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Description:
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Fayette County Lake "Hilton"
Date Feb. 2-5
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| Trip Description: |
- Fayette County Lake aka Cedar Creek Reservoir, Weekend Outing.
- PACK has reserved the "bunkhouse" cabin in Oak Thicket Park for Thursday, 2/2, Friday 2/3, and Saturday 2/4. The bunkhouse will sleep 10 males comfortably, bunk bed, dorm style accommodation. There is only one bathroom and little privacy for any female member, but all are welcome. There is a full kitchen and bath facilities and is heated. You should plan to bring your own bedding, towels, and toiletries. If the bunkhouse fills, there are camping facilities and other cabins at Oak Thicket Park. Make your own reservations with Tx Parks at 512-389-8900. Last year the cabins were all booked in the park, so don't wait til the last minute if you want your own cabin. Some of us are fishing with guide Bob Green on Thursday, but a guide is not necessary on this lake. If you'd like to book a guide, I highly recommend Bob Green. He lives in Fayetteville, guides full time and has two or three other guides that he trusts to run trips for him. Check out his website at www.fayettecountyfishing.com. There are numerous coves within easy paddling distance and plenty of water to fish from a kayak. This is a very popular lake with local bass clubs, so plan on hitting the water early to stake out your preferred fishing spot. To reserve a bed, first come- first served, sign up. Be on notice that if you commit, you will be responsible for a share of the cabin rental. The price is $60 per person, whether you stay one, two,or three nights. If you sign up and have to cancel, you will still be responsible for the share unless you cancel 48 hours in advance and we find a replacement. I have personally paid the reservation fee and have to pay the total by Dec 1, 2011. We will have a group meal on Friday and Saturday night. Thursday night dinner will be at one of the local restaurants. I will be posting a list of food contributions and KP duties. All will be given an opportunity to participate in KP and clean up. There are park entrance fees for each day and when you check in notify the attendants you are staying in the cabin with PACK. The trip is not limited by the number of beds in the bunkhouse. Please sign up for the trip, but notify me if you have your own accommodations so we can plan meals. Parking is limited at the bunkhouse so double up if you can or be prepared to park in the day use parking lot.
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| Leader: |
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Ron Romeis, 281 687 1480. PM me on the website with questions, requests, etc.
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Date/Time:
Check in at the cabin on Thursday afternoon, 2/2. Those fishing with a guide will shove off at daybreak on Thursday, 2/2; others are on their own for Thursday. There will be a "seminar" around the campfire on Thursday and Friday nights to report what we learned from our day with Bob Green and discuss the successful lures and techniques of the day. Launch from Oak Thicket boat ramp or Park Prairie ramp depending on winds. Fishing Sunday is optional, check out of the bunkhouse by noon.
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| How to Sign Up: |
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If you want to go, contact the trip leader (or sign up at a monthly meeting) and provide: name, email address and phone number (preferably cell phone). or Register for a PACK login account and then use the Auto Enroll link above to automatically have your name added to the list below.
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| How to Get There: |
From Houston: From Beltway 8 and I-10 West, go west on I-10 to Hwy 71W, exit 695. Follow 71 W towards Austin/La Grange about 15 miles and take a right on FM 955 towards Fayetteville, TX. Go about 4.7 miles and turn left on Rusk St/ TX 159 W. Go 4.5 miles and look for the park entrance on the left. Total distance is about 100 miles depending on your starting point. On some map programs, Fayette County Lake is called Cedar Creek Reservoir.
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| MAPS / Photos of Interest: |
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| What to Pack/Bring: |
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See Standard PACK List for items to consider for any PACK outing
Important items:
- VHF Radio for communication and emergency contact
- Cold weather gear and waders. Staying dry is crucial
- Deep water re-entry gear
- Make sure your waders have a tight waist belt or some way to prevent your waders from filling with water if you fall in
- PFD's will be required and must be worn.
- First Aid Kit
- Lunch, Water, snacks
- Kayak Drift Sock
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| REQUIRED READING: |
Read the TPWD regulations for this lake. It is mostly catch and release. You may keep fish that are outside the slot limit. Know the rules for this lake and be aware the game warden is always around this lake and will check you out. Regulations are posted at the park and boat ramp, do not put fish on a stringer in order to photo later. If that fish is in the slot, and the warden sees it on a stringer, he will ticket you for not releasing it immediately.
Check the weather reports before you go. Wear appropriate attire and waders are a must. The water temperature of this lake is warmer than natural lakes as it is the cooling reservoir for the power plant on the lake. However, wet wading is not an option. Be prepared for cold water fishing, but there are protected areas to kayak fish regardless of conditions. Common sense will prevail if winds are excessive. Also, check out Bob Green's website: www.fayettecountybassfishing.com for good lake info and pictures of the recent catch. |
Recommended guidelines for participates:
- Make sure trip leader or an officer has your emergency contact
- Notify the trip leader if you have any potential concerns
- If inexperienced, then buddy up. Make sure the trip leader knows your experience level
- Communicate with the trip leader, if you are unsure of your skill level required
- Member dues are current
- Guests are invited to particpate
- Have performed deep water entries
- Cary a first aid kit
- Have a life jacket
- Have a VHF radio
- Inform the trip leader of your float plan if planning to fish alone or longer then the designated times.
- Sign in and sign out at the launch site. Inform the trip leader if you will be launching in a different place.
Recommended for Trip Leaders:
- Insures proper authorizations
- Secure sites
- Prepare emergency preparedness plan
- Keep abreast of weather conditions that might effect the trip
- Point out any potential area hazards
- Maintain a head count
- Have available a first aid kit
- Have a VHF radio
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Expenses/Fees:
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| $4.00 daily park fee, plus your share of the bunkhouse. You can pay me in advance or upon arrival at the park. If you fail to show or fail to cancel in advance, my Uncle Luigi will track you down and collect. |
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| Fishing Options: |
January - April are generally the staging and spawning periods as Fayette County Lake is a warm water Power Plant Lake thus making the winter months some of the best fishing. May - July is when we can usually catch Big Bass in the 6 to 8 pound class. August and September is normally the best months to get into the schooling bass activity. Fayette County Lake schooling bass are good solid bass ranging from 2 5 pounds. October - December offers great top water and worm fishing in the grass bed's.
Fayette has a FIVE BASS LIMIT under a slot of 14 inches to 24 inches. Fish between 14" and 24" must be released and only ONE BASS over 24" inches may be kept.
Fish shallow running lipless crankbaits early. Red and gold are good colors. Topwaters can be terrific as would large bass poppers and streamers for fly casters. If there have been hard freezes, there can be annoying "snot grass" which is the remains of the frozen hydrilla. It usually is gone this time of year, but will be worse in some areas than in others.
Plastic worms are effective all day. Reds and Greens are good colors, watermelon, june bug, finesse worms or "centipedes" work well on carolina rigs or drop shots. Good ole Texas rigs are effective too on the main lake points and submerged structure such as road beds, tank dams, humps. I've had good luck in 10-20 feet of water around the main lake points. You will also see many boaters pitching worms and jigs tight to the cover along the banks. Spinner baits are great for locating fish, and this time of year, hold on, you never know how big the next bass will be. The fish on this lake are very healthy and pound for pound put up a good fight. Don't forget your fly rods, but this time of year its plastic worms, crank baits, and jigs. A sinking line, worm imitating flies, or jig type flies should work, but expect the fish to be in about 15 feet of water.
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Trip Report by Barry S:
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EVERYBODY caught fish and most of us caught a lot. The largemouths were hungry and cooperative in water that was 4'-7' deep primarily. They ate plastic worms Carolina rigged, Texas rigged and drop shotted and they hit crank baits and flies, too!
The cabin setup allowed for easy launch from the shoreline and most of us never ventured more than a quarter mile away. Weather was great Friday and Saturday but wind picked up considerably by Sunday morning and it was white-capping.
We feasted on Ron's spaghetti & meatballs Friday night and on Berry's chili Saturday night.
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| Guest Participants: |
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(We prefer for you to create a login account on this website so that you can have your name added to the auto register list below. If you don't have a registered login account on this website we can list your name here; please contact the trip leader to request your name to manually added. If you have a login account then use the enroll feature at the top of this page to become part of the auto enroll list below)
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