Boating the Upper Chesapeake

[bowman316]

Re: Boating the Upper Chesapeake

Tomorow is supposed to be around 86.
I heard today to expect heavy traffic all day on the bay bridge.
I guess people are already going down to OC for Memorial day.
But it will be cold there, due to the cold ocean.

I like to stay away from the ocean till july.

 

[Edko]

Re: Boating the Upper Chesapeake

Here is the updated fishing report from DNR for those who care:

http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/fishingreport/

http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/fishingreport/chesapeake.asp

 

[skargo]

Re: Boating the Upper Chesapeake

Just got back from the city dock in HDG to pay my forgotten launch fee from yesterday.

Did you guys know they are ripping out the ramp in October and putting a new one and much longer docks in?

 

[bowman316]

Re: Boating the Upper Chesapeake

no, never heard that.

Wow, I'm surprised you went back to pay. What was their reaction?
A lot of people would not have done that.

 

[Blue Crabber]

Re: Boating the Upper Chesapeake

Just got back from the city dock in HDG to pay my forgotten launch fee from yesterday.

Did you guys know they are ripping out the ramp in October and putting a new one and much longer docks in?

Way to go! Not to many people would go back to pay it. And its nice to hear that those fees are going to be put back into the ramp and facalities

 

[skargo]

Re: Boating the Upper Chesapeake

Yeah, he was amazed I came back.

Ramp fees are going up to $10 when the new ramp opens.

 

[bowman316]

Re: Boating the Upper Chesapeake

great, just last year it was $5.

 

[Edko]

Re: Boating the Upper Chesapeake

Longer docks might thin out the waiting list for slips.

 

[arks]

Re: Boating the Upper Chesapeake

Did you guys know they are ripping out the ramp in October and putting a new one and much longer docks in?

I know they are scheduled to re-hab the ramp but wasn't aware of longer docks.
Hope they don't extend out as far as my slip.....

 

[skargo]

Re: Boating the Upper Chesapeake

I know they are scheduled to re-hab the ramp but wasn't aware of longer docks.
Hope they don't extend out as far as my slip.....

They said they want to extend it as far as they will be allowed, whatever that means. They are totally ripping out the existing ramp as well.

 

[Billdc]

Re: Boating the Upper Chesapeake

Went out Thursday for a 4 hour run, to test the new GPS. I didn't know exactly how to get into or out of that north channel, just took my time. Bass Boats were running all over so that didn't help alot. Made a trip down to the Sassafrass, Boy was that bumpy, 1-1.5 or 2 waves. Broke my Bimini top mounting bolt on the way down, hit hard a couple of times. The way back to HDG was alittle better going NW wind was out of the S. Arks, That back channel you were talking about is that close to the quarry? I was running up the south side of the Susq, past that quarry and it got shallow pretty quick so I turned back and went back to the bridge before going up to PD.
Had trouble with the loading again, thought I had the winch tight, but the boat must have slipped back about 2-3 inches when I pulled out and I did not notice. Man what a difference ( Bad) that makes at speed. The boat was all over the place, when I hit the highway that was scary. I didn't realize how much that trailer would bend and twist if the boat wasn't tight against the stop. I had to stop at Anchor marine and pay $5 to back into the ramp to pull the boat all the way up. After that it was a nice ride home.

 

[bowman316]

Re: Boating the Upper Chesapeake

So when you left the ramp on the boat, did you go thru the marina, then go out the the channel? After you get thru the marina, go towards the oppiste shore, and you will see the channel on the cecil county side. You will pass the big, major channel.

So if you passed 3 small islands, then you took the main channel, if you stayed very close to shore, that was the east channel. (cecil county side)

If you took the east channel, and you want to go to the sasarfas, don't cut that corner at the elk river. Make sure you stay close to shore, cuz those flats will get you on low tide.

 

[Billdc]

Re: Boating the Upper Chesapeake

No I think it was the north channel. I stayed on the perryville side of Garrett island, and went out just left of the barge, on the chart it showed a seaplane landing area. I followed the landing area north to a small fishing pier (is that a VA hospital) went past Furnace bay and followed the chart to carpenter pt. From there I took bowmans advice and stayed on plane ENE to the main channel. I think with the tide and the S wind I never had less than 5 feet. On the way back from the Sas, I came up the main channel past the sand islands. Now I did get alittle too shallow there, but I was checking out the area for achorage ( I remember being in about 3-4 feet and wading in to the island). But I was at idle and just felt the bottom so I backed out with no problem.

 

[Edko]

Re: Boating the Upper Chesapeake

Heading down to Rock Hall for the long weekend. Everyone have fun and stay safe.

PS if you are traveling in Harford County, the Police have a very large presence on the roads today, and I am sure that will carry over through the weekend.

Take care all.

 

[bowman316]

Re: Boating the Upper Chesapeake

When you approach the sand islands, it will get shallow, if you stay on the E/SE side, that is where the realitvly deeper water is. But you really can't get within 200 yards of the island, unless you walk the boat in, which is what i usually do.

Once you get about a mile or 2 north of the islands, the flats stop, and you can go to the east of the main channel, and be in 40 ft of water. But you have to be close to the ammtrack bridge.

 

[Billdc]

Re: Boating the Upper Chesapeake

When you approach the sand islands, it will get shallow, if you stay on the E/SE side, that is where the realitvly deeper water is. But you really can't get within 200 yards of the island, unless you walk the boat in, which is what i usually do.

Once you get about a mile or 2 north of the islands, the flats stop, and you can go to the east of the main channel, and be in 40 ft of water. But you have to be close to the ammtrack bridge.

Yea, I probably should have asked about the sand islands, but curiosity got the better of me and I just had to go in for a scouting report. It has been 2-3 years since I was there. I remember the guy who took me there saying at high tide you could run around to the west side. He had a 18 foot bowrider

 

[arks]

Re: Boating the Upper Chesapeake

Arks, That back channel you were talking about is that close to the quarry? I was running up the south side of the Susq, past that quarry and it got shallow pretty quick so I turned back and went back to the bridge before going up to PD.

No. As you discovered, that channel near the quarry is a dead end. If you had gone much farther upriver you would've hit a HARD bottom about 300 yards from the I-95 bridge. Good save!

I think the channel we were talking about was the unmarked channel from HdG to Northeast, past Furnace Bay. Sounds like you got thru without any issues. Just remember that with low water levels it can get tricky. That fishing pier is in fact on the VA grounds.

Bowman, it sounds to me like Bill launched from Lapidium, not Tydings.

As far as Sand Island- Bowman is right about it being shallow pretty far out. Also, your friend is correct about going around the west side during high water- as a matter of fact, when we had our 23 footer we used to ski and tube from Sand Island all the way over to the shoreline near APG. Bottom is really soft mud and 3-5' the whole way. Just don't venture NORTH of Sand island unless you're in the marked channel.

 

[Billdc]

Re: Boating the Upper Chesapeake

launched at the Perryville city ramp on the north/east side of Garrett Island. Even with that GPS I still have my personal compass out of synch around that area. In my head the Susq runs west to east, so sometimes my directions might be off a degree or two. Maybe I'll try setting the Gps to show N as up for awhile instead of my path as up, see if that doesn't help me get a better fix.

 

[skargo]

Re: Boating the Upper Chesapeake

Billdc,
how is the Perryville ramp?

Wednesday, we went between the sand island and the fishing battery, and once we followed a boat larger than us, he beared to the right just south of where the channel goes through. I didn't have the guts to follow being first trip out. :redface:

 

[bowman316]

Re: Boating the Upper Chesapeake

South of the sand islands there is pretty deep water, really after that point, you are in the bay, not the river.
But that is a whole nother disscussion, about where the 2 are sepearted. Like my dad does not think the river is tidal around the railroad bridge, but they sure look like tides to me.

Arks,
I have had my boat a few miles past the 95 bridge, and the river is deep across the whole width. No channels nessecary.
I would say a mile north of the lapidum boat ramp, is where the real rocks start.
From that point it is small allumium boats only, and even then only when the dam is running water.

But you can go far beyond the 95 brigde. All channels i know of stop after the RR bridge. The water is just very deep in the whole lower river. Besides the south end of garret island.