Meldahl dam new restricted fishing area (PICTURE)

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11-06-2013, 07:49 PM
CrappieCrazed

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Meldahl dam new restricted fishing area (PICTURE)

Hello folks just wanted to post this pic for everyone....... Straight from the corps of engineers...... Please spread the word. The corps pretty much guaranteed me that if these rules were not followed and fisherman continued to be a nuisance that they would take the area on the ohio side from the arrival point to the end of the long lock wall away also.......... If anyone sees folks trying to go into restricted areas please try and educated them. Prolly gonna make some fisherman mad (as some did last year with me) but I see it as preserving what we have left down there............ Honestly even when that slack water area was taken away on the ohio side I still caught lots of fish........ Thanks guys
11-07-2013, 08:11 AM
Bassky

Thanks for posting. A lot of discussion on OGF forum. Yes, to preserve our resources below the dam, the restricted fishing areas must be followed. IF not we will lose them. Good post and good info.
11-07-2013, 11:47 AM
M R Dux

Why don't you stand up and fight the Corps like we did on the Cumberland here? They had the restriction buoys stacked up, ready to go in below Barkley Dam. We raised 10 kinds of crap, got our politicians involved (those who weren't subservient to DC), and let them know we would not go without a fight. They backed down. People need to decide what is important to them and be willing to fight those who want to take it away.
11-07-2013, 12:48 PM
crappiemax

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrdux

Why don't you stand up and fight the Corps like we did on the Cumberland here? They had the restriction buoys stacked up, ready to go in below Barkley Dam. We raised 10 kinds of crap, got our politicians involved (those who weren't subservient to DC), and let them know we would not go without a fight. They backed down. People need to decide what is important to them and be willing to fight those who want to take it away.

You obviously aren't familiar with this at all. He and others around here have been fighting this battle for quite awhile.
11-07-2013, 01:09 PM
Buckie02

Mrdux is correct. You have to get some polititions involved. Looks like more Big Government Bull. People need to be aware of the dangers around dams. I understand wanting a restricted area around the lock approaches. At Smithland dam, it is restricted 150' below Dam Spillway gates, because it will draw you back into them. I would not sit idle on this, Senator LaMar Alexander helped TN and KY with this same issue.
11-07-2013, 01:11 PM
Buckie02

That lower Bouy line looks to be about 1500' below dam. WHY? That seems to be about 1350' excessive.
11-07-2013, 01:16 PM
CrappieCrazed

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrdux

Why don't you stand up and fight the Corps like we did on the Cumberland here? They had the restriction buoys stacked up, ready to go in below Barkley Dam. We raised 10 kinds of crap, got our politicians involved (those who weren't subservient to DC), and let them know we would not go without a fight. They backed down. People need to decide what is important to them and be willing to fight those who want to take it away.

The difference in our situation and yours is that the corps was trying to CHANGE your situation to where you couldn't get close to the dams, as I recall you always were allowed to get right up to the locks on the cumberland........ We have NEVER been able to get close to ours and for good reasoning................. The Cumberland river is just a little different from the ohio...... but that's not the area that has changed...... Some idiot fisherman were chancing it and taking to long to move out of the way of the barges when they were TIED to the lock wall on the ohio side and had some close calls so that area they took away from us. Actually we never were allowed to be in there as stated on the huge sign on the end of the lock but they were just being nice to us fisherman and letting us in there but some pushed it so now it is what it is.......... Its no biggie to me. There are a lot of folks that wont come back because it was so easy to just tie up and fish directly under the boat. A lot of folks don't want to stay on trolling motor in that current. It can be a pain but it is what it is......
11-07-2013, 01:23 PM
CrappieCrazed

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buckie02

That lower Bouy line looks to be about 1500' below dam. WHY? That seems to be about 1350' excessive.

Guys you have to realized (and don't be offended by me saying this) but this isn't the little Cumberland river. at about 1000' below the dam walls there is a back eddie. If your boat would happen to stall you are in fact a gonner!!!!!!!!! Don't get me wrong, all dams are dangerous, but ive personally seen what this dam can do (just about seen a few guys die, they had to jump out and make a swim and about didn't make it, boat was sucked in and never seen again)...... Nobody in there right mind would get close to our dams BUT, the reason they are soooooooooooo far out at the moment is the dam is under construction on the ky side to make a hydro dam......... From what I understand that buoy line will be moved closer to the dam after construction is finished but the buoys will be moved AT MOST about 500 ft closer to the dam..... That's about how far you USED TO BE ABLE to get before construction started............
11-07-2013, 01:32 PM
CrappieCrazed

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buckie02

Mrdux is correct. You have to get some polititions involved. Looks like more Big Government Bull. People need to be aware of the dangers around dams. I understand wanting a restricted area around the lock approaches. At Smithland dam, it is restricted 150' below Dam Spillway gates, because it will draw you back into them. I would not sit idle on this, Senator LaMar Alexander helped TN and KY with this same issue.

Try grasping that the back eddie will suck you in from about 900 ft at this dam. That why buoy line is so far out..... When I used to catfish there we would get right to the buoy line and throw anchor and the back of the boat would spin around and face towards the dam and we would throw our lines towards the dam and your lines would stay tight. Trust me im not one to sit at "idle" if there is a fight to be fought but the only time ive seem a boat go past the buoy line they about lost there lives. This dam is nothing to be played with. That buoy line isn't the issue everyone was worried about anyways it was the actual lock approach. That slack water area is about the only easy fishing there was because the current is normally to rough to fish even with 1oz jigs unless we had that slack water area. That is gone now though. Thanks to some knuckle heads.... The lock masters turned the other cheek for years on this issue because most respected the barges. Some didn't last year and it cost us the BEST area to fish there.
11-07-2013, 01:37 PM
Buckie02

Smithland is on the Ohio, just above Paducah.
11-07-2013, 02:07 PM
CrappieCrazed

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buckie02

Smithland is on the Ohio, just above Paducah.

I understand that, the next dam down from meldahl you can also get close to, its just not near as turbulent as meldahl................ Ive fish a lot of dams in my life and this dam can eat you up and spit you out like none of the others ive been to. Trust me im not trying to argue with ya. I hate some of the rules from the all mighty corps of engineers. Just like the bank fisherman having to follow those same rules even though they are on the bank...... Im no bank fisherman but that is garbage.................

Keep something in mind.... Last year when the **** hit the fan down there they took away fishing on the ohio bank all the way down to the arrival point!!!!!! We couldn't fish ANY of the rip rap bank from boat or bank EVEN WHEN THERE WERE NO BARGES COMING IN OR OUT. They basically took all the fishable areas from us.......... I called The big dawgs in WV about this issue and spent HOURS on the phone working my way up the chain to try and get at least SOME of our fishing areas back. After about two weeks they finally tried to come to an agreed upon happy middle with us fishermen....... This is what they came up with. As far as the politicians are concerned. Well I spoke to them and they never gave two flying CHITS about it. Wasn't gonna put money in there pockets I guess..........
11-07-2013, 02:17 PM
CrappieCrazed

Buckie02, here is another good one for ya when it comes to the Corps that I totally disagree with............ We have a total of 3 corps owned ramps (nice ramps to) that are leased out to the highest bidder every year. All of these ramps are closed in the winter and they are all right in a line which doesn't give access to a boat ramp for about a 20 mile stretch of river on the ohio side where I fish a lot. I called the corps and asked them why they thought it was okay for these folks that lease these ramps from them can shut them down on us whenever they feel like it?........ The corps said it was in there contract that they could shut them down in the winter. So my answer was "so you guys really think that its right for the ppl (you and me and all of us) tax dollars to have gone towards these ramps and to be maintained with our tax dollars, but we only can use them half the year just because the lazy tenant doesn't want to be around????" These folks that lease these ramps could give a rats *** about the fisherman that like to fish in the cold winter months. The corps should MAKE THEM keep these open for public year round PERIOD or they don't get the lease. The high up the chain fellow I talked to said that those ramps had become a royal pain in the rear for the corps so they had to do what they had to do to keep it leased or they wouldn't be kept up with at all. I know this all comes down to the all mighty dollar when it all comes down to it but that is horse chips!!! LOL
11-07-2013, 07:07 PM
Buckie02

I agree, They were put in with Federal dollars, they should be open all the time. With the Barges, The fisherman should be smart enough and respectible enough to get out of the way, key word SHOULD. It can be hard coming into the aproach with the outdraft currents. Closing the banks for spite is wrong, but I know how some people with power act.
11-09-2013, 08:57 AM
kyjohn

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrappieCrazed

Buckie02, here is another good one for ya when it comes to the Corps that I totally disagree with............ We have a total of 3 corps owned ramps (nice ramps to) that are leased out to the highest bidder every year. All of these ramps are closed in the winter and they are all right in a line which doesn't give access to a boat ramp for about a 20 mile stretch of river on the ohio side where I fish a lot. I called the corps and asked them why they thought it was okay for these folks that lease these ramps from them can shut them down on us whenever they feel like it?........ The corps said it was in there contract that they could shut them down in the winter. So my answer was "so you guys really think that its right for the ppl (you and me and all of us) tax dollars to have gone towards these ramps and to be maintained with our tax dollars, but we only can use them half the year just because the lazy tenant doesn't want to be around????" These folks that lease these ramps could give a rats *** about the fisherman that like to fish in the cold winter months. The corps should MAKE THEM keep these open for public year round PERIOD or they don't get the lease. The high up the chain fellow I talked to said that those ramps had become a royal pain in the rear for the corps so they had to do what they had to do to keep it leased or they wouldn't be kept up with at all. I know this all comes down to the all mighty dollar when it all comes down to it but that is horse chips!!! LOL

The ramp at Neville is open in winter isn't it?
11-09-2013, 12:17 PM
CrappieCrazed

Quote:

Originally Posted by kyjohn

The ramp at Neville is open in winter isn't it?

Yes it is!!!!!!! Im talking about a section of river up stream of meldahl dam between chilo and Aberdeen ohio. im more talking about for when I (ALONG WITH A TON OF OTHERS) like to fish in the winter time for crappie, sauger, or whatever. There is a huge stretch of river on the ohio side that you cannot put a boat in because they are either privately owned boat ramps which most close on nov 1st (and I can see why they close theres, THEY OWN THERE RAMPS AND PROPERTY), or corps owned ramps which are leased to ppl that wont keep it opened in the winter. I just went scouting out the river from my vehicle today and wouldn't you know it, our best boat ramp on the ohio side which is Eagle creek ramp is closed for the year already and wont open back up until april 2014.............. Here it is going to be 60 degrees today and cant put a boat in at any corps ramps in my area. That's garbage PERIOD!
11-10-2013, 07:01 AM
kyjohn

You're right! Pure Garbage.
11-10-2013, 07:50 AM
kycreek

It is total garbage. Won't even allow season pass holders access. Pure greed & laziness on that couple. 65.00 for a season pass and that is what you get. Their business practices hopefully will result in them losing control of the ramp/campground. I've talked to several longtime patrons who feel the same way.
11-11-2013, 08:18 AM
Bassky

White Oak ramp was open Saturday in all of the wind. I was there fishing gettin beat to death. 3-4 footers on main river.
Didn't get to fish much on the mouth, too windy and hard to hold the boat. Caught one 12" crappie all day.
11-11-2013, 07:48 PM
CrappieCrazed

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bassky

White Oak ramp was open Saturday in all of the wind. I was there fishing gettin beat to death. 3-4 footers on main river.
Didn't get to fish much on the mouth, too windy and hard to hold the boat. Caught one 12" crappie all day.

I fished at meldahl Saturday for sauger so I FEALT YOUR PAIN!!!!! That wind was brutal!!! picked up a few dinker sauger and one crappie. I guess I will never understand crappie. Caught about a 12" crappie 25ft deep right on the bottom........ Weird...... Anyways, fishing was super slow so we left and I saw that the gates were open at Eagle creek... Got to straight creek and saw 3 boats at the mouth so we put in and tried there. No fish there either. Just don't think the sauger are quite ready yet...
11-12-2013, 07:48 AM
kycreek

I fished White Oak last Friday afternoon & it was slow also. Did catch 2 nice stripers 3 lb.+ in the mouth with several small ones all caught on mirror image shad swim baits. Couldn't find anything but small fish in the slough. Small crappie, bass & bluegill on minnow/slip bobber rigs.