Lou

Hey folks,

hope everyone is well.
Recently bought a very basic 12ft kayak from Academy. Not a great kayak but the good ones are way to expensive for this working man.
Anyway, I have accumalated(sp) some information on where to kayak but I was looking for some first hand details including where to put in your kayak and such. I'm looking for very easy, and dare I say lazy, areas to kayak and possibly hike afterwards(or before). I especially love the state parks and rivers around the hill country on down to south Texas and the coast. The problem is alot of those rivers like the Guadelupe are fairly difficult. I seem to be doing to many other things to get really good at kayaking anytime soon. I love kayaking town lake in Austin(great views everywhere, very easy, fun and great workout). Eventually I would like to learn to do a little fishing from my kayak.
Any info is appreciated and I would welcome private messages as well so as not to tie up the public board to much but either way is fine. Take care everybody.




Lou

Turn Key

Hi Lou,

Have you looked at my review of Inks Lake SP? I know it goes on a bit long but I do talk a bit about kayaking on the lake. Very nice place to take a boat for some lazy paddling. Park also has some pretty nice hiking trails. Take a look. You might find that this is what your looking for.

Happy Camping!

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coop

Here is a good link for fishing tips.
http://kfs.infopop.cc/6/ubb.x?a=cfrm&s=418607442

I just started too and INKS Lake is a great place.

ploddinTod

Have you tried Armand Bayou in Clear Lake City? You can put in at Bay Area Park. You have a good chance of seeing wildlife (water birds, gators, etc.) And right next to the park is the Armand Bayou Nature Center with 2 or 3 hiking trails.

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PloddinTod

dwalsdorf

Try the Comal River in New Braunfels. Not the Guadalupe--the Comal. You can put in right at Landa Park. Stairs and everything. During the week it is empty usually. I SCUBA dive there every so often, and it's a great spot. I have seen others out there in kayaks. The water is deep enough and calm enough to parctice all those eskimo rolls if you want, too.

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In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell...it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.

Lou

Hey folks,

thanks for the info. Very useful stuff. I read the Inks Lake report and I have already looked in to the kayak fishing website. Thanks again. Take care.


Lou

Unregistered

Did you have any luck? I've been looking for places to go that are a close drive (2.5 hrs max) although I have a lot of great bay area here. I have yet to buy a kayak - one of the many things on my list after college graduation - so have the need to rent and ride. Was curious if you tried the Comal in New Braunfels as someone suggested. I'm interested in going out there and wanted your input.

Thanks

Electric Water Boy

I'd recommend Boerne Lake, but that's quite a drive from your area, and they're doing some construction there now. I would recommend TexasKayakFisherman.com, even if you don't fish, to find kayakers in your area. They can tell you good acess points in your area.

PUNCHY

My boys and I kayaked the guadalupe from the state park to Hwy 281 during Spring Break. When we first got there the river was flowing at 3000 cfs due to the earlier storms so we waited for a couple of days until it hit 650 cfs. It was a great run we traveled the 9 miles in 3.5 hrs. We didnt have the clear water we were wanting but everything else fell in line. There were a few white water spots but nothing that couldnt be navigated or you couldnt portage around. We ran into a couple of class II rapids, a strainer (below sphects crossing on river left) that could easily be avoided and a low head dam that has a spot built in (river right) to run over.

There were many creeks and falls running into the guadalupe during our run. Honey Creek located just below the state park is something you need to check out! There were several sets of falls flowing in this area as well.

The normal CFS for this portion is <200 cfs and you could end up dragging your kayaks around the shallows. Have fun be safe!

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Punchy

Our Pictures

Electric Water Boy

WARNING - Shameless plug coming

One of my kayak fishing buddies has just started guiding trips down the Guadalupe. If you're interested in kayaking down the river, but down't own a kayak, or you don't want to try it without someone who has experience, then check out my friend Jeff at this site:

http://www.southtexaskayak.com/

Turn Key

Thanks!!! GRSP is one of my favorate parks and work great as a start or end point. Will keep this in mind for our next trip to that park.

Happy Camping!

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Turn Key

Well, I e-mailed Jeff at South Texas Kayak for more info. He hasn't gotten back to me as yet. There is no telephone number so I can't contact him once we're down there so I guess a trip with his outfit will have to wait until our next trip to the Hill Country.

Thanks for the info and happy camping!

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SouthTexasKayak

Unfortunately, I did not receive your email. The website (www.southtexaskayak.com) is new, and being upgraded frequently.. My contact information is:

Email: info@southtexaskayak.com

Phone: (210) 748-9596

Mailing Address:

South Texas Kayak
P.O. Box 591264
San Antonio, Texas 78259-1264

I look forward to hearing from you.

Jeff York

Owner - STK

FarPastGone

You may be interested in checking out the Luling Zedler Mill Paddling Trail, it is one of the only inland Paddling Trails in Texas. The San Marcos is a very calm river most of the time, so the only issue you really have is minding your take out because not much passed it is a pretty sizable drop off caused by the dam. Zedler Mill is the takeout spot, if you are looking to walk around it for a bit it is somewhat interesting (more so at dark because it is supposedly haunted), but you need to be very careful if you go up into it because the wood is old. Luling is also the perfect place to end a late afternoon trip because there are a few excellent small local restaurants in town, one being an excellent BBQ place. I have not done the Luling Paddling Trail yet, I have been out to the river and checked out the Zedler Mill, but one of these weekends I am going to get to it.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fishboat...inland/luling/

CyberCelt

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fishboat...rails/coastal/

These are coastal trails.

The San Marcos River is a place to play beneath the falls in Rio Vista park. You may also kayak from Rio Vista park or under the IH-35 bridge to CR 266. Beware of Cummings Dam, right before the take out.

If you go beyond CR 266, make sure you get a map and instructions. There are some serious (bonebreaker) rapids beyond that point.

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CyberCelt

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