Myself and 2 buddies are planning a trip in January from the PK dam down to Rochelles. None of us has ever done this before at all. My questions are what can I expect, and what gear I should pack. Essentials etc. Also what kind of fishing gear to take. I am a bass fisherman 99% of the time, and only have bass fishing gear. Basically looking for tips on gear and what to pack and maybe some places top stop and camp out down river. Thanks in advance.

Cant help you much on the floating/paddling part of it, other than its a 2 day float. For tackle, I'd go with a medium or medium light spin set up with 6 or 8 lb line. There are quite a few smaller largemouth / Kentucky bass in the river, but I've also caught them up to 4 lbs. There are some stripers in the river below that dam and some near the bridge, but I'd bet they thin out once you head downriver. Generally speaking, you want to downsize a bit compared to typical bass fishing on the lakes. 3 or 4 inch soft plastics instead of 5 inch, 2 or 3 inch minnow / jerk baits. I would definitely have some smaller creature baits in the green pumpkinseed colors, some rapala minnows in black/silver and black/gold, and some smaller cranks that don't run too deep.. This time of year is probably not a good topwater bite and you're probably better off with plastics, jigs with trailers, maybe a smaller spinner bait. If the weather happens to be warmer, you might get them in the shallow water on a minnow.
The water will be cold, so you gotta thinks safety. Have a plan for if you flip the canoe. You can't just walk over to the truck and turn on the heater - you're on your own. Have a Change of good clothes in a dry sack. Don't wear any cotton.

Another important thing to consider is the rain. For example from all the rain this weekend, the BRA will probably be releasing sporadically for the next week or two. Not sure when in january you plan to float it, but At a minimum these releases impact fishing and where you can camp. At it's worse, it can be dangerous.

A good option to mitigate these issues is to hire a guide for your first overnighter on the river. I can recommend Shane Davies of River Run Guide Service.

Live bait works best down there. Stripers are a main target. There are some blue catfish in that stretch as well. There are all three Bass species with some good ones in there. Sand bass also. Hard to beat a 1/8-1/4 oz jig head with a plastic.

do to the big rains they are releasing tons of water from PK. A trip right now might only take a couple hours to get to Rochelles from the dam but it would be a wild white water ride.

PKfishin You are right. It would be a quick trip from the Hwy 16 to Rochelles. Here is the flow right now below PK. One thing you can do Fishing Fester is get on the Brazos River Authority call list and they will call you when they are releasing water at PK. You can call (940) 779-2321 and they can send you the required paperwork to be placed on their call list.

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