jcarleto
Senior Member
FINALLY!
I drove by the site this morning and found men and equipment busy felling trees and grading. If the ramp at 411 is any measure, once they start, they are finished very quickly. It looks like this Spring will bring a new reliable and safe access point for those who use the river.
This is HUGE for me and for many others, I would guess. It means there is now a 3.2 mile low-impact stretch available with easy ingress at Euharlee ramp and easy egress at the new Hardin Bridge site. This sounds like the perfect "before chores" or "after work" fishing run.
This also provides some other options. Euharlee ramp to 411 ramp is 9.2 miles, a real day-killer (for the old and creaky, such as myself). On the other hand, 6 miles from Hardin Bridge to 411, is about what I usually do, so that becomes manageable. I like fishing the Rock Garden on that stretch, but don't get to often because of the distance and time required. Likewise, for those who prefer the 10-ish mile runs, 113 ramp to Hardin Bridge will now be an option.
Many folks, such as myself, never used the unimproved Hardin Bridge location for several reasons. If you have a heavy fishing kayak, you have to either be REALLY fit or have special equipment to launch and recover there. If it rained, you really need 4-wheel drive as well. Parking was frequently a problem, and because it was not widely used much of the year, security was a risk.
I know there are those out there who regret this addition, in that it may bring more people to the river. I heard many complaints when the 411 ramp was improved. For those people, accept my condolences. It will bring me out fishing more often.
I drove by the site this morning and found men and equipment busy felling trees and grading. If the ramp at 411 is any measure, once they start, they are finished very quickly. It looks like this Spring will bring a new reliable and safe access point for those who use the river.
This is HUGE for me and for many others, I would guess. It means there is now a 3.2 mile low-impact stretch available with easy ingress at Euharlee ramp and easy egress at the new Hardin Bridge site. This sounds like the perfect "before chores" or "after work" fishing run.
This also provides some other options. Euharlee ramp to 411 ramp is 9.2 miles, a real day-killer (for the old and creaky, such as myself). On the other hand, 6 miles from Hardin Bridge to 411, is about what I usually do, so that becomes manageable. I like fishing the Rock Garden on that stretch, but don't get to often because of the distance and time required. Likewise, for those who prefer the 10-ish mile runs, 113 ramp to Hardin Bridge will now be an option.
Many folks, such as myself, never used the unimproved Hardin Bridge location for several reasons. If you have a heavy fishing kayak, you have to either be REALLY fit or have special equipment to launch and recover there. If it rained, you really need 4-wheel drive as well. Parking was frequently a problem, and because it was not widely used much of the year, security was a risk.
I know there are those out there who regret this addition, in that it may bring more people to the river. I heard many complaints when the 411 ramp was improved. For those people, accept my condolences. It will bring me out fishing more often.
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