tips for going out in the flood?

Hey guys I'm trying to get out there tomorrow morning. With a new baby at home I haven't been out in almost 2 months! Anyway what do I need to know about kayaking with all this new water? Any safety concerns? I'm thinking of cruising for sandies at Grapevine. I'm not sure where to launch, maybe somewhere out of Oak Grove Park. Just don't want to fall off the spillway!

First off, go with a friend if possible (safety in numbers). If you don't go with someone, then be sure to tell someone where you will be and when to expect you back. Wear a pfd. Watch for debris in the water, living or otherwise (the high water has displaced lots of critters including snakes, bees, fire ants, etc).

I hear Katy Woods boat ramp is still open (but I haven't confirmed that). I'm unsure of the dam or spillways on Grapevine, but I would obviously not paddle near them. I think if you exercise common sense, you should be okay.

First, watch out for fire ants and snakes as you launch. There are fire ants all over the place from the rising water. There are big blobs of them floating around. I saw a dead cottonmouth near Oak Grove (at catfish lane). Someone had cut its head off.
I don't think Grapevine is hitting the overflow spillway, but it's on the north side of the dam if that helps you.
Watch out for all the sunken and floating [censored]. It's probably not dangerous in a kayak but it's a pain if your fishing. Wear your PFD and be careful if the wind picks up.

Good advice

make sure your plug is in,paddle has not been tampered with and the wife is not with you

Floating blobs of fire ants?! Alright well if anyone wants to take on ants and snakes let me know. Thanks guys!

Yes Sir! Blobs of fireants! They ball up and float along waiting to bump into something to crawl onto instead of themselves.
You will probably see them and then you will know what we are talking about!

I have give those nasty suckers credit... First time I saw them do it was when I was a teenager and thought what h&#*l is that....

Oak Grove heading down to the marina is blocked off. I went by at 7pm today. You can get to the water at the end of Dove but parking is limited. I might hit that area in the morning to chase some sandies but its not looking too promising.

Speaking of fire ants, check out my little ablum of gvine pics from the last couple of weeks.

https://plus.google.com/100534306055982062556/posts/Gy6waa93hTp

Oh hell no those are some giant islands of fire ants! I was thinking trawick, or just parking by a baseball field and launching from 3rd base

Well, the fire ants were in the flooded forest up the creek behind scotts landing marina a couple weeks ago. Still making me itchy thinking about it. But i didnt see any floating islands of ants today at the baseball fields...thank goodness

Need to take a blowtorch out with you and fry them nasty little things.

I'll try to get a real report up later but for now - really hard to find a spot to launch right now. They're closing all the parks so you can't even get near the water. My son and I got in at oak grove park just before they shut it down. Absolutely gorgeous weather, just one little sand bass, no ants no snakes. Hardly any boat traffic. Good times!

I have managed to get afew fire ant bites but thankfully none
of the big floating mounds has managed to find me !

The lake is closed. Does that pertain to kayaks I'm not too sure?