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Old 09-15-2013, 07:28 AM
bd- bd- is offline
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: Hendersonville
Age: 51
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With that size boat, you'll want to be on the river when they are generating. If it's off, it will fall out enough for you to get stuck in the shoals farily quickly.

Anything from one generator on up will give you enough water to run, assuming you allow time for the water to rise.

As far as safety, the water will only be rough by the dam if the sluice is open, which is done in the fall and winter to add oxygen. It's unmistakable when the sluice is open - big, churning, frothy water coming out of the middle of the dam with big waves.

Your big hazard downstream will be trees and bridge abutments. Don't get caught sideways against either at anything over 5,000 cfs, or you risk getting swamped and sunk. It has happened to people before.

For that reason, I don't like fishing alone during heavy generation. It's too easy to get distracted, say by fighting a fish, and drift into trouble faster than you think. With two people, you have an extra pair of eyes, so someone can always be looking downstream, and even if one person has his hands full with some sort of problem, the other can start the motor and get out of harm's way if needed.

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