Back Bay Va.

Took my whip out for a ride. Tried the Knotts Island launch but the wind there is blowing the water
out of the Bay. Couldn't even get past the dock it was so shallow so I came back to the campground which
has a ramp with access to North Landing River.
Got the boat in with about 2 1/2 feet of water. It was pretty windy so I figured I wouldn't be able to go far
but wanted to test the work I did on the boat.
Lowrance fishfinder wouldn't work right shallower than 1.7 feet. Kept telling me I had 60 feet or 683 feet.
I bumped bottom on the way out. Got out to 4 feet of water and the wind had a good chop up so I turned
around.
It was just dumb luck that I got out there without grounding. I grounded about 4 times on the way back once
real good. Wind blowing me towards shallower water. Trimmed up the prop and backed out hard wagging the motor,
dredging my own channel, taking some chop over the stern but at least we were moving. The silt was churning. I tried another line and managed to get back to the inlet bumping bottom.
Got stuck a couple times in the inlet and had to back up, try another line. Dang, I just floated through here not 15
minutes ago. Fishfinder says 597 feet.
Boat worked alright except the fuel gauge is always on.
Managed to munch a brand new prop pretty good from dredging:

They have a nice little ramp here you just have to watch for low water when the wind is from the north:
Cheers

dang man - im sorry -i forgot to tell ya - that back bay is reely shallow - in the summer wife and i kack it and water was only about 2 ft deep-

btw - i told ya - go to ocean iles nc- they are killing the trout there on the grass flats-- and at least you can use your boat - and be only 3 block from the ocean -

are the snakes still out - or have they gone to ground for the winter-

Sorry to see the prop got chewed up. BTW, this is exactly why most of us who run exclusively in saltwater, have SS props. More expensive, but less susceptible to being chewed up by sand, oysters, etc, and they last about 3 times longer than aluminum when subjected to this type of wear. I have to replace my SS prop about every 2 years, but then again, a lot of times, I have to dredge my way in and out from the dock at low tide, so, it's being constantly abused.

Like I said, I could tell just from looking at satellite images that the area of Back Bay is extremely shallow. Never been that far north, but, I've been in the Pamlico and Currituck Sounds, much of it is the same way, and not much tidal range, either, the water level is influenced most by wind direction. I spent most of my time in those sounds idling around, hitting bottom, even a mile out from land.

Hard to believe that a body of water 20 miles wide, by 100 miles long, is only 19 feet in depth, at its deepest point. :shock:

Too late for Ocean Isles. I'm in Myrtle Beach. Going to try to find a prop or have to use
my spare which is in no great shape.
I'm just touring. Didn't even bring a fishin pole.
Didn't see one snake.
On the subject of dredging with your prop, here's an interesting article:
https://www.carolinajournal.com/exclusives/series.html?id=16
Plan to hit the national forest next.
Ciao

rabbit said:

Too late for Ocean Isles. I'm in Myrtle Beach. Going to try to find a prop or have to use
my spare which is in no great shape.
I'm just touring. Didn't even bring a fishin pole.
Didn't see one snake.
On the subject of dredging with your prop, here's an interesting article:
https://www.carolinajournal.com/exclusives/series.html?id=16
Plan to hit the national forest next.
Ciao

Click to expand...

I remember reading that article a while back. But that was also in a NWR area, if I'm not mistaken, and they basically cut a channel where none existed. In my case, the channel existed, in fact, many years ago, it was much deeper, but thanks to the motor grader tearing up our dirt road, much of it washed in and shoaled in the channel.

Dredging by prop wash is legal in SC anywhere south of Port Royal sound. But here, north of Port Royal Sound, they're not going to get bent out of shape over someone just trying to get in and out from the dock at low tide. Hell, weekend warriors running aground in the inlet churn more sediment in a weekend, than I churn all year. But go somewhere like Florida and let DNR see you churn bottom, in certain areas, it's a big ticket.

Anyhow, if you're in MB, then you're right here in my neck of the woods, or not very far from it. Unfortunately, the weather system we're having right now is making for really crappy boating and fishing, I've been landlocked for several days, waiting for this crap to blow by, so I can get back on the trout.

Winyah Bay, Cape Romain, and Santee Delta are definitely going to be rough and nasty for the next several days, these are large, shallow bodies of water that churn up quick, so, with the NE winds for the past week, fishing or boating in those areas will not be enjoyable.

Murrells Inlet is a smaller body of water, and won't be as rough and dangerous as the other areas, especially with the weather. There is a DNR public ramp in the center of town, also Morse Landing Park about a mile south of there, but it's a mid-tide ramp, it goes dry at low tide. And then there is Shell Landing, which is right near me, it's in Huntington Beach State Park. It's shallow, but on the average low tide, a johnboat can get in and out of there easily.

If you decide to go to Murrells Inlet, and want a little more intel on the best places to fish, give me a holler at:

[email protected]

And as for a prop, check with West Marine in Murrells Inlet, near Home Depot. There's also Marine Service Center a couple miles north of there.

I found a prop at Marine Service today. Holed up in a motel till tomorrow then on to Buck Hall.
Found a couple of ramps further up the Santee. All I need is 2 feet of water to float in and less
chop. I hate getting water in the boat. Water isn't good for boats.
Don't know if there's internet there. I might have to war drive (mooch) if I get desperate.
Saw a prop at Marine Service that was worn nearly to the nubs. Glad I wasn't on that boat.
I'll get back when I can.
Thanks and cheers

rabbit said:

I found a prop at Marine Service today. Holed up in a motel till tomorrow then on to Buck Hall.
Found a couple of ramps further up the Santee.

Click to expand...

Yeah, there's a few other landings. Harris Landing is on the N santee, then you've got McConnell landing, and then another landing on wambaw creek, but that one's real shallow, really for kayaks, and you've got a couple up toward the diversion canal of Lake Moultrie.

Buck Hall is a good landing. From there, you have the massive expanse of Bulls Bay and Cape Romain. 50,000 acres comprises the Cape Romain NWR. [/quote]

All I need is 2 feet of water to float in and less
chop. I hate getting water in the boat. Water isn't good for boats.

Click to expand...

Definitely not, And this is some snotty weather to be in big water.

Don't know if there's internet there. I might have to war drive (mooch) if I get desperate.
Saw a prop at Marine Service that was worn nearly to the nubs. Glad I wasn't on that boat.

Click to expand...

LMAO, I know exactly which prop you're talking about. :LOL2: The little white one, sitting on the right hand side of the sales counter. It came off a commercial oyster harvester's boat and no, it wasn't mine, LOL. I've worn down some props, but never to that extent. I believe they wore that SOB down to the hub, they got their money's worth. Probably got some really crappy gas mileage, not to mention poor speed. Bet it turned 6 grand at 6 MPH. :mrgreen:

I'll get back when I can.
Thanks and cheers

Click to expand...

Ten four, and be safe on that big water! The weather should start improving over the next couple of days, wind should start to die back, and we may even see some sunlight tomorrow! Again, give me a holler if you need any info about the area, as I'm quite familiar with the coast from Charleston to Cherry Grove Beach.

Thanks Guys,
I checked out the PSG1 videos. Nice boat. The Bay video was good to show water condition.
I'll be in Buck Hall in a couple of hours. If they have internet I'll give a report.
The wind is supposed to start blowing from the south, push the water back into the Bay.
A person could get stranded out there.
I was checking out the Santee on Acme Mapper. It's a great tool. You can even tell what kind
of boats are at the docks.
So, I gotta pack the truck and get out of this motel.
I'll be back hopefully with some good water pix.
Cheers

rabbit said:

Thanks Guys,
I checked out the PSG1 videos. Nice boat. The Bay video was good to show water condition.

Click to expand...

Thanks! Since I don't have children, that boat is like my first-born child... and I'm pretty proud of it, LOL! :LOL2:

Glad my videos were helpful as a visual reference, that's why I put them out there, so my fellow boaters can see a little recon of all the various rivers. I also have photos posted to google earth/panoramio for the same reasons.

I'll be in Buck Hall in a couple of hours. If they have internet I'll give a report.
The wind is supposed to start blowing from the south, push the water back into the Bay.
A person could get stranded out there.

Click to expand...

With a north wind, it will indeed push water in, and additionally, when it makes a low tide, it will probably be anywhere from 1-2 feet above normal, depending on the velocity of the wind, and the hydrography of a given area, several factors come into play, such as which direction the inlet faces, the average depth of the water in that area, etc.

Unlike the Pamlico Sound and Back Bay, here, we have an average tidal range of 6 feet, so, if you run aground just after high tide, you'll be sitting there a while. The good news is that this time of the year, the water is cooling off, and you have more visibility, at least, when the wind doesn't have everything churned up, the average visibility is about 3-4 feet, so, you can see most of the shoaling areas.

In the ICW, along the sides are very shallow. Most of the creeks through the marshes in that area will have ample water to run a small boat at low tide. The areas you have to be careful in are Bulls Bay, because it's so massive, but yet very shallow, it can churn up quick.

Also, Sewee Bay, Gray Bay, Hamlin Sound, and Copahee Sound are areas to be very cautious in, numerous submerged oyster reefs dot these areas, and you have to wind around them, like going through a minefield.

If there are crab pot floats in an area, they serve as excellent channel markers to show where the water is, as a crab pot is anywhere from 1.5 to 2 feet in height, so, if you see crab floats, and can't see traps sticking out of the water, you know you can go through in a johnboat. Just remember to stay on the downwind side of the floats as you pass, as some crabbers use way too much line, and it's easy to get it fouled in the wheel. It's also wise to carry a pair of heavy duty wire cutters, in case you hit one of the numerous 'ghost traps' (abandoned traps) and get it wrapped in your wheel. I spent 45 minutes one day getting a trap out of my wheel, with a crappy multi-tool that would barely cut the wire. Since that day, I started carrying wire cutters.

I was checking out the Santee on Acme Mapper. It's a great tool. You can even tell what kind
of boats are at the docks.

Click to expand...

Google earth is what I use to do aerial recon of unfamiliar areas I plan to go boating in, which is why I can run an unfamiliar river just like I've lived on it all my life, because I carefully study every single bit of info that I can.

So, I gotta pack the truck and get out of this motel.
I'll be back hopefully with some good water pix.
Cheers

Click to expand...

Sounds good. Keep us posted!

I just noticed that this part of the forum is for non-boat related posts so I'm moving my update to the Boat House.
Thanks for not complaining, see you at the Boat House.