PSG-1
Well-known member
And it was great! We picked up where we left off last time, at the US74 ramp in Rockingham, NC, and paddled 6.5 miles to the area of Wolf Pit Township, also known as "Dairy Barn Landing"
This time, we did it with a river raft, instead of our kayaks. Sit-on-top kayaks are not really the best type for paddling in rocks, they are tippy, and they tend to jolt the paddler when they hit rocks. It's a little unnerving. The raft just bounces and glides, it's a smooth ride, and no danger of tipping over.
Anyhow, I see why there's not much boating and fishing pressure on this part of the river:
As soon as we rounded the bend below US74, the first minefield of rocks appeared on our right.
Just a short distance below was the CSX RR trestle. In this area, there are a lot of lateral steps and prehistoric fishing weirs.
The water level was 2.24 ft at Rockingham, which was high enough that the weirs were almost underwater, there was still a drop on the downstream side, but nothing too bad.
In fact, my girlfriend wasn't even worried going across them, which is a drastic opposite of our previous trips where she would nearly freak out at the sight of rocks. So, the river raft is a much better choice for us. (She even said she would go back to Columbia to raft the Saluda River! Wow! Thought I'd never hear her say that!)
Here's a great photo she snapped of some giant rocks in the river:
If you go just 60 miles downstream to Florence, the Pee Dee looks nothing like this! You'll be lucky if you have 6 inches of visibility, the water is usually orange from the clay that stains it as it passes through that region, on its course to the ocean. And once it gets to my area, it's black water, as it mixes with the Waccamaw and Little Pee Dee Rivers which run from lowcountry swamps.
About a mile above our haul-out point, we came to one last area of giant rocks. Naturally, I had to climb the tallest one I saw:
We got to the landing at Wolf Pit. We could hear the next rapids below us, and it sure would have been fun to go check them out, but, the sun was getting low, and there's not another ramp for 14 miles until Cheraw, SC. So, that's for the next trip, probably in mid-spring of next year, when we have more daylight. (Dark at 5 pm sucks!)
However, we did see an awesome sunset, over an even more awesome river:
Next trip, Dairy Barn to Cheraw. Once I make that run, then I will have enough recon info where I may feel comfortable enough to take my jetboat to this area and try some fishing. From what I could see, and it's what I guessed from interpreting sat. images, the trickiest area of the river was the lateral steps near the CSX trestle. Running downstream in a jet, you could probably slide across them, but I don't think I'd want to try it. Below there, it looks OK, but there are still submerged rocks, so, it would require being slow and cautious.
There are huge fish in this river, 60+ pound cats are not uncommon, and I have heard of sturgeon anywhere between 300-700 lbs being caught out of this river in years past.
Anyhow, it's an awesome place, and it's nothing like the PeeDee that runs through our area, for sure. I just wish it was a little closer, if it were, I'd be there all the time. Still, it's close enough that a day trip is no problem, so, I definitely plan to go back!
This time, we did it with a river raft, instead of our kayaks. Sit-on-top kayaks are not really the best type for paddling in rocks, they are tippy, and they tend to jolt the paddler when they hit rocks. It's a little unnerving. The raft just bounces and glides, it's a smooth ride, and no danger of tipping over.
Anyhow, I see why there's not much boating and fishing pressure on this part of the river:
As soon as we rounded the bend below US74, the first minefield of rocks appeared on our right.
Just a short distance below was the CSX RR trestle. In this area, there are a lot of lateral steps and prehistoric fishing weirs.
The water level was 2.24 ft at Rockingham, which was high enough that the weirs were almost underwater, there was still a drop on the downstream side, but nothing too bad.
In fact, my girlfriend wasn't even worried going across them, which is a drastic opposite of our previous trips where she would nearly freak out at the sight of rocks. So, the river raft is a much better choice for us. (She even said she would go back to Columbia to raft the Saluda River! Wow! Thought I'd never hear her say that!)
Here's a great photo she snapped of some giant rocks in the river:
If you go just 60 miles downstream to Florence, the Pee Dee looks nothing like this! You'll be lucky if you have 6 inches of visibility, the water is usually orange from the clay that stains it as it passes through that region, on its course to the ocean. And once it gets to my area, it's black water, as it mixes with the Waccamaw and Little Pee Dee Rivers which run from lowcountry swamps.
About a mile above our haul-out point, we came to one last area of giant rocks. Naturally, I had to climb the tallest one I saw:
We got to the landing at Wolf Pit. We could hear the next rapids below us, and it sure would have been fun to go check them out, but, the sun was getting low, and there's not another ramp for 14 miles until Cheraw, SC. So, that's for the next trip, probably in mid-spring of next year, when we have more daylight. (Dark at 5 pm sucks!)
However, we did see an awesome sunset, over an even more awesome river:
Next trip, Dairy Barn to Cheraw. Once I make that run, then I will have enough recon info where I may feel comfortable enough to take my jetboat to this area and try some fishing. From what I could see, and it's what I guessed from interpreting sat. images, the trickiest area of the river was the lateral steps near the CSX trestle. Running downstream in a jet, you could probably slide across them, but I don't think I'd want to try it. Below there, it looks OK, but there are still submerged rocks, so, it would require being slow and cautious.
There are huge fish in this river, 60+ pound cats are not uncommon, and I have heard of sturgeon anywhere between 300-700 lbs being caught out of this river in years past.
Anyhow, it's an awesome place, and it's nothing like the PeeDee that runs through our area, for sure. I just wish it was a little closer, if it were, I'd be there all the time. Still, it's close enough that a day trip is no problem, so, I definitely plan to go back!
