Hello from Texas.

[greyloon]

Lake Livingston and the Trinity River below the lake has good striper fishing. Unfortunately, on the lake, its open water fishing and fishing deep. I've considered trying below the dam. The only boat ramps, though, are one that charges $6 launch and entry fee or the public ramp 9 miles downsteam below a busy highway and of doubtful security for the vehicle. As I have a cart, I've considered taking a look at the campground across from the one with the ramps. It has access, but no ramp. Bit steep, so will have to look at the feasibility, but only a $1.50 entry fee.

The area is only 40+ miles from my home, so its close. The fishing for stripers, hybrids, and blue catfish can be intense. The only other problem is the usual, power boaters who see a fish on and crowd in. At least the jet skis aren't there. As I've had the Loon only since March...great deal on it...and only now am getting it rigged for the way I fish, I've mainly concentrated on the lake by my home.

The Loon and Dirigo cousins are the unsung great fishing kayaks of the sit inside world. Sit on top guys brag about getting in and out in shallow water, but that's no problem with the Loon. Its one sit inside I see no problems with in the shallow Texas bays. In a big wind, the white caps get rough, but the Loon can take it.

[Robert]

Greyloon,
Thanks for the striper info! I try to hit Lake Mead near Las Vegas every May. My fishing buddy takes his boat, so we pretty much fish out of it.
Lake Mead is so big that it would be hard to be successful there fishing with just a kayak. You need a boat to locate the stripers. Their location changes every year we go. They might be right outside the marina one hundred yards away from where we dock the boat or they could be up to 15 miles up or down the lake from where you are at. Once you locate them it is game on!
Last time we mother shipped my kayak over to the cove where the stripers
were hanging out. I limited out in about an hour and a half in my kayak! They weren't real big. The biggest was around 4lbs, but it was a hell of a lot of fun!
We were lucky that trip. We found the fish about 3 miles from the dock. We catch the vast majority of them trolling frozen anchovies. We rig the anchovies the way salmon fishermen do. When you troll the anchovy does this slow "death spiral". It drives the stripers nuts! When we go it is late spring and you don't see very many stripers up on the surface crashing
on the shad. When I do I fire a Rattletrap or a Krockadile spoon at them.
Striper fishing is addicting. Once you get into a wide open bite and start catching a fish a cast, there is no hope for you! You are hooked!


Robert

[greyloon]

Shad's the preferred bait in Texas. With a cast net, its easy to get all you need, but they are difficult boogers to keep alive. Some of the boat buys install what is essentially an ICU unit for them. Oxygen is pumped into the live well. In a kayak , it almost impossibe to keep them alive, especially during the summer months. The preferred method for fishing stripers by most here seems to be lures. The Pet spoon in various sizes has been a standby, but Luhr Jensen was bought out by Rapala and Papala has discontinued the Pet. The problem in fishing for stripers is the damn white bass If the bait or lure isn't big, they'll get it and all you can do is catch them and keep/eat the legal sized ones so they don't do it again.