On Tue, 06 Apr 2004 23:09:07 GMT, (Henry Blackmoore) wrote:

In article , "D0N ßâiley" wrote:

"Gene Kearns" wrote in message
. ..
On Tue, 6 Apr 2004 11:22:43 -0400, "D0N ßâiley"
wrote:

Is the ICW going to close up shop down there?

nyuk nyuk.


It already is.... and that isn't funny. Areas of Little River and ICW
at Lockwood Folly are already closed to commercial traffic during
times other than high tide or by permission only.

The last time I transited the Lockwood Folly area at low tide the
middle of the ICW was 3.8 feet.

http://www.atlintracoastal.org/Alerts/Lockwood.htm


Holy cow man,

You know, the last few times I've cruised through there, I;ve
noticed the humminbird shows areas of 3' for a spell, I thought
It was me. Ever since, I have been nervous going through
there. Sometimes, I'll run down to fish "the wall"
if nothing else is working. My son caught a 10lb
Black Drum there 5-6 years ago.

If you are talking about the Intercoastal Waterway then if it is any
consolation - it's condition isn't much better down here.

Last summer I was just through the locks at Matagorda Texas
on the ICW and even though I was just to the right of the center
of the channel my shallow alarm went off and I ran into a hump
of muck/silt. The sonar showed one-foot.

I sucked up a bunch of silt and my motor stopped peeing. I couldn't
get it cleared so I had to anchor to a convenient mooring post until I was
able to radio somebody at Matagorda Harbor that hooked me up with somebody
to come tow me back.

I got a professional guide to come out and tow me (booked a future
trip with him) and even he hit the damn silt (even after I warned him)
and almost fouled his new Suzuki four-stroke.

Cost me a new impeller too.

The bright side is that while waiting for the tow my friend and son and I
caught several keeper speckled trout (weren't biting everywhere else that
morning) and I learned how to Tripletail (caught a 22 lber and a 23 pounder)
with that guide a month or so later.

The Army Corps of Engineers is doing a really bang-up job... not...

The Corps does nothing without funding.

John H

On the 'Poco Loco' out of Deale, MD
on the beautiful Chesapeake Bay!