question about the Caney
 

I've waded the Caney for years but never fished from a boat around the dam. My question is: If they are not generating, can I load a 17.5 ft aluminum boat that draws around 12 inches? If they are generating, how much generation is too much to load and fish in the pool?
Thanks in advance for any help!

If they are still sluicing with generation stay away from the pool. Too many conflicting currents and too hazardous.

With no sluice going you can fish the pool during generation. I have been out there in a 17ft bass boat during 3 gens going and enough water to float a boat easily over the concrete wall in front of the sluice gates.

You will want to load/unload from campground side on anything over a generator running. It's just easier and more water depth.

No generation it depends on how heavy your boat is. If you can get it off the trailer and up to the pool watch out for shallow spots scattered around but there are deeper areas where you can fish it. Loading that boat back up on low water may be more of a hassle. It really just depends on its weight and if there is a big heavy motor on the back.

No problem when they are not slucing but you don't want to be anywhere close in anything if they are.

Thanks Travis!

Thanks Farley!

No problem.

For what its worth, I have seen a old heavy 16-17ft fiberglass tri-hull bass boat with a 75-90hp motor and 3 guys in it coming up stream on low water pissing everyone off wading all the way from the bluffs area below the Dam to the campground side ramp using the outboard most the way. It was digging, spitting and banging everything along the way but they got there.

Loading was a whole lot of motor, winch and guys pushing on the back.

It technically can be done in a lot of different boats....just how bad you want to do it is the case on low water in a bigger boat.

I am pretty sure Merv and mnfisher have unloaded then loaded a bigger boat there on low water.

Maybe one of them will chime in on the experience.

My boat has a 50hp with power trim and draws about 12 inches but I don't want to get stuck neither do I want to mess everything up for waders. I hopefully can get in an out but I would prefer to do it with some elevation in the river.

We did. It was on the Waterfall side. Plenty of ramp. Not enough water. It resulted in a banged up prop trying to get it on the trailer. This was a stratos with a 115 on it though.


Mike

The campground side is much steeper, but I hear you can drop your trailer off the back of the ramp.


Mike

8 years ago I had a 16ft 50hp Bass tracker and would put in but when the water dropped the trailer would hang at the bottom.

When I camped there I would tie off to the steps and wait for one gen to crank to load up or I would fish the pond area till gen time then go down stream to fish or load up.

If the water drops to fast on you, you can use the boat parking area. http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14...fcaa54307d.jpg


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Good looking ranger. Mine is not that nice but don't want it sitting on the rocks like that either. I will use the ole John boat.

Great information guys, and thanks for the laugh Browntrout.