June 30-july 1 Trip

[Turns]

My buddy and I did a trip from Greer to Riverton on June 30 - July 1. The fishing was slow both days. I pulled out 3 nice rainbows 14" to 16" on day 1 and a 14" on day 2. All with a green and gold 1/16 Mepps. We could have tried harder really.

The weather was perfect but the biggest problem were the Jet Boats. Other than the first few hours of the trip coming down from Greer, there was hardly 30 minutes of silence before hearing another one. Not what I would call a relaxing "wilderness experience". One guy and his girl friend had a stereo that was louder than his 2 cycle engine. You heard him 3 minutes before and after he flew by at 20mph. Another guy was doing doughnuts in every pool he could find as he came up the river. One other Jet Boater and his family were flying down the river and their kids were jumping out of the boat and then getting picked back up to do it over and over again. We also noticed a lot of oil sheen on the water and the smell of two cycle engines hung in the air. Is this the norm down there now or something to do with a holiday weekend coming up?

This was only my second time on the Eleven Point and my first below Turners. My first trip a year ago last spring from Cane to Turners was incredible. We saw one campsite above Greer and not another soul or a single Jet Boat on the water. The fishing was unreal too. We hooked a 12"+ on every cast for a good stretch.

We were really bummed out after this last trip. I've since become more interested in conservation because of it. Seeing a river change so much in a year and a half was a big shock.

Has anyone else seen this change? I'm not looking for an apology from a Jet Boater. I don't understand why they are allowed there in the first place. A river is a very narrow corridor that of which you really can't avoid other people. I go out in my canoe for peace and relaxation. To get away from the noise. My silence and stillness doesn't interfere with a Jet Boaters enjoyment of the river but his noise and speed certainly destroys my good time. Lakes are a much more appropriate place for them.

[FH&S]

Sorry to hear about the trouble you had with the jet boats. I've been paddling the 11-Point for the past 5 years & I've never had any trouble like that during the week. I'll admit, the river does get a little crowded on the weekends. For the most part, the jet boaters have been very cordial to our group. Often times, they have assisted in retrieving gear that had been lost from someone turning over. Last year, they assisted in contacting our outfitter due to an injury that someone in our group had. My buddy had just gotten out of back surgery about 3 months before our river trip. He turned over & hit a rock in the spot where the surgery took place. Without the help of the jet boaters it would have been one hell of a long day.

Anyway, sorry you didn't have a true 11-Point experience. I will be doing the same stretch of the river that you did. I'll be paddling Greer to Riverton for an overnight trip on July 22-23. Hoping to catch some fish as well. Then the rest of our crew will be in town on Thursday evening for two - one day floats. We'll do Greer to Whitten & then Riverton to the Narrows on Day 2.

We always use 11 Point Canoe Rentals. Brian & Ryan, along with their staff, have been great to us. Don't give up on the river - maybe it will be better next time out.........

Brad

FH&S Expeditions

[steve l]

Turns, not my first post on this subject, but you are right on. The jet boats are awful, especially for a "wild & scenic" river, and there is little consideration shown by the drivers. Not all drivers, of course not, but the large majority show no thought at all to the canoers.

I am really sorry to see the 11P slowly degenerate in this manner. It seems ten/fifteen years ago you saw hardly any of those things.

My brothers & I head down for our yearly trip Sunday through Friday. I sure hope I can report that I was wrong, and there were no issues, but I'm not holding my breath.

[superfly]

How many of the wild and scenic rivers allow motorize boats?

[bvp81]

I had a very similar experience this past weekend. I was looking forward to a nice relaxing float trip with some great fishing like last year, but we had the complete opposite. Myself and 3 of my buddies floated from Greer to 142 and we had Ok fishing from Greer to Turner Mill, but nothing like last year and I think it was mostly due to the fact that there were people everywhere on the river. We saw maybe 10 people last year when we came down and floated Cane's Bluff to Riverton, but this year we couldn't round a corner without seeing a group of 20 people or a jet boat blasting down the river. The stretch from Turner's Mill to Boze Mill was really bad, but it was Sat. and July, but I never thought we would see that many boats or people I was really bummed out. I still had a blast floating and camping with my friends, but all the noise and traffic takes away alot of what I look foward to when we come down for our trip. I can handle a slow day of fishing, but it kind of ticks me off when I think the fishing would have been just fine if the river traffic wasn't so terrible. I will say that the stretch of river from Boze Mill to 142 was really alot better. We saw very few people, but we did see 5 or 6 boats. All the the boat were really aware and slowed down for us except for one guy who just blew by us right where we were fishing. Still love the river and the float, but we will never float in July again, we will either try a different river for a couple of years or we will float in early June. One of the good things about the weekend was that if you got up early and got on the river before all the traffic you were able to see all kinds of wildlife. We saw deer swimming across the river, an otter eating a fish on a rock and a bunch of ducks and minks. I know I make it some like I had a bad experience, but i really did enjoy myself.