I've done overnight kayak trips down the Brazos, Rio Grande, and the Buffalo. I want to do something similar but with my 1436 jon boat I got last year. I have a 13 hp longtail on it and can get pretty much anywhere excluding big water/choppy water and rapids

I'm looking for a good place to do the trip and am looking for suggestions. The Colorado River is at the top of my list, but I'm unsure how feasible it is.

I'm also looking for somewhere father north that might be doable in the middle of summer. Good fishing is a big bonus. I'm also thinking about doing a similar trip but with duck hunting as the primary focus later in the year. Any suggestions?

There is a pretty popular info book that talks about this. I read it a number of years ago, but I think the info will still be accurate enough. I think it was called Huck Finn, by somebody named Clemens or something.

Trinity River/ Lake Charlotte

Consider the Sabine River below highway 63 - I have canoe floated this multiple times and the fishing is fantastic - especially when the dam is releasing. I typically float from dam down to 63 but I have a buddy who regularly fishes from Jon boat lower down.

Probably a better fall trip because of heat, but there are multiple white sand bars to choose from for campsites. An added bonus is the water is clear as it comes off the bottom of Sam Rayburn dam. It is not the typical muddy east Texas river.

When the current is running the bass will lay up behind the old wood in the river - we caught 60 in an evening by casting flukes and twitching them weight less past the wood. Mostly spotted bass but there are largemouth as well. Have caught fish to 5lbs.

If you want to go north, go to buffalo river at the launch where it joins the white river. Motor upstream to the lower buffalo wilderness - good to great smallmouth fishing in beautiful setting with your choice of riverside camps.

Edit - you can only use a motor 9.9 HP or less so this may not be an option with your motor

Great idea.... would love to do this.

This sounds like a fun trip. You should check this link out.

https://texasflyfishers.org/2018/10/05/brian-s-little-of-sabine-skiffs-at-the-tff-september-meeting/

This is an interesting trip report from the guy who owns Sabine Skiffs. He completed a trip down the Colorado River. If I recall correctly his plan was to start somewhere below the longhorn dam in Austin and run all the way down to the gulf. It just goes to show you that you can be prepared and knowledgeable and still manage to get in a pickle. He did the trip in one of his own skiffs outfitted with a jet.

Wow that's a crazy trip. I've only been running a powerboat for about 6 months so I need just a bit more practice before I try something like that

. I watched all of the videos, but for some reason it didn't show the part leading up to the boat accident. Anybody know what led up to them wrecking the boat?

I had not thought about the Sabine. I'll have to check it out. On Google maps there does not appear to be a boat ramp. Does anyone have any advice for putting a jon boat in without a ramp?

I've thought about taking the motor off and taking it down the hill at the 105 on the Brazos, but I haven't had the balls to do it yet. It's a slog getting back up with kayaks, much less a jon boat. I feel like a winch or even a come along could be really useful, but I don't have experience with that yet.

Some places on the Trinity River look pretty cool too, but again the access looks way more kayak friendly.

Nice public launch right here- https://maps.app.goo.gl/3rC3Xjwzy8BjePpu6

Wouldn't leave anything valuable in the truck overnight. Your boat will run all that at low water. As said, lots of small bass. Plenty of catfish. If you follow north from the launch, you'll see where Anacoco creek comes in from the east. Big hole with a bunch of alligator gar.

angryocotillo said:

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Wow that's a crazy trip. I've only been running a powerboat for about 6 months so I need just a bit more practice before I try something like that

. I watched all of the videos, but for some reason it didn't show the part leading up to the boat accident. Anybody know what led up to them wrecking the boat?

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Pretty cool huh. There is a ton of good info in there if you want to do a Colorado float trip. I'm going to do the bit between Austin and Bastrop this summer. I have no idea how he got in the jam. I have a feeling there could be someone on OB who knows him who could fill in the blanks.

This sounds like a terrible idea. So when do we leave...

When I was a kid (4th/5th grade) we had a church camp up on Lake Texoma. Two summers, I chose a canoe trip for a week. 8-10 kids my age, 2 counselors (college kid summer jobs) and canoe out to the islands the first night and camp. Then to Preston Point the next and camp there. Then day 3 we got met at the dam and got taken to put in at the river. Then we went about 10 miles on the river and camped at a sandbar near Carpenter's Bluff. Then another 10 miles or so the next day to get taken out at Bonham..

no cell phones and (arguably) no adults... I can't imagine something like that happening now, but it was a freaking blast. I want to take my boys when they are around 12-13 on a multi-night canoe trip on a river somewhere like that...

There are some great stretches for overnight trips on the LoCo above and below bastrop.

Most of the Colorado River is navigable by jonboat below Austin. There are a few little riffle rapids like the one in Smithville but shallow draft boats run them all the time.

Thanks for the info that's what I was hoping. I might try to fit in a weekend trip before it gets really hot out. Somehow the guys in the video linked about wrecked his boat in some decent looking rapids. Wish I could find out more about that.

There's a bit of a rapid just downstream from the 95 bridge in Smithville, but I have seen jet boats and Jon boats run it at normal river levels with careful navigation towards the deeper side on the north bank. It can also be portaged if your boat isn't too heavy. Upstream from there for miles, at least past bastrop, there aren't any shallow rapids. There are a few shallow gravel flats that require care though.

This is at the 105 bridge. A winch is really nice but not a must. Another good option is a snatch block attached to a tree with a good rope ran to your boat. Hook your truck to the other end and pull it up. This allows you to move the truck wherever you have to while your anchor point doesn't move. A large tire on the front of your trailer helps keeps the front end from burying in.

That's just the info I was looking for. Thank you!

The LCRA has an awesome map that should be your go-to for any Colorado river trip.

https://www.lcra.org/parks/Pages/river-guide.aspx

It's a river so every day can be different but this map is very good will show you all the low water dams and takeouts as well as islands if you are doing overnight camping. Once you have the location you can use google maps sat view to get a picture of what the ramp or obstacle looks like.

angryocotillo said:

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Thanks for the info that's what I was hoping. I might try to fit in a weekend trip before it gets really hot out. Somehow the guys in the video linked about wrecked his boat in some decent looking rapids. Wish I could find out more about that.

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Think he said that was between Garwood/Wharton area in the video. I'm pretty sure that's a old dam with rocks on one side but I may be wrong?

TH36 said:

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angryocotillo said:

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Thanks for the info that's what I was hoping. I might try to fit in a weekend trip before it gets really hot out. Somehow the guys in the video linked about wrecked his boat in some decent looking rapids. Wish I could find out more about that.

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Think he said that was between Garwood/Wharton area in the video. I'm pretty sure that's a old dam with rocks on one side but I may be wrong?

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According to the LCRA map there is a portage on the left owned by the LCRA. He either missed it or miscalculated and thought he could navigate over it. If you use sat view you can see where he got stuck because you can see what looks like the pumping station on the other side of the river.