Crazy boat ride to NY

[Red Childress]

I decided to get the boat out yesterday and make sure everything was operable. As I cruise toward Kinzua Dam, I decide to make a left and head North up the Conewango, which is the main outlfow of Chautauqua Lake. As I drop my windshield and duck under my console just to get under the bridges (Literally just inches of clearance due to the high water), I finally make it to Frewsburg NY. I ended up flying through a few corn fields because the water was so high and the severe meandering of the Conewango. It was difficult staying in the main channel due to moderate flooding in the NY swamp lands.

One minute I was in 25-40 feet of water, the next I am in 2-4 feet of water with corn stalks just under the boat!

Pretty wild ride but great to get the boat back in the water.....

[ppalko]

Hey Red,
Wow, the river and creek must be high...isn't there a lowhead dam just upstream from the confluence? Could have had another worst day story if the river and creek had come up and you couldn't get back under the bridges!
Never took my canoe into a cornfield!
ppalko

[toothyfishman]

SWEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'll bet that was fun.

[Red Childress]

The water is so high that the low head dam is not a factor. Since we have not had any rain in so long and all snow pack is gone, the water has to be on the way back down, or at least I was hoping.

You should have seen the waterfowl along the NY section......geese, ducks.........they were everywhere.

[b.bent66]

i would have never belived the conewango had any real depth to it above the low head dam till a couple summers ago i launched the boat at the old launch above akley. once you hit ny state its a diffrent story.

[Red Childress]

The state line hole was 45 feet deep during that flooding episode....I think it usually bottoms out at around 36 feet or so.

[b.bent66]

ive heard its good pike fishing up around the swamps any truth to that.

[Red Childress]

Yes, but only during the spawn. Most of the big pike head back down to the River to set up. The NY area is a very delicate spawning ground around the Akeley Swamp area. There have been a few restoration projects there to clean up the swamp which is a destination for many species of waterfowl as well as pike and probably smallmouth too.

Our river pike population is dependent upon the success of spawning in that area.

[b.bent66]

well if that's the case ill leave them be.