The water level was not too low on the Little River, but it was too low on the Withlacoochee River for the WWALS jon boat with outboard. So, there was no chainsawing.

We’ve been waiting for the Withlacoochee River to get down to a level where we can do a walking chainsaw cleanup. With no rain in sight, it will be plenty low next Saturday, so that will be the time.

Water too low for jon boat outboard, Withlacoochee River, Chainsaw Cleanup 2024-10-26

Thanks to TJ Johnson for driving an hour from Live Oak to get there with chainsaws to lead this expedition, and for helping haul the jon boat back upstream on muscle and trolling motor batteries after the outboard did not restart after Trashy Shoals.

WWALS water trail signs and jon boat at Troupville Boat Ramp, 10:02:18, 30.8513200, -83.3470027

Not pictured: thanks to Darlene Eanes Ray for coming from Valdosta with her kayak, and heading on up the Withlacoochee River.

TJ Johnson with the boat full of gear at Troupville Boat Ramp, 10:04:11, 30.8516307, -83.3479699

Yesterday, on our jaunt downstream to retrieve the PFAS collection devices, we got as far as Trashy Shoals.

Trashy Shoals, 10:25:50, 30.8454608, -83.3514466

There we decided to turn back, because while we could shove the jon boat downstream, we would have a lot of trouble getting it back upstream.

TJ standing on Trashy Shoals, 10:25:52, 30.8454842, -83.3514607

So that’s about two thirds of a mile downstream from Troupville Boat Ramp.

The Hahira Little River Gauge at GA 122 at 138.25 was higher than the WWALS recommended minimum of 137.

Hahira Gauge, Little River @ GA 122 2024-10-27

Which was OK, although scratchy, for the Little River from Troupville Boat Ramp downn to the Little River Confluence. One other jon boat was fishing that stretch.

We knew the Valdosta Withlacoochee River Gauge at US 41 was already lower at 115.47 than the WWALS recommended too-low level of 116 feet NAVD 88.

Valdosta Gauge, Withlacoochee River @ US 41 2024-10-27

The rocks a couple hundred feet above the Little River Confluence required careful navigation, but not too bad.

People who fish from the shore should not leave trash like this.

Trash at a fishing spot, Little River, 10:12:03, 30.8492142, -83.3489822

We did not expect to get very far up the Withlacoochee River with the water that low.

Little River Confluence, looking up the Withlacoochee River, 10:16:12, 30.8471620, -83.3476135

However, we did not expect the shoals downstream past the Little River Confluence to be such a problem.

Phil Hubbard’s signs at the Little River Confluence, 10:16:49, 30.8469998, -83.3475133

With kayaks and canoes, you could go on down, provided you did not want to paddle back up, and were willing to continue to the bad takeout up loose highway abutment rocks at US 84.

There was a jon boat was fishing just above those shoals.

But the 9.9hp outboard was not happy at all with hitting those rocks. It declined to start again.

So we got some use out of the 86lb thrust trolling motor and the two batteries that the Wild Green Future grant also paid for.

No worries: back at Troupville Boat Ramp, TJ practiced pulling the starter cord, and the outboard started again. However, you can see the rocks of the fish weir sticking out of the water just above the boat ramp, so we did not go upstream, either.

Deer carcass, Little River, just above Troupville Boat Ramp, 11:59:56, 30.8511734, -83.3478250

As for the deer carcass, whoever put it there should not call themselves hunters.

So we did not chainsaw, but we did learn not to try it with the water that low, and how best to attach the trolling motor to the jon boat.

Context: Banners at Troupville Boat Ramp

Banners at Troupville Boat Ramp

For more WWALS outings and events as they are posted, see the WWALS outings web page, https://wwals.net/outings/. WWALS members also get an upcoming list in the Tannin Times newsletter.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations

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