Boating In Drought Stricken Waters

[DayCruiser]

I admit, I ran over some land on a point that went out in the middle of the lake due to drought and the Corp continued release of water out of the dam. I also saw another boat do the same thing in the same area.
But then yesterday there were 2 other boats that made careless mistakes. They did not stay close to the channel markers. Sure enough they hit bottom.
Boating is not nearly as fun when everybody is fighting for the center of the lake. The avenues are much more narrow. The Corp dropped the lake at least another foot before the big day(4th). I don't know whats up with them. They don't seem care that many damaged their boats. Many were afraid to take their boats out. Many boat ramps are unsafe and/or closed.....
Anyway, advice to newbies--stay within the channel markers. You will have a better chance of not damaging your boat. You are not completely safe though. Stop your boat if you have to when the lanes are crowded. Be Patient!!!

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Boating In Drought Stricken Waters

Too bad about the low water and any potential damage but isn't that what channel markers are for? Navigate the Mississippi sometime and venture outside the channel markers and you will quickly learn what wing dams are. Channel markers mark a navigable channel. Anything outside those markers is essentially uncharted water and its up to the vessel pilot to know the risk being taken.

 

[marine4003]

Re: Boating In Drought Stricken Waters

The corp aren't at fault,there job is water management,not safe boating,always stay within markers/buoys and boats wont get damaged, it amazes me that down here folks who ground there boat or hit jettys are quick to blame the corp or the GC. Reading current charts and being aware of your surroundings is the operators job not corp/CG.

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: Boating In Drought Stricken Waters

Wow you guys are so lucky. I mean, you have enough water to have channel markers. Out here in W. Texas there are two kinds of lakes and no navigable rivers. The two kinds of lakes are brown water and blue water, rarely do either have anything more than marker buoys for No Wake zones. I've learned to turn around and head back home when the person collecting day fees at the gate says...'stay in the middle of the lake.' I'll pass...rather be home boating vicariously on this forum.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Boating In Drought Stricken Waters

But that nice warm water grows some really nice bucket mouths. A four pound bass up here is a real hog.

 

[DayCruiser]

Re: Boating In Drought Stricken Waters

The corp aren't at fault,there job is water management,not safe boating,always stay within markers/buoys and boats wont get damaged, it amazes me that down here folks who ground there boat or hit jettys are quick to blame the corp or the GC. Reading current charts and being aware of your surroundings is the operators job not corp/CG.

There are no studies of how much water that should be released from the dams in SC/GA. They should get that study done so the least amount of water should be let out once a drought sets in. They say they have 20 year agreements to sell power across the country leaving out the economic loss, recreation loss and homeowner loss in value. Homeowners also pay fees to have lake access etc. Things have changed since the dam's were created thats for sure

But that nice warm water grows some really nice bucket mouths. A four pound bass up here is a real hog.

Stripers and catfish get to be huge. Large mouth bass avg 5 to 10 lbs

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: Boating In Drought Stricken Waters

Yeah, but that's E. Tejas...where largemouths often tip the scales over 10 lbs. I love the warmer weather and water, but it don't seem that warm when you're in deep enough to have both twins submerged...pucker time.

 

[uscboy]

Re: Boating In Drought Stricken Waters

Which lake are you on in SC?

I'm glad Murray is full - very full actually. It is amazing how many of our
lakes are low though, especially in the upstate.

 

[DayCruiser]

Re: Boating In Drought Stricken Waters

Which lake are you on in SC?

I'm glad Murray is full - very full actually. It is amazing how many of our
lakes are low though, especially in the upstate.

Hartwell. Does not seem fair at all that Murray is full while we suffer. At this rate we will be in crisis mode again by September. Fingers of the lake are not marked, so many boats will be trapped or have to take their chances to get to open waters. July 4th activity was way down. Anybody who leaves their boat in the water without a lift will be taking a chance of it being on the ground soon

 

[uscboy]

Re: Boating In Drought Stricken Waters

Hartwell. Does not seem fair at all that Murray is full while we suffer. At this rate we will be in crisis mode again by September. Fingers of the lake are not marked, so many boats will be trapped or have to take their chances to get to open waters. July 4th activity was way down. Anybody who leaves their boat in the water without a lift will be taking a chance of it being on the ground soon

I may be wrong, but I don't think the same inflow/outflow river system
feeds/leaves Hartwell and Murray. From NC, rivers flow down into Saluda
Lake and then into Lake Greenwood, then into Murray. I think Hartwell is on
another river system and it probably has more to do with outflow
requirements at the coast by Savannah or something.

I know I've read a lot about old waterflow agreements and how they all need
to be looked at again with how much has changed in the last few decades.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Boating In Drought Stricken Waters

the intracoastal in the Daytona Area is another you do not venture out of the channel. or you are guaranteed a new prop. even the cuts to the marina's are marked.

 

[Nandy]

Re: Boating In Drought Stricken Waters

I went to Hartwell last year and it was low....

You mean is lower than this? I cant remember what ramp I put in as it was my first time there. I can probably find that out if I get my gps info but I cant do that now.

BWT, that is a beautiful lake. It was in my list to go this weekend but I guess it will be Jocassee or Keowee... If I dont end up just hiking...

 

[uscboy]

Re: Boating In Drought Stricken Waters

BWT, that is a beautiful lake. It was in my list to go this weekend but I guess it will be Jocassee or Keowee... If I dont end up just hiking...

I don't know what it's like for boating in person, but online it says Jocassee is
down 26' right now (at 73.9', supposed to be 99.5').

 

[tysonnathan]

Re: Boating In Drought Stricken Waters

Lake Russel is real nice... just down from Hartwell. It usually has plenty of water. I used it all last summer without a problem. The Corps pump back to the top of that lake system during off peak hours, and then let it flow back down throught the dams again. My little profile pic of me skiing was taken at Russell last summer.

 

[Shizzy]

Re: Boating In Drought Stricken Waters

WOW! that is low!!!

 

[DayCruiser]

Re: Boating In Drought Stricken Waters

Much lower than that pic


Hartwell really started dropping at the end of last year. Level reached 14 feet below full pool. Full pool used to be 665 above sea level. Then the Corp adjusted that to 660 to cut back on erosion. So it was really 19 feet at its lowest by February 08 during the Bassmasters Classic. Now it is 11 feet below or 16ft if you go by the old full pool. Many fingers to that lake that are becoming not navigable as it drops further into the abyss.
Divers love Hartwell(not because it is all that clear because of the forest underneath?) because most of it looks the same as when it was filled back in 1963. Over 200 feet deep at its deepest point(56,000 acres, over 900 miles of shoreline) and it wasn't clear cut for make way for the lake. You can find forest, barns, houses, streets, mail boxes etc all intact under the Big Water part the lake. The lake filled faster than they planned, so say said to hell with it lol. 2 or 3 rivers came together and they just damned them up. Plenty of Islands and sandy beaches, all natural and wooded

 

[The Great Escape II]

Re: Boating In Drought Stricken Waters

Lake Lanier in Atlanta is experiencing record low conditions thanks to the well run group the Army Corp. Don't get me started about them.

 

[DayCruiser]

Re: Boating In Drought Stricken Waters

That is even worse Great Escape!! I have seen pics in the news of Lake Lanier. Just devastating. What was it , 22 billion gallons they mistakenly dumped out of that lake? The same thing extremely low levels happened here back in the late 70s. Pretty bad one in the early 80s. While the lower Savannah remains full. We got over 3" in the past few days and it was drained as fast as the water hit the lake. I saw where Atlanta has gotten over 5" of rain last month. You can't tell it by those pics.
What it is going to take is a Tropical storm. A storm that floods the entire region, so they don't have room to let any water out.
The worse thing is they sell power out of our region

 

[RotaryRacer]

Re: Boating In Drought Stricken Waters

These pictures are reminding me how nice it is to have natural lakes.

There are several rivers that flow into the Great Lakes that are getting harder to navigate and there are some areas out on the water that are now becoming tricky. However, it has been years in the making...not weeks or months.

That picture with the boat on the hoist is the worst. Think of the poor guy who couldn't get to the lake soon enough to get his boat off the hoist. Doh. He doesn't even have the option to take his boat to another lake at this point.

 

[DayCruiser]

Re: Boating In Drought Stricken Waters

There are boats stranded all over Lake Lanier and Hartwell. I am debating whether to take mine out before the exit route doesn't exist. I see they have Styrofoam flotation still. The Corp made everybody here get rid of Styrofoam and get encapsulated flotation. Cost 1000s to do. Now many of those flotations will be beat up on the rocks before its grounded. You see some coming out from under docks already. Nothing anybody can do except go to Congress and catch them inbetween naps