pm sent gutcheck

Guys my plan is to try and be at the launch at 6. FishR2099 if you want we can meet up at say the bait shop there just west of the 78 bridge, throw your yak into my POS truck and go from there.

Allright, let me ask my wife, I mean tell my wife. Btw, is that stretch of water safe for consumption? Or would that be a bad idea...?

Never heard of it being a problem for consumption...

It's official: I have Monday off.

I will most definitely be joining you guys.

Hey Gutcheck, sent you a PM on TKF. I am definitely interested in joining. It will be me and a friend in a couple of Jackson Kayak Coosas. Do ya'll have room for us to join? Just need directions to the put in. Cell number is 432-349-6212 if anyone wants to text them to me. Lemme know if there is room and I'll cya Monday morning.

This is starting to look like a good time. Hey gutcheck, my wife says I can fish, so I'll meet you at the bait store. What time should I get there, 5:30ish?

Wow, looks like quite a crew developing for this... Cool!

Okay guys, here's the thing. ALL the areas that I have been putting in at over the last year are dirt, and highly rutted at times, so if you're not comfortable with that, well, I understand. If you've ever done any 'country driving' then you probably won't think twice about it, but bottoming out in some of the deeper ruts could be a real possibility. There are also posted signs that say something about enter at your own risk or something like that. If you've ever crossed over the bridge here, you've probably noticed several people parked down there. I'm just doing what they do. Never had any problems in the dozen or so times I've put in here. If you want to know the absolute truth, right now it might be better to put in on in the backwoods dirt road area, but for the sake of keeping it simple, I'll be putting in at the bridge unless it seems too difficult. I don't really care that much about my POS truck at this point, so take that into consideration as well... I would never attempt any of these put ins if the ground was wet. Right now it's hard as a rock. I also would not attempt a trailer put in. Your vehicle should have decent clearance, if not, well...

Here's an overview of 78 along this stretch with some relevant markers.



Here's a detail of the turnoff for the bridge put in. When you turn in, there's a 'low road' and a 'high road'. I have never gone through the 'low road' at the entrance--it's either been too rutted or wet. IF IT LOOKS REALLY BAD, DON"T DO IT! I take the "high road" at the entrance, but it's no picnic either. Serious washboard stuff in here and it is 'on the embankment' so you're probably at a 25-30 degree angle for a bit. TAKE IT SLOW!!!!!! Down a ways is a 'merging point'. I usually go down to the "low road" at this point and then just stay out of the deep ruts back to the bridge. There is is a pretty steep 'hump' just before you get to the bridge.



It's very doable, just take your time, know where your tires are pointing at all times and what's ahead of you. STAY OUT OF DEEP RUTS! Every time I go in there I see someone parked next to the bridge in a compact with very little clearance, so it's not really that hard. But I also wouldn't want people to think it's a smooth road to a nicely maintained ramp. IT AIN'T!

Look forward to fishing with you guys!

Well the river kinda sucks right now... It's dropped 3-4 feet since I was last in there... Makes sense I guess what with the drought and all! Had to get out twice and drag up near the put in I don't like that! Not gonna be in the rotation for me until we get some water around here...

On the bright side, wind wasn't too bad in there, wasn't hot, I got to make a mental note of a lot of structure for when we do get some rain, and most of all met some good peeps. Nice meeting you roadtrip and District Paddle and crew! Did catch a few dinks also...

Any bass is good bass Tom. The water sure does look green.

Gutcheck, it was really nice to finally meet you. The boys and I cut our teeth on difficult creek water, so today was nothing new for us. Hubbard River may have been down more than normal, but I have no doubt that it was the cold front that made for a tough bite.

Roadtrip, it was great to finally meet you as well. My friends and I really liked your canoe, and it reminded us how much we would like to add one to our fleet.

As mentioned, the cold front really made it hard to identify a productive pattern. We managed a few small largemouth, but we definitely had to earn them.

You can read my brief report over on my website by clicking here.

I had a blast, gentlemen. The weather was amazing, and I wouldn't have wanted to spend my Labor Day any other way.

Hey- after I left gutcheck and passed yall on my way back to the put in I caught a limit of 10 lb bass!

Actually I was skunked fishwise but any day on the river is a good day. I was pleasantly surprised at the lack of trash on a river in such a populated area, and the water was fairly clear. The wind was singing in the trees but those trees blocked that wind from the river pretty good. Beautiful day.
Nice website you got there D.P.

I used to fish there before I got into kayaking. I also bent my bumper on my truck back there while offroading. Its been fixed since though. that spot is pretty good for sandbass in the spring.

I had a great time! Coulda done without the overwhelming stench of death at one point on the river. Never gagged so hard in my life. At least I didn't get skunked.