Did the Dam thing at Crowhop

[Bananaslug22]

I am a little familiar with that area. I have launched outa Langdale and paddled upstream and had very good experiences fishing below the dam. But how did you get out going down at crowhop? Did you paddle upstream back to Langdale? Did you portage across the island between the two dams? And pull out at Riverview?

Thanks I did a ground and OnX recon yesterday and I can’t figuare out how you got around the dams north of Riverview.
thanks

So we parked trucks at the Riverview Ramp which is 1 mile downstream of the Crowhop dam. Shuttled ourselves to the Langdale Ramp and put-in there. Floated down to the Crowhop dam. If you stay all the way river right at the Crowhop dam, you take the river channel that follows the bank and ends up at the actual smaller Riverview dam. If you turn left towards the Crowhop dam channel 200 ft from the Crowhop dam instead of going river right towards the Riverview dam, there is a bank with a worn trail on the bank 100 or so feet from the lip of the Crowhop dam. There is a huge pine tree at the bank where you take out. Its about 4 ft in diameter. You can drag or carry your kayak on the trail and put it back in the water below the dam. The trail runs really close to the edge of the bank in a few spots so having a partner to help carry the yak would be better.
You get really close to the dam kayaking at that point so be careful if they are generating. It'll pucker up your backside up a little knowing you're that close to the edge.
If they are not generating, I have paddled all the way to the edge of the dam in the corner and just stepped up on the concrete and pulled the kayak out of the water there.
My dad and I got to the dam first that day. We took out at the Pine tree and carried our yaks down the trail about 225 ft to put them back in the water. I immediately called my three buddies and told them to just paddle to the dam and take out there in the corner since they were not generating.

AGAIN**** - DO NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT paddle to the dam if they are generating. You will probably die if you do.

They were not generating when we got to the dam and there was no flow of water over the dam in the corner because the dam is unlevel and I guess the concrete is a little higher over in the corner than the middle areas of the dam. The water was barely coming over in the middle

From there we fished and the generated water came down about 30 minutes later. We just paddled to Riverview ramp from there when it was time to leave.

 

[Bananaslug22]

I am a little familiar with that area. I have launched outa Langdale and paddled upstream and had very good experiences fishing below the dam. But how did you get out going down at crowhop? Did you paddle upstream back to Langdale? Did you portage across the island between the two dams? And pull out at Riverview?

Thanks I did a ground and OnX recon yesterday and I can’t figuare out how you got around the dams north of Riverview.
thanks

You can see the lack of water going over the dam in the corner in one of the pics.

 

[Bananaslug22]

My finger is where the take-out near the Pine tree is

 

[HarryO45]

So we parked trucks at the Riverview Ramp which is 1 mile downstream of the Crowhop dam. Shuttled ourselves to the Langdale Ramp and put-in there. Floated down to the Crowhop dam. If you stay all the way river right at the Crowhop dam, you take the river channel that follows the bank and ends up at the actual smaller Riverview dam. If you turn left towards the Crowhop dam channel 200 ft from the Crowhop dam instead of going river right towards the Riverview dam, there is a bank with a worn trail on the bank 100 or so feet from the lip of the Crowhop dam. There is a huge pine tree at the bank where you take out. Its about 4 ft in diameter. You can drag or carry your kayak on the trail and put it back in the water below the dam. The trail runs really close to the edge of the bank in a few spots so having a partner to help carry the yak would be better.
You get really close to the dam kayaking at that point so be careful if they are generating. It'll pucker up your backside up a little knowing you're that close to the edge.
If they are not generating, I have paddled all the way to the edge of the dam in the corner and just stepped up on the concrete and pulled the kayak out of the water there.
My dad and I got to the dam first that day. We took out at the Pine tree and carried our yaks down the trail about 225 ft to put them back in the water. I immediately called my three buddies and told them to just paddle to the dam and take out there in the corner since they were not generating.

AGAIN**** - DO NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT paddle to the dam if they are generating. You will probably die if you do.

They were not generating when we got to the dam and there was no flow of water over the dam in the corner because the dam is unlevel and I guess the concrete is a little higher over in the corner than the middle areas of the dam. The water was barely coming over in the middle

From there we fished and the generated water came down about 30 minutes later. We just paddled to Riverview ramp from there when it was time to leave.

Thank you, I do have a healthy respect to the dangers of going over those dams. So safety is a prime concern.

Couple of questions: to do what you just described do you go under or over any of the safety buoys?

Can you access the trail (portage) through public land? Asking because I would like to walk to it and see it before I float to it.

 

[Qazaq15]

Thank you, I do have a healthy respect to the dangers of going over those dams. So safety is a prime concern.

Couple of questions: to do what you just described do you go under or over any of the safety buoys?

Can you access the trail (portage) through public land? Asking because I would like to walk to it and see it before I float to it.

If you just drag your boat right over crowhop dam, you'll be on the wrong side of the buoys. If you portage all the way to where he is pointing, you'll go around them. If you want to paddle around above crowhop, there is a public boat ramp where you can access it directly, and you don't have to worry about the buoys.

 

[HarryO45]

If you just drag your boat right over crowhop dam, you'll be on the wrong side of the buoys. If you portage all the way to where he is pointing, you'll go around them. If you want to paddle around above crowhop, there is a public boat ramp where you can access it directly, and you don't have to worry about the buoys.

Thanks, I was typing the questions (my last post) before I saw the “finger picture”. Now that I have seen it. I know exactly what you guys are saying. Thank you both. I don’t live too far from there (harding) and float the dam, Yak ramp across from GLL and to the airport at least once a week - at least before deer season. Excited to try crowhop. If you ever need help
With shuttle let me know, I would be happy to help.

 

[Qazaq15]

Thanks, I was typing the questions (my last post) before I saw the “finger picture”. Now that I have seen it. I know exactly what you guys are saying. Thank you both. I don’t live too far from there (harding) and float the dam, Yak ramp across from GLL and to the airport at least once a week - at least before deer season. Excited to try crowhop. If you ever need help
With shuttle let me know, I would be happy to help.

Since you mentioned deer hunting, have you ever hunted the Blanton Creek WMA? It looks like it would be accessible by water from that area. I like being able to sneak in by water.

 

[HarryO45]

Since you mentioned deer hunting, have you ever hunted the Blanton Creek WMA? It looks like it would be accessible by water from that area. I like being able to sneak in by water.

I never have but I did put my name in the hat to hunt it this year (first time) and my plan is to access it from Valley Park boat ramp with a five horsepower stealthcraft Holligan to one of those islands… is it a good idea? Never talked to anyone who has done that, but they say I don’t have to physically sign out so it seems I could approach from AL side. Btw, I am going to try this crowhop next week.

 

[Qazaq15]

I never have but I did put my name in the hat to hunt it this year (first time) and my plan is to access it from Valley Park boat ramp with a five horsepower stealthcraft Holligan to one of those islands… is it a good idea? Never talked to anyone who has done that, but they say I don’t have to physically sign out so it seems I could approach from AL side. Btw, I am going to try this crowhop next week.

Its a great idea. I do it all the time on West point Corps land. Deer aren't used to people sneaking in water, and the people who come in by road will push them to you. What day are you going to go to crowhop?

 

[HarryO45]

Its a great idea. I do it all the time on West point Corps land. Deer aren't used to people sneaking in water, and the people who come in by road will push them to you. What day are you going to go to crowhop?

Most likely Tuesday…

 

[Bananaslug22]

Thanks, I was typing the questions (my last post) before I saw the “finger picture”. Now that I have seen it. I know exactly what you guys are saying. Thank you both. I don’t live too far from there (harding) and float the dam, Yak ramp across from GLL and to the airport at least once a week - at least before deer season. Excited to try crowhop. If you ever need help
With shuttle let me know, I would be happy to help.

you go under the hanging bouys in that channel where my finger is whether or not you take out at my finger or you paddle to the dam. The bouys are hanging about 100ft to the left of my finger at the start of that channel.

 

[HarryO45]

you go under the hanging bouys in that channel where my finger is whether or not you take out at my finger or you paddle to the dam. The bouys are hanging about 100ft to the left of my finger at the start of that channel.

Yea … ok that’s what I thought. I can see the buoy s on OnX. Looks like I am try ing on Thursday

Thanks

 

[HarryO45]

My finger is where the take-out near the Pine tree is

I have not yet been, I had planned to but had very good friend with a death in the family and I had to make a change of plans… domino effect. So I am not sure when I will get to it? But I will let you guys know when I do. Appreciate everyone s advice.

 

[fish hawk]

I'm local to this area and it seems everyone is up in arms about the removal of the low head dams and worried about the impacts it will have on the shoal bass populations in this area.Right now the shoal bass are basically locked in by the low head dams at riverview,crowhop and langedale, once the dams are breached you open up the river from Bartletts Ferry all the way to below West Point Dam giving these fish a chance to move upstream.I have fished this area extensively and have never caught a shoal bass north of langedale to below West Point dam so the removal will open up some great shoal habitats that as of now are void of any shoal bass.The attached photo was taken at crow hop.