Big South Fork

The Big South Fork of the Cumberland River runs through remote areas of Northern Tennessee and Southern Kentucky.  The aerial view shows nothing but forest for miles around.  Its designation as a "National River and Recreation Area" means that primitive, dispersed tent camping is allowed anywhere.  Dispersed, primitive camping in a large National Forest really allows for a unique experience.  It also means you should take the time to try to prepare for anything that might come your way.  We've done this a few times now including on our three day, 40 mile trip down the Pine in Northern Michigan.

Black Bear

A local who picked us and our gear up at Blue Heron and dropped us off at Station Camp warned us to look out for both copperheads and timber rattlers.  We saw four bears on the drive down into the ravine on the way to the Station Camp put-in.  We also knew the rapids, even at a meager 150cfs at Leatherwood Ford would be challenging for us.  Big South Fork at 150cfs had both positives and negatives for us.  On the plus side it would be more safe since we are inexperienced with whitewater paddling.  It also seemed like a plus that we would have things largely to ourselves without the Spring kayaks to contend with.  The downside of the 150cfs flow level was that there were several areas where we had to get out and pull the canoe through shallow spots.  I don't particularly mind doing this if the scenery and fishing are good and they were spectacular.  We wound up only having to get out five or six times on our 17 mile trip.

Little Brown Jug

Breakfast on the Pop Can Stove

We didn't put-in on the first day until around 2:00 since the drive down from Southwest Ohio took about four hours.  This meant that we camped the first night at Big Island where a back country horseback trail crosses the river.  We caught several Smallmouth on the short trip from Station Camp to Big Island and looked forward to the next couple days.  The area around the campsite had some large beech, river birch, and conifers.  With the large trees, it was fairly open woods with native plants including christmas fern, maiden hair fern, little brown jug, black cohosh, and white baneberry surrounding our tent.  We made a small fire in an existing fire ring with dried out driftwood from the riverbank.  I made a mac-n-cheese dinner on a pop-can stove and we

Black Cohosh

swam in the clear green river a little after dinner.  We took the trouble to hang our food after seeing the bears on the way in.  Despite seeing the bears earlier, the night was peaceful and we woke up early due to a whippoorwill calling just before dawn.  Oatmeal and coffee on the stove and then off and paddling again.

Rock Bass

We were excited by the fishing the day before and spent a lot of time casting and floating.  The smallmouth bite had slowed some but we did put one rock bass in the boat.  We don't luck into many of these and their large red eyes are always interesting to see up close.

There is no cell service along the length of this river which means it's important to pay attention to the twists and turns and natural landmarks to track your progress.  It would be easy to linger too long casting and enjoying the scenery and then worry your family being late exiting the gorge.

One thing that makes this stretch of river so special is the scattered house size boulders that have calved off of sheer cliff walls all along its length.  I have no doubt that its deep enough in many spots to jump off of many of these but we avoided doing this given that it's so remote.  The number and size of boulders as well as the size of the rapids seem to increase as you move down river from Station Camp toward Blue Heron.  The smallmouth seemed to be in the current or immediately above or below riffles and often waiting in the eddy's behind boulders to ambush their prey or our baits.  We saw a grand total of two other people during the entire three day / two night trip.  As it turned out, one of the two had been a rafting guide on the New River in West Virginia.

More house sized boulders

Pulling up to our campsite the 2nd night.

We crossed into Kentucky in the late afternoon and paddled until the river turned to the East into the most remote section we would see.  We camped at the start of this stretch on a sand bank about 15' above the river.  I made some Zatarans on the stove and made another campfire.  This was a nicer place to swim with large boulders on the opposite side of the river from our beach.  I was a little concerned about bears after making Zatarans but the second night's peace was only interrupted by a barred owl and another whippoorwill calling at dawn.  In the morning a beaver swam downstream in between the beach and boulders while I made another round of oatmeal.

Adam was sitting next to the
tent by the fire and took this picture
of me swimming.

The third day was the best day of fishing.  We caught over 20 smallmouth, another rock bass, and two spotted bass.  Adam lost the biggest smallmouth I've ever seen after it jumped and dove back into a strong current.  We also noticed several redhorse suckers cruising the shoals.  If we come back I might read about how to catch one.  They weren't the least bit interested in what we were throwing.  We passed the rafting guide who was pulled off below a rapid and he snapped this picture.  We are very comfortable on this size rapid and were successful on several along this stretch of the Big South Fork at 150cfs.

The problem is that at the end of this segment, just before you get to Blue Heron is a rapid called Devil's Jump that is more difficult (at least for us) even at this level.  Somehow Adam managed to stay in the canoe and escape Devil's Jump after I fell out and swept through.  I was lucky to tip at the end of the rapid below the main drop.  

We had planned to portage around this particular rapid but a timber rattle snake on the portage trail convinced us otherwise.

Timber Rattler along the Devil's Jump Portage trail hiding under a Rhododendron.

The boulder field above Devil's Jump

Looking down into the narrowest part of Devil's Jump from a boulder above it.

The Big South Fork is the most scenic and remote river we've paddled so far.  It takes some planning to paddle this section and it's not for the feint of heart but it was very memorable.  We'll be back.  We'll be more likely to portage Devil's Jump though!

Put-in.......: Station Camp

Take-out.....: Blue Heron Mining Community

Miles........: 16.9
Miles to Date: 299.7
Map Used.....: National Park Service Brochure Map
Fish.........: Smallmouth Bass, Rock Bass, Spotted Bass.

Home Stretch

It's nice to have a river like the Little Miami so close to home.  The section closest to home flows from Milford to the Ohio River.  I've been to very scenic and pristine rivers like the Pine in Northern Michigan or the Rogue in Southern Oregon, but it's nice to be able to load up the canoe at 4:00 in the afternoon and get in a five mile trip before dark.  At the time of this post I've been on this one specific section of the Little Miami far more than any other.

Channel Catfish Living Inside Discarded Car Tire

Generally speaking the LMR becomes more and more natural looking and clean as you move up river to the North.  It's headwaters in John Bryan State Park are pristine and beautiful.  It just so happens that the section closest to home, the section I paddle most often, is also the most tainted with pollution.  8.4 million cars were sold in the US in 1970 alone.  Apparently most of these cars have found their way into my home section of the Little Miami River.  This is not to suggest that this section of river isn't teeming with life.  In fact, it's somewhat inspiring to see so much biodiversity in such an imperfect environment.  I've managed to catch over 15 species of fish along this stretch alone and I'm a fairly average fisherman.  I've also come across everything from bald eagles and orioles to beaver and mink.

Canoe Full Of Trash

Each time I go out I return with a pile of junk to be pitched at the end of the trip, and I'm hardly the only one.  There is nothing wrong with traveling to and enjoying pristine wilderness areas but it's impossible to do so without leaving an imprint.  Even when I am perfect at leaving no trace I generally get to the pristine wilderness areas by car.  When I flew to Seattle, I drove the last several miles to Olympic National Park.  This means I relied on roads, gas stations, and locals who work in those gas stations to get to the pristine wilderness.  I didn't walk there. 

A funny thing happens when you stop traveling to pristine areas and start trying to make your own area pristine.  You realize that what you really want is just to be out there.  Out interacting with an environment that you aren't typically in.  It doesn't matter that it's imperfect.  If it's imperfect it gives you an opportunity for more frequent and more aggressive involvement.  Pick up some tires.  Fill the boat with plastic debris and cans.  Leaving only footprints is for pristine areas where none of us live.  There is only observation in the perfectly pristine areas.  There is no interaction.  You aren't helping any pristine ecosystem by being there.  Hike or paddle through local "wilderness" and you are able to make a difference.  Your presence matters.

Paddling the Ohio River

At the mouth of the Little Miami about to paddle out into the Ohio River.

Decided to paddle out the mouth of the Little Miami and down the Ohio River a little ways.  We hugged the shore due to the wake being thrown off from barges and other boats.  We paddled almost 3 miles on the Ohio.  It was worth doing once, not sure we'd do it again other than maybe as part of Cincinnati's Paddle Fest.  I do think it would be interesting to canoe part of the Ohio between Portsmouth and New Richmond at some point.

Fishing while a barge rolls by.

A picture my wife took of us as we paddled to our pick up location at the Ohio River Launch Club.

One of two big channels we caught just up river from Armledder Park.

Put-in.......: Bass Island

Take-out.....: Ohio River Launch Club (100 Strader Ave, Cinti OH)

Miles........: 10.8
Miles to Date: 282.8
Map Used.....: Little Miami
Fish.........: Channel Cat.

Rope Swings

Put-in.........: Jim Terrell Park

Take-out.......: Bass Island

Miles..........: 5.3
Miles to Date..: 272
Map Used.......: Little Miami
Fish...........: Just paddling this trip.

Fishing From A Canoe

These are things I've learned along the way (sometimes painfully).  I'm not an expert at paddling a canoe, I'm not an expert fisherman and I'm not an expert parent.  I do think I'm slowly becoming an expert at fishing in a canoe with kids.

Use common sense.
If you are not at least average at fishing AND average at canoeing, don't put the two together with kids involved.  It's too easy to get hurt with the hooks or tip the canoe and lose a bunch of gear.  There are also strainers and hydrolics to look out for.  Become at least average at both before putting the two together.

When you start out, never cast from the canoe while in current.
Park the boat on a gravel bar and cast above, below, and into current from the bank.  Fish slack water sections from the boat to get used to casting from the canoe.  Over time, the angles you are able to cast will become second nature and you won't have to think before each cast about how to avoid hooking your partner or slapping them in the head with the tip of your rod on your cast follow through.


Take extra care not to get snagged, especially in current.
Getting snagged in current means that your line might break due to the weight of the boat pulling at the lure snagged on the bottom.  Getting snagged also means that the boat will be whipped around with the lure acting as a grapple trying to hold the boat still in the current.  Ideally, the line won't break and the drag will feed line out until you have time to work the canoe over to the bank to free the snag.

Use really heavy line.
Fishing from a canoe and fishing streams in general is often about current.  Fish are usually in the current immediately above the current, or immediately below the current especially when feeding.  The turbulent water adds oxygen giving the fish energy to pursue prey.   Usually we cast a couple times from the canoe above the rapids, in the rapids, and below the rapids.  If we have any action we usually pull off at a gravel bar to cast above, into, and below the rapids where we find fish.  Sometimes we paddle back above the current and drift through multiple times casting from the boat.  If the rapids are heavy or there are any strainers or obstructions in or below the rapids, I only steer from the back while the person in front casts.  If the person casting gets snagged it is critically important to have heavy line.  When we started we were using 8lb mono which is fine for fishing from the bank in little current.  Fishing 8lb mono while floating rapids in a canoe means you lose 20 yards of line and a lure almost every time you get snagged.  We now use 30lb braid with the drag set such that the snag will pull the canoe around and the lure will act as a grapple.  Many times the lure will pull free due to the weight of the boat.  If not, the drag will let line off slowly while we work our way to the bank where we can get out and try to free the lure.  Braided line has very little "stretch".  This is really important when you get snagged in rapids from a canoe.  It means that the lure won't slingshot back at you as fast if it pulls free from the weight of the boat.


Paddle over to the bank to remove lures from trees.
It's easy when fishing from a canoe to cast into overhanging tree branches or tree roots at the edge of the water.  When you become snagged, take the time to paddle over and retrieve the lure rather than trying to jerk it free.  Jerking the lure free means the lure will hurtle back directly at you and you won't be able to move.  You're in a canoe, remember!  One of the first times we went out I managed to get two barbs of a crankbait embedded in my leg when jerking a crankbait out of an overhanging branch while in the canoe.  I had to paddle three miles to our pick up spot with the crankbait hanging out of my leg.  Not fun.

Take a really big net. 

There are monster fish in many rivers.  In some cases, monster fish with TEETH.  If you have ever hoisted a 4' gar into a canoe with your 10 year old, you'll wish you had brought a net big enough to hold the gar.  When you hook a large fish, you'll want to get a picture of it and you'll have a much better chance of getting the picture if you can bring it into the boat using a net and then paddle to shore for pictures.

Secure any gear to the canoe.
If you tip, you'll want a tackle box with a shoulder strap that can be used to tie the tackle box to the inside of the canoe.  Otherwise, all your expensive tackle will be floating down the river if you tip.

Clean up after others.
It's impossible to fish a river from a canoe and never lose gear.  The way to make up for lost gear is to clean up the trash you see while floating downstream.  Some of the tips above have greatly reduced the amount of gear we lose but we'll never be perfect.  To make up for our imperfections we clean up far more of other people's messes than we create ourselves.  It's not "leave no trace", it's "erase any trace".

Don't take super expensive reels and poles.
You tip, they sink.

Eastfork Canoe Round Two

Out at dawn on the East Fork for the third day in a row.  Have been enjoying this section of river.  It's clearer than the main branch of the LMR.  We only had to drag the boat in three little areas.  The USGS gauge at Perintown was reading 2.2' when we started.  I probably wouldn't try taking the canoe if it were too far below 2'.  The nice thing about the East Fork is that the channel is narrower which makes it more shaded.

A little gar we caught underneath the Route 450 bridge.

Not very big but this was the first Smallie of the year.  Seems like they've been slow this year.

Put-in.........: Roundbottom Road Bridge, Perintown OH.

Take-out.......: Bass Island

Miles..........: 9.8
Miles to Date..: 266.7
Map Used.......: Little Miami
Fish...........: saugeye, large mouth, smallmouth, wiper, gar.

East Fork In A Canoe

Probably the longest channel cat we've ever caught but kinda skinny.

We didn't put in until about 4:30 at the Roundbottom bridge right of way (where Binning Rd hits Roundbottom) on the East fork.  I guess we took too much time fishing because we had to paddle our butts off to make it to bass island before dark.  USGS gauge at Perintown was reading 2.4' when we put in.

Put-in.........: Roundbottom Road Bridge, Perintown OH.

Take-out.......: Bass Island

Miles..........: 9.8
Miles to Date..: 256.9
Map Used.......: Little Miami
Fish...........: Saugeye, Large Mouth, Channel Cat.

East Fork - Perintown

Was able to get down part of the East Fork of the Little Miami in a kayak.  I put in at Perintown at the Roundbottom Rd bridge.  The Perintown USGS gauge at the bridge was reading 2.5' when I put in.  This wound up being a pretty good level.  The water was fairly clear and flowing.  I had to get out and pull the kayak three times on the stretch from Perintown to the mouth of the East Fork where it hits the main branch of the LMR.  I'm going to try another trip in the canoe.  I really don't think I would have had to get out to pull the canoe any more often.  The nice part is there was NOBODY out there.  I saw a total of zero boats and a total of zero people despite it being a sunny Sunday in June.  When I hit the LMR at the mouth of the East Fork it was slammed with people.  Caught seven different species of fish including my personal best walleye.

Personal best walleye.  23" @5lb.

Quillback.

Gar.

Spiny Softshell

There was a right of way marked at the Roundbottom Road bridge which was where I put in.  The right of way is right at the bridge where Binning Rd intersects Roundbottom.

Put-in.........: Roundbottom Road Bridge, Perintown OH.

Take-out.......: Bass Island

Miles..........: 9.8
Miles to Date..: 247.1
Map Used.......: Little Miami
Fish...........: Saugeye, Walleye, White Bass, Smallmouth, Large Mouth, Quillback, Gar.

Unusually Murky

River was really murky and a little high which messed up the smallie fishing.  It doesn't seem like it should be this way.  Maybe they are still releasing a bunch of water through the Caesar's Creek Dam due to all the rain earlier in the Spring.  We canoed up the East Fork a little ways since that branch was much clearer.  Caught two saugeye, a wiper, and a channel all in the East Fork.  Missed what would have been our best Saugeye in the LMR.  Lots of follow ins by gar.

Put-in.........: Milford American Legion

Take-out.......: Bass Island

Miles..........: 5.4
Miles to Date..: 237.3
Map Used.......: Little Miami
Fish...........: Saugeye, Sauger, Wiper, Channel Cat.