C-Forum

Hi all! I'm looking for an OC-1, 58~ inch paddle, helmet, and throwbag to borrow/rent for the last three days of the Week of Rivers. I'm flying down from Maine to help out at a summer camp for a few days beforehand, and am limited to my carry on (free flight, woo!)

The boat and paddle are the most critical pieces to borrow, but the other items take up quite a bit of space, too. I'm 6', 185lbs, ACA SWR L5, class IV paddler. I'd be happy to return the favor if you ever find yourself up this way, and will take ya out to dinner and buy you your favorite brews while I'm down there.

- and-

In my last post regarding this, ezwater brought up a question/comment regarding fishermen/paddler relations and interaction down there, which piqued my curiosity.

The program I'm heading down there for is Trout Unlimited's "Teen Summit", and I'm very curious to hear about what the relationship between TU, American Whitewater, CCC, and the paddling population in general is like. From what I've read, it's quite contentious, but I'm much more interested in the "boots on the ground" perspective than that of the organizations themselves.
Up here in Maine, there's quite a bit of crossover between the fly fishing and paddling communities and hostility and disagreement is fairly uncommon, barring a couple of waters on which it is *slightly* more frequent.

Using your insight, my plan is to open up a casual discussion at the camp about the future of paddler/fisherman relations and how we can move forward with the best interests of all parties involved in mind (in a general context - not NC specific). There will come a time when *everyone* will need to band together in order to protect a body of water and I hope everyone will be ready to do so when the time comes. I know very little about what's goin' on down your way, so any bit of info is much appreciated.

Looking forward to hearing your comments!

Cheers,
Sam

PS - sorry for crossposting to CCC's facebook page!

I will be at the Carolina Canoe Club's Week of Rivers and could certainly bring an extra PFD, helmet, 58" paddle and throwbag. I may well have a second boat as well as I may participate in the Nantahala Games club challenge downriver race on June 28th. The extra boat would be a 'glass Hemlock Shaman, however. It has been paddled on whitewater plenty but I would be a bit reluctant to see it paddled on some hairy steep creek because of the nature of its construction

I also have some friends who will be there with and extra boat but I cannot speak for them, of course. Do you paddle OC-2? Send me a PM if you are interested.

As for relationships between fisherman and paddlers in the southern Appalachian area from my perspective they have been pretty good. I have had encounters with land owners, on occasion, who believe they own the water in a stream flowing past their property, but never fishermen. I do strive to stay out of their way.

I did perceive a bit of friction at times between the fishing community in the mid-Atlantic states when I lived in northeast Pennsylvania. Some fishing groups were opposed to releases on the Lehigh River, for example, because the releases (even though they were relatively few) messed up the fishing.

There has been a considerable amount of friction between paddlers and locals recently regarding the future of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways in Missouri. The National Park Service wants to restrict motor traffic on stretches of the upper Current and Jacks Fork rivers and is developing a new General Management Plan. Actually, some of these restrictions have been in place since the creation of the park but poorly enforced. Some of the locals basically want no restrictions whatsoever. They are not necessarily fisherman, though some are. The rivers are pretty heavily used by paddlers in the summer, and at usual flows many areas are restricted to a narrow navigable channel. The locals want to be able to run jet boats through these channels and claim they cannot slow down or stop because it damages their engines.

Sday, I suggest posting this on my paddlng club's (Arkansas Canoe Club) message board. I haven't made it to WOR yet but many of my friends go annually. I'd repost it there for you but it'd be better if you did it, that way you could include your own contact info, etc. Good luck!

pblanc wrote:I will be at the Carolina Canoe Club's Week of Rivers and could certainly bring an extra PFD, helmet, 58" paddle and throwbag. I may well have a second boat as well as I may participate in the Nantahala Games club challenge downriver race on June 28th. The extra boat would be a 'glass Hemlock Shaman, however. It has been paddled on whitewater plenty but I would be a bit reluctant to see it paddled on some hairy steep creek because of the nature of its construction

I also have some friends who will be there with and extra boat but I cannot speak for them, of course. Do you paddle OC-2? Send me a PM if you are interested.

I do indeed paddle OC-2. In fact, I might enjoy it more than solo paddling. My paddling origins lie in whitewater tripping in big boats like Canyons and rx Prospectors and I have yet to shake the bug. I'll send you a PM!


Will do, Deuce! Thanks for the lead.