Bring Yak vs Guide

[johnnyree123]

I'll be heading to Beavers Bend campground for Labor Day weekend with my wife for the first time - yes, I know the crowds will be bad.. 

My questions is around water temperatures and crowds - are temps usually cool enough to target trout and is it worth to hire a guide with the crowds?

If not, I'd like to bring my kayak for just recreational floating and possibly target trout in the horseshoe area or warm water species below re-regulation dam. If crowds will be bad in this area, I probably wouldn't want to bring my yak either.. 

Thanks in advance!

[jonbo]

I'd suggest bringing your 'yak and probing the deeper waters in the horseshoe area. If I had one, I would. Otherwise, target deeper water in general. I may make it up sometime this week for a morning. If so, I plan to try some of the pretty deep holes up on Spillway Creek. I'm thinking upper Spillway will have at least slightly cooler water, though I don't know for sure.

[huntnfish2much]

I hope you’ve secured a campsite. My wife and I drove up on Sunday for some hiking and gem-hunting. The park was not terribly packed with fisher people, but it was quite busy. Lots of swimming and kayaking and hiking. The Hochatown area and the lake were really, really busy!

Kayaking and fishing the river bend area would be the most relaxing, IMHO. The generators were running full tilt, so Zone 2 would be completely out, except for a nature walk.

Leave your expectations at home, have an enjoyable time with nature, and try to get along with the masses.....

JR

[johnnyree123]

jonbo - approx how deeps is the water in the horseshoe area?

huntnfish2much - yup, I originally had a campsite reserved in Hochatown area but a few days later, I got lucky and found a spot open in Grapevine. I've already accepted the fact that fly fishing will probably be out of the question but hey, one can dream

[schrederman]

I know the park and local vendors need to make as much as they can while the crowds are there, but it seems to me... Maybe they should do that up to a certain date and then tell the cliff jumpers and tubers to stay home and make it better for people wanting to camp and fish during the colder months. I know it sounds nuts but I went one year in late October and there was a family of 5 walking abreast down through the evening hole area... in the water... And where they could the disturbed the whole river. I'd bet that if they would divide the season up, and enforce it, there would be more fishing activity in the fall, winter, and early spring. And............. maybe I'm nuts.

[turfdawg]

Aug 24, 2020 13:01:06 GMT -6 schrederman said:

I know the park and local vendors need to make as much as they can while the crowds are there, but it seems to me... Maybe they should do that up to a certain date and then tell the cliff jumpers and tubers to stay home and make it better for people wanting to camp and fish during the colder months. I know it sounds nuts but I went one year in late October and there was a family of 5 walking abreast down through the evening hole area... in the water... And where they could the disturbed the whole river. I'd bet that if they would divide the season up, and enforce it, there would be more fishing activity in the fall, winter, and early spring. And............. maybe I'm nuts.

Just my opinion but people walking through evening hole just stirs up food and doesn’t affect fishing very much. I’ve seen plenty of fish 5’ from my feet while fishing it.

[turfdawg]

Oh and to the original poster, I suggest not even put a pole together. Last two years the WHOLE river inside is a water park with drinking.

[jonbo]

TD, 5 feet? Try 1 foot. Half of the time I'm in the EH there's trout swimming right around my feet, feeding I guess on larvae I might be kicking up. I'm like, do you guys (fish) mind backing up about 10 feet so I can legitimately fish for you?

Johnnyree123: Right at the beginning is the big ol' "40 Foot Hole." I'd give that some attention. Other than that, I haven't any idea. I'll bet you can search out some fish in that area, though.

[hoss]

If it is your first time out here, I'd go with a guide myself. It really depends on what you the kind of experience you are looking for. The guides can get you acclimated in a hurry. Regarding the summer crowds, if you get an early start (before sun up) until mid-late morning, you can reasonably fish without too much interruptions. But much later than that, it is game over for me.