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ABOUT US

Bastrop River Company is the continuation of a father & son side business started in 2011 called Bastrop Kayak.  After a successful first summer (despite the infamous Bastrop Complex Wildfire) both father and son were presented with opportunities away from Bastrop. The family decided that one summer of fun on the river was enough and was looking for the right buyer who would build on what they had started.

Meanwhile… in Fort Worth, TX, Lee Harle (pictured below), was looking to start up a Texas river outfit on the Trinity River. While developing his idea for a river business in Fort Worth, Lee became aware of Bastrop Kayak being for sale. Recognizing that the river in Fort Worth was not quite ready for his plans, Harle decided to take over Bastrop Kayak and start his river operations on the Colorado River. Within a few weeks, the deal was done and Bastrop Kayak became Bastrop River Company.

The name change was to show that the river outfitter in Bastrop is not just about kayaks. Lee envisioned a full-service river recreation outfit.  The River Co strives to provide unique and consistent opportunities for recreation and exploring the Lower Colorado River.

From 2012 to 2019 the River Co operated from an old shack just off of Main St in Bastrop with a fleet of about 70 watercraft and a few old rickety vans.  But as the 2019 season ended big changes were on the horizon.  The River Co moved out of the old yak shack down town at the end of October 19′.  Over the next four months the company freshened up their entire ground fleet with newer vans & trailers, bought out another outfitter down the road in Columbus Tx, and managed to complete a relocation plan that had started a few years earlier.  In March of 2020 Bastrop River Co reopened from a new location inside Fisherman’s Park (the heart of all river recreation in the Lower Basin of the Colorado River).  The trailer load of 6 kayaks and “a” canoe that Harle purchased in February of 2012 had grown to a fleet of over 200 water craft.

With the new location and additional resources the River Co is the largest and most convenient river outfitter to have ever served the Lower Colorado River.  Not even the LCRA has ever had such a fleet of boats.  And with the help of the digital age, never has it been so easy to experience the Lower Colorado River.  Everything you need is conveniently placed within this website, even the ability to book your trip.  If its not here, just let us know and we’ll put it here.

Our Mission: Provide a safe, fun, convenient, well operated river recreation experience!

This picture of River Co founder Lee Harle was taken during the 2015 Texas Water Safari at the 248 mile marker. The River Co. has a firm philosophy that in order to truly share the joy and beauty of Texas Rivers with others we must experience them ourselves… and often!