My next carping/catfishing trip

[Newt]

Bobbi (my new partner, fishing partner, and soon-to-be wife) & I were at an auction several days ago and Bobbi was talking to Donny, a frequent fishing companion of hers who is also an avid carper. He told her about a location just below a local dam where he has caught some nice commons recently and hooked a couple he couldn't even turn. I've seen him land 40 pound commons so that really got my attention. Donny said he couldn't be sure if they were carp or catfish but he wants to go back and try them again. We've had some unusually warm weather lately that is supposed to hold through Tuesday of next week so we did some scouting yesterday to get ready for a Tuesday trip. The conditions are different enough from UK venues that I thought you might enjoy some details with a follow-up after we actually fish.

 

These are aerial photos of part of Lake Wyley on the Catawba River with our proposed location marked.

 

 

 

It has been pretty dry in this area for several years so the water level in the river just below the dam is low and most times, there is little to no current. However, kayaking is very popular here so every weekend this past summer, the spillways were opened for a few hours every day to create some fast white water for the kayakers. It also kept the fish in great physical condition from dealing with the current. Poledark saw the same sort of thing on a smaller river when he visited a few years ago and we went on a day trip into the mountains.

 

This is a shot of the dam from roughly the location we'll be fishing.

 

Unless lake levels are high, they only let enough water through to keep the turbines moving to generate electricity but at times the gates will be opened to let significant amounts of water through the dam and into the section of river we'll be fishing. The gates are controlled remotely from a site near Memphis, Tennessee, about 1000 miles west of us. They publish a schedule of planned openings but don't always adhere to them exactly. Things can get exciting for bank anglers and even moreso for boaters who venture into the area.

 

This sign gives you a heads-up and trust me when I say that the horn and flashing red beacons get the blood pumping & legs moving in a hurry.

 

At our age (I'm 67 and Bobbi is a couple of years older), we can no longer handle steep banks or hard climbs but there is a small area across from the boat ramp in this photo (about 15-20 feed past the yellow poles) where access to the water is fairly easy and there is a deepish hole in easy casting distance. I had intended to take the wireless depth/fish finder along to locate the holes exactly and see how deep but oops - have to do that when we go next week to fish. I'm guessing 6-15 feet in places but all I really know is that there are some good fish waiting to be caught.

 

 

I also spotted an interesting looking bridge on a creek across the river and thanks to Google Earth, I've figured out how to drive to it so the next scouting trip will include a drive to that area and a look-see for a place we could fish.

 

[Ken L]

Bobbi (my new partner, fishing partner, and soon-to-be wife)

 

Congratulations !

 

 

 

The venue looks interesting. It's a bit of a shame that those HT cables look to make casting up into the aerated water below the damn a bit dangerous.

 

It's hard to judge from a photo, but it's obvious that the river shallows up below you. if the river funnels though there, there may very well be a lot of fish there looking to intercept food.

[Newt]

Where there is significant water running through the generator turbines (the building on the right) there is always a nice supply of chopped fish coming from the dam area. The intakes on the Lake Wyley side are about 40-50 feed below the surface with enough suction to pull smaller fish in to the turbine blades. It's hard to get the fish to pay attention to your bait. Lots of bass & carp & catfish & birds compete for the goodies washing downstream.

 

At slow water times, the smaller fish seem to head for elsewhere but the larger ones just hang around waiting for the next big water flow.

 

The power lines are actually up a couple hundred feet so not really a problem when you are casting. The photo makes them look lower than they are.

 

In case anyone wants to have a closer look, fire up Google Earth and search for Dam Road, Fort Mill, SC then navigate to 35º 01' 13" N & 81º 00' 26" W

[Steve Burke]

Sounds very interesting, Newt. I'll keep an eye out for the reports.

 

Good luck!