So I live close to choke canyon and went out there the other day to see if my favorite fish would thump a jig (CRAPPIE), with all the new growth along the bank it was alittle difficult getting around but it's a wonderful site seeing the lake have some life to it again , I know there are some big dinosaurs in the lake fished next to a few along the bank over the years , I've never put my kayak in choke cause of that reason , Would I be ok as long as I stay close to the bank i just want to fish the outer edges of the trees once the crappie start moving in any tips or advice will be appreciated!!

My honest opinion, no! Our club fishes Choke and for the most part out trips have been uneventful. Had one mama about about 20 yards away with 3 foot baby by her side, she got pizzed and wanted a piece of me, not to mention the water moccasin trying to climb on board at the same time. Our other issue was one big gator tried to climb on the back of my buddies boat. Other than that, all is good. I try to steer clear of them but if they have eggs or hatchlings near by (on the bank) you better be a mile away from them. I haven't heard of any attacks per say.

That's all I needed to hear thanks for the advice, I'll stick to walking the bank that's why i have a 10ft mr. Crappie pole!!

You�d actually be safer further out, about the really only truly dangerous times is when it�s mating & baby season.

Cajuns fish from wooden pirogues whioh are nothing more than a wooden kayak in alligator infested waters.
The thing to remember is not to crowd them, and give them some space if you spot one.
I spotted one about 12++ feet long sunning itself up on a bank with it's mouth wide open, near the old Daughtery launch near tilden several years ago and I was in one of those eight foot pond hopper boats.
Soon as I spotted him I did an about face and headed back in the direction I came from.
You'll be alright, just don't drag a stringer of fish from your kayak, and don't have your feet dangling overboard.

There are aggressive water moccasins in that lake though.
Several years back I was fishing in the river and I was in my 14' fiberglass bass boat and I was sitting at the rear of the boat, and I kept hearing a thump about every two or three minutes near the side of the boat where I was sitting. I didn't pay much attention after the first few times I heard it, and after several more thumps I finally glance over the side but didn't see anything.
Couple minutes later, again, I hear that thump and this time I leaned over and looked over the side and saw a huge moccasin swimming away from my boat.
He must have thumped my boat a half dozen times before I spotted him, and I moved away from that tree I was tied to in a hurry.

There are some mighty BIG GATORS on Choke!

Very big ones there!

When I came into South Shore on Sunday to load my boat, there was a lady on the dock asking if I had seen any alligators. I said, yes but just one. She then asked �where at�, because she was scared it was going to attack her.

Them some duck thieves.

How much is the fee to launch at the 99 ramp?

No fee.

I recall there being some sort of drop box there, but it has been years since I was last there. The TPWD website indicates a fee is required: https://tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/fish/recreational/lakes/choke_canyon/access.phtml#pointa

5$ per person .fill out envelope and put in drop box. Sign says no temporary checks

That would be absolutely 100% incorrect!

And the state workers go and check the plates on the trucks with the envelopes every day. Take a pen with you...

Grout is correct. $5.00 a person. Wife and I went out today, barely were able to find a spot to park. Bite was off, but we scrounged a dozen keepers in four hours, and threw back as many smalls.

white bass? Were all the boats at the ramp guys white bass fishing?

Opps, my bad, I do not recall seeing a pay box there.

I lived in TR when Choke was built and impounded and full, low, full, low.
I fished there from when the lake opened until I moved away in Jan,2018.
I personally feel like Mason Point has always been the best place to catch Crappie, also walking the bank during gator mating season or after that is something I would not do.

You are so right about those gators.
Several years ago I was in my brothers 15' bass boat, fishing the brush just to the left of the Mason Point launch, and we saw what was at least a 13' or 14' gator swim from the bank out to the open water just behind our boat, so in comparison to the boat it was no less than 13' long.
A few minutes passed and I hung up my spinnerbait just barely within arms reach, and we both had a good laugh because I was hesitant about sticking my arm down in the water to retrieve it.
As we trolled down the bank, there was a guy fishing out of a bellie boat, (innertube) and we told him about that big gator we saw not 75 yards from where he was fishing, and he said, "oh" with a very puzzled look on his face.
As we passed him I continued fishing, and then we heard some loud splashing and looked back, and he was practically running on the water headed to the launch ramp like you see those ducks when they get spooked trying to take flight.
Those gators can be very amusing critters at times!

There are two in that lake that are 18 ft. plus. I saw pictures of one many years ago and during one of our tournaments we found one. Apparently a deer had come down for drink of water and that was all she wrote. The gator grabbed that deer seconds before we came around the point and got see the thrashing and the snacking. That doe was huge and that gator was a happy camper. This was about five years ago and if that gator still eats like that, no telling how big it is today.

If I'm not mistaken the state record gator was taken there a few years ago that was 14' long.
There are no doubt dinosaurs in that lake.
Here ya go!

http://texasoutdoordigest.com/hunting/texas-state-record-alligator-killed-at-choke-canyon-reservoir/

Yes, everybody seemed to be after the white bass, pretty much.

Yeah too much blabbing on Facebook about the Nueces being slow and the Frio is better this year. Facebook fishing reports is the devil.

Yep. Too far to tow the boat for what we got. Next time I go down, it will be to Choke itself for crappie. Should be good soon.

Here's 2 residents of Choke we found near the Hwy 99 bridge last year. The guy doing the happy dance was fairly aggressive -- ran us out of a creek mouth, then followed us for about 10 minutes before giving us the happy dance display.

The 2nd picture -- that guy was huge. We estimated he went ~ 16 ft. He didn't move at all when we motored by.

Nice pics!

16 ft!! State record! go get it.

Not that easy to hunt them there.

There's a yearly drawing with TPWD to hunt gators at Choke Canyon, and it's pretty competitive. I've been applying for 8 years, and I only got drawn for the Guadalupe Delta hunt one time a couple of years ago.

Before the hunt I did a little research into just how dangerous alligators are, and the Wikipedia list of fatal gator attacks is very enlightening:
Wikipedia list of fatal alligator attacks US
It's mostly senior citizens and children in Florida, and one doorknob from Texas. The bottom line being that if you're careful and the gator doesn't think it can easily fit you in its mouth, you're probably ok.

But that's also why public hunting of gators is a good idea, because they don't stop growing and after a certain size just about anything will fit in their mouth.

I've kayaked out there many times, but I admit not in the past few years. When the water was really low, it seemed to concentrate the gators upstream on the Frio this time of year. The last time I did it, I saw dozens (yes, DOZENS) along the bank in a stretch of river no longer than half a mile. They ranged from juveniles to the big daddies like others have seen. My kayak is 13 ft, and it sure seemed like a couple were just as long as my boat. I don't know about 16 ft though...

I put in at the 99 ramp in my kayak yesterday. The parking lot was not that full, but it was a decent showing for a Thursday. Spoke to other white bass fishermen and guys targeting catfish, and it seemed fairly slow. I caught around 10 whites, but they were all undersized. Others had similar results, but at least a few had some keepers. I may have missed the peak of the run, or I didn't paddle far enough up. I paddled upstream a ways past the Daughtrey ramp. That ramp is open, by the way, contradictory to what someone said about it being closed on another thread. Had I known that it was open, it would saved me a lot of time and effort. My fault for not actually calling the park. A big center console was getting loaded up, so it even supports larger boats.

I did spook a gator off the bank about half a mile upstream of the Daughtrey ramp. It went crashing into the water toward me and made a ruckus in the process, but that's actually what you want them to do; it's their defense mechanism to submerge themselves because they're scared of you. Still, quite the site to witness from a kayak and a bit unnerving. As it had been a while since my last trip out there, I regained an appreciation for how the banks basically become flooded, marshy forest when the lake isn't ridiculously low. To the OP that suggested he was too intimidated by gators to kayak and would walk the banks instead, that's possibly the most dangerous way to fish this area during this time of year with these water levels. Besides the terrain being tough enough by itself, you run the risk of accidentally walking up on a female gator protecting her nest or brood. This is absolutely the worst possible scenario as far as having an encounter with a gator. You'd actually be safer in the kayak, assuming you don't take your dog with you.

Dang, you paddled from 99 launch to Daughtry (think I misspelt that).

Dang, you paddled from 99 launch to Daughtrey? How long did that take?

I caught a lot of fish around the Daughtery launch area back when Choke had water in it.
Sounds like there is water back up in that area now.
Used to fish Bo Derek cove also........They called it that because of all the 10's that came out of it.

+1

About 90 minutes, with some fishing around San Miguel creek as well. According to my GPS, I was maintaining about 4mph with a top speed closer to 5. I'm much slower on the way back though.

Wind, water flow, and motivation all factor into my pace. I have a lot of experience in canoeing and kayaking, so 10+ miles a day isn't out of the ordinary. Last year on the Nueces, I was probably logging 12-15 miles a trip total - to go upstream far enough to get away from the crowds. I launched at night to get to my spots before sunrise. No way in hell would I do that on Choke. Dem gators'll gitcha at night!

There are some big gators in the Nueces as well, and I have personally seen them many times. They are a little more shy because of the crowds, but don't think they are not there. I would use caution paddling up river at night as you could sneak up on one of those monsters laying up on or waiting in ambush along the banks.
The current is pretty strong this year on that river, so paddling upstream into that current would not be much fun unless you are superman.