks at Belle's Landing on the east side of the river on 35.

Been once when I was young. Definitely plenty of gators. Had an eight footer laying a cross a trail that was full of traffic. If you have coolers make sure you lock them down because we woke up to an empty cooler thanks to the local raccoons!

it's a great park to see Gators for sure...especially around this time of year...I see a lot of people fishing at 40 acre lake


http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_lf_p4504_0110v.pdf

A great park for hiking, biking and sight seeing. I still have vivid memories of the view from the top of the observation deck as a kid. Birds as far as the eye could see. We camped under a massive oak draped in Spanish moss, and saw a 6 foot gator doing death rolls. Some areas can be packed, but other trails are remote and quiet.

Good park. If you get sick of the crowds and sun, the river trails offer a lot of shade and some different views. Don't let the little one run out too far in front. The gators are fairly used to people and will be laying right off the trail and next to the bridge around 40 acre lake and Elms lake.

I've spent a lot of years out at that park with my dad, so I'll give it two thumbs up for the kid point of view. I would suggest getting there early to cruise around the campsites and see which spots you would prefer, then going back to the main office and reserving a site. Some are more open grassland (what I see the Boy Scouts prefer), while others are between the trees.

Double post, sorry.

[This message has been edited by Mogget (edited 5/7/2013 6:54p).]

I've never camped or fished there, but when the kids were younger we went biking out there all the time. We always had a good time. Some new trails have been added since that make it easier to get to the river as well.

My wife and I still enjoy driving out in the evenings and sitting at a table by Elm Lake to enjoy the quiet after the crowds leave.

Two words: mosquito repellant

Great park, went hunting there once. Applied for it because the year before saw over 100% success. After the first hunt, the rangers sat us all down and explained all the charges going against this one hunter for shooting a buck on a doe hunt. They also said that all the deer heads in the office came from hunters who shot the wrong animal. Needless to say, our success percentage went down that year.

Great Park.........especially for gators.

Martin Dies and S F Austin, as others mentioned, are also great parks.

Your potentially biggest problem.............the weekend weather forcast is not good right now. Storms with lightning fri and saturday. Possible light rain sunday.

I spent many a weekend at Brazos Bend as a kid. We tried fishing several times and never had much luck. We loved riding our bikes on the trails and checking out all the gators. Bring OFF!

Grew up just down 288 from there. There is an observatory nearby, but I don't know their schedule for public use and I don't know that the skies will be clear enough this weekend.

LOTS of gators there, as others have said. Tons of gators. And snakes. Just be aware and stay clear.

Bugs are plentiful. Repellent is a must.

Other than that, nothing to offer that hasn't already been said. It's a good park.

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Your potentially biggest problem.............the weekend weather forcast is not good right now. Storms with lightning fri and saturday. Possible light rain sunday.

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Yep I've been watching the forecast. Hopefully we can get a site with some decent cover, and our tent has a good rainfly. Also have some extra tarps I can string up between trees if needed.

So what kind of snakes? Just so I know what I'm looking for, or what to watch out for? I'll be honest I hate snakes, but typically just try to leave them alone. Like to know what I might run into though.

They have all kinds of snakes. Once the sun gets up and the trails get busy, you shouldn't encounter any. If you stray off the trails, you have the potential to run into lots. Be careful walking the road at night. Snakes have been known to hang out there after dark to get the heat from the road, or at least that's what they told me as a kid.

Water moccasins