Greetings to everyone from River Run Guide Service.

To say that I have anticipated a trip to the Devil's River, Texas would be a trite understatement.

In fact, as much as I crave my home paddling waters of the Middle/Upper Brazos River, the mere mention of the Devil's sends thoughts of a true riverine kayak fishing adventure twisting and surging through my mind.

Undoubtedly, much like the river itself carving through a rugged, unspoiled wilderness into the sparsely populated upper reaches of Lake Amistad located in deep Southwest Texas.

Like a moth to the flame, I felt myself drawn to this pristine river destination so seemingly shrouded in legend and lore, considered by paddling enthusiasts abroad to be one of the most daunting and rewarding river runs in the state. Complete with everything from class 1-3 whitewater runs, primitive camping, hostile, gun wielding land owners and world class river fishing for trophy small and largemouth bass.

Our crew of three had prepared for weeks leading up to our departure date. With 100's of multi day river trips notched in my belt, I felt confident in our gameplan and knew we had all the variables covered from satellite phones to running our own shuttles. Nothing would be left to chance.

The on river portion of our trip would last 3 days and two nights as we made our way from Baker's Crossing to a private access in the Blue Sage Development some 25 miles downriver.

On the morning of our depature from Metroplex, TFF Member Ryan aka "reeljerk" and I embark on a uneventful journey down to Austin to meet up with my brother, Travis before caravaning through scenic Hill Country to the Devil's River Basin.

Later that evening well before dark, we arrive at Blue Sage where we proceed down miles of rugged washbord to what can only be descibed as an oasis in the wilderness. A beautiful riverside haven where we would spend the first night before heading to Baker's Crossing the next morning.

After getting acquainted with our gracious host, we take a little time before supper to acclimate ourselves to the local flora and fauna.

The "Three Amigos" l-r Ryan aka "reeljerk", Travis and Yota.



Overlooking views from the compound.







We hop into Trav's FJ Cruiser to check out more of the area.



After venturing no more than 100 yards, we catch a glimpse of one "local". A 3 1/2 foot long brilliantly colored scarlet red and burnt orange racer that quickly slithers away into the thorny underbrush before we can get a photo.

A little further ahead we see another desert resident that doesn't seem so camera shy. These shots were taken only moments before this tarantula all but seemingly dissapeared up Ryan's pantleg.

Who would have guessed Ryan was such a good dancer!



Money shot.



What multi day river trip would be complete without Yota's original, authentic mequite grilled fish tacos made from fresh flathead cheek and belly meat?



Must have been good.



Almost as good as the waning Devil's River Basin sunset it was consumed under.



After a few final departure preparation details are addressed, we retire to our bunks for a pre dawn shuttle to Baker's Crossing the following morning.

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Headed out to Baker's.





Here we are briefly detained at a US Border Patrol checkpoint just outside Del Rio. Let me just say that these guys do a great job and are REAL serious about what they do...



Arriving at Baker's and getting ourselves battle ready.









This was also the maiden voyage of Ryan's new Scrambler XT Angler Edition the "USS reeljerk". Nice way to break in a new
kayak, don't you think?



As a side note, kayaks over 12 1/2 feet are pretty much useless on this river and would only be damage liability, IME.
I utilized a 70% overall weight capacity and distribution formula that allowed our motley crew to manage even the worse this kayak eating river could muster up, without any significant damage or injury.

Ok guys, let's get this Freakshow on the road!!!



Reading water and making our way through the vast reed and rock gardens this river is known for was not an issue for us on this trip, whatsoever. I found that having a solid fundamental understanding of how water stacks and flows (ie path of least resistance) allowed us to run these areas with zero backtracking. Anyone with similar skill and experience should have no problems.

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Trav takes the lead into the next pool and winds up picking off the first fish of the trip. A 20 inch class LMB that he hoists up in the distance and releases before we can get a picture of it. Of course, it wound up being his best fish of the trip. Doh!!!

Ryan getting in on the LMB action.



Knowing we have to cover 15 miles of river on the first day to make our reservation at the State Natural Area, we try to hit as many of the fishy spots as possible. Unfortunately, 15-25 mph wind gusts coupled with nagging GPS estimates force us to pass on alot of fishy water.













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With a 20% chance of showers forecasted for the first evening of our trip, we keep a watchfull eye as ominous clouds begin to gather. Given the propensity for flash flooding on this river, even 1-1.5" of rain in the water shed can send the Devil's into a raging torrent with moderate to heavy flooding, based on my research of historical water flows for this region.









Yota gettin' some.



Checking out a feeder creek.



More river shots.









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Pausing at a riverside gravel bar for a quick bite, we go ahead and break out the rain gear as showers begin to come and go while we make our way downriver.















A afternoon check of our progress (or lack there of) on the GPS indicates only 7 of our 15 mile trek to the SNA accomplished. We decide to concentrate on fishing the remainder of the afternoon, knowing in the back of my mind that a rise of cool off colored water could very well limit our fishing opportunities over the next few days.

Ryan with a chunky Devil's river LMB.



Yota draws blood with the first smalljaws of the trip.



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Fishy looking water like this...



Winds up producing the best fish fish of the trip for yours truly. A absolute toad of a Devil's River LMB that exploded on my oversize topwater not 10 feet from my kayak.



In between rainshowers, Ryan's "waterproof" GPS somehow falls victim to the throes of water damage. We agree to continue fishing until I can determine a campsite with suitable features for us to ride out a rise in the river during the night, if needed.

We manage to grind out a few more fish before making a campsite selection.







The threatning sounds of distant thunder finally forces me to get serious about a campsite. One that is well hidden from landowners from every angle but suitable high ground for fending off loss of gear or injury in the event a flood hits in the night.

Bingo!!!



Getting the kayaks unloaded to be secured.



Exhausted from the days events and lack of sleep over the last 72 hours, we get settled in and prepare a hot pot of Jambalaya for supper.

We finish our meal just as the rain begins to fall steadily. I reiterate the emergency gameplan with our crew before we turn in for the evening. We toss and turn with every distant boom of thunder we detect North of us.

Eventually, we drift off to sleep.

At approximately 2:30 AM I begin to feel water flowing under the tent via a early warning water detection trench that I dug under my side of the tent before it was set.

I immediately give the audible alarm of "MAJOR ALERT GUYS!!!"

What happens next is a little foggy for all of us, as I begin to wrap my mind around just how much water weve got coming into camp and at what rate. Part of our previously stated gameplan involved leaving the tent for lost and retreating to our strategically placed and loaded kayaks. My plan was to ride out the night tied off to any one of the many substantial trees that surrounded our campsite.

Fortunately, the rate of rise allowed us to break camp completely within 15-20 minutes.







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According to gameplan, we wound up spending the remainder of the night sleeping somewhat comfortably on the decks of our fully loaded kayaks as they floated in an oxbow with the eerie sounds of water rushing all around us.

When morning rolls around, we wake up to find the flood waters have receeded in our camp.



However, we now have a very different and somewhat angry river to contend with for what would turn out to be the remainder of our trip.





We go ahead and take our time breaking camp and allow the river to settle down a little while we have breakfast and let everything dry out.





Once we get loaded up and take care of last minute camp breaking duties, we hear the rumble of a helicopter flying lay of the land as it heads North up the river basin.

It could be a state chopper or it might be one of the hardline ranchers looking for tresspassers or lost cattle. With our fire long extinguished and our kayaks well hidden in the treeline, the low flying chopper passes without incident. Only to return about an hour later.

We were well hidden and it took several passes for them to finally locate us before descending to within 100 ft. or so of the river bed to confirm our status. These guys are good but I would still like to know if they got a visual on us or incorporated the flir/infrared technology the chopper was bristling with.

The whole thing was so suprising, no one even thought to get a photo!

I have since deducted the search and rescue authorities simply came to a conclusion given the sudden rise in the middle of the night and the fact that we didn't show up for our scheduled SNA reservation.

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The remaining two days of our trip would require incorporating some of the most technical whitewater, lining and portaging skills I could muster from my 30 plus years of river running experience. Keeping everyone healthy and kayaks/gear intact was imperitive if we were to finish the remaining 15 miles of our trip.

Fishing would be tough to non existent the second day as we were forced to follow the rise of cold, tannin stained water downriver to the SNA.

















Game Warden Rock was a multi tiered nightmare that had me digging deep into my bag of lineage tricks just to knock the hair off it.





(Continued)

Time for a lunch break and a little exploring of the nomadic indian caves.













Back to the river wild.










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We finally arrive at the the SNA to camp our last night. A truly amazing place. We were even able to drink spring water as it gushed forth from a rock! I haven't done that since I was a kid hiking and camping with my parents in the Cascade Mountains of the Pacific Northwest.

We all wound up getting the best nights sleep of the entire trip.











Early on day three finds us portaging Dolan Falls and then coming back for a closer look at the business end of it.












(Continued)

The rest of our day found us with more whitewater running, technical lining and very little fishable water. Even though we did manage to scratch out a few smallies and largemouth just before Blue Sage.

We did make a point to find good water the next day when we backtracked to Baker's Crossing to pick up our shuttle vehicle, before heading home.

Getting to spend a few hours exploring up and down river from that locale was a nice way to wrap up our adventure.




















Special thanks to Ryan and Travis. You guys were a hoot to run the river with. What you may have felt you lacked in overall experience going into the trip, you made up for in determination and true grit. Hats off to you both.

This is not a kayak fishing adventure to be missed. Nor can it be done only once.

Forever changed. We are now "The Devil's Advocates."

Why am I always envious of you after reading your posts?

MUCH thanks for sharing your experience with us.

Freakin awesome man. Once I finish college and I'm making the big bucks and have more time...I'm going to do this stuff. No doubt about it. Lovin it, thanks for the post.

Man that looks like the trip of a lifetime right there. Definitely jealous!

awesome post. Brings back memories of when I did the trip. Dolan looks allot rougher than it did when I went. I've never had the misfortune of it raining when I've gone.