9 Miles on the Etowah River

Paddling this river in it's lower section entirety has been on my list now for a long while. I've lived near it for several years, and it surprised me this morning to realize that today was the first time I've ever paddled any of it at all.

This river is flow controlled by the dam on Lake Allatoona, and during the summer it is the practice by the Corps to increase flow during the week, and suspend or limit flow on the weekends, presumably so people can enjoy the river without fear of being washed to Alabama. It did not really occur to me until I was driving this morning, canoe strapped to the roof rack, that this may not be the same practice that is followed through the off-season. A call to the Dam Ops Center (706-334-7213) and sure enough, it isn't! The flow is being continuously maintained at the moment, through a constant release from the dam. As I got to the new ramp at 411 and waited for Charlie the shuttle driver (678-800-4718), I eyed the higher-than-expected water with a bit of worry. Charlie was right on time and we loaded up my canoe and gear into his pickup and headed toward Euharlee.

Here's a shot of the put-in spot at Euharlee Road. The Etowah River is a recognized water trail, so many of the accesses are improved and quite nice.

And looking south down the river, a fine view of Plant Bowen. My kids call it The Cloud Factory.

Almost right away, there were some really lovely houses built right along the river. Some looked like little weekend getaways, some were overbuilt riverside porches, and some were full-time residences.

Only a couple miles in, there is an old bridge spanning the river. This bridge is actually very near my house, and I've fished here a couple of times with my nephew and dad. Last time I fished here with my nephew, I had learned a new fishing knot that I put to use adding a hook to his line. I told him how it was a new knot and "better", and I bet he hadn't been fishing five minutes when he hooked into something good sized and - zip! - the fancy fishing knot came undone, and the fish was gone. I still hear about that one!

Fishing was on the agenda today too, but I was clueless to what would catch them on the river in the cold weather. I took along a few flies, but fished only the yellow Booglebug today. My first cast caught something new, so if anyone recognizes this fish, chime in on the comments section below, because it's not a fish I know. About 12" long and uniform silver in color.

Raptors were out in force - a couple of hawks and a couple of eagles too.

The sun came out a little before lunch, and it turned into a beautiful day to be on the river. The higher flows proved to be a blessing with a good current and no low spots. I got a little nervous at the wide stretch of river known as the Rock Garden because nearly all of the rocks were just under the surface and threading between them with the moving current was the only real challenge of the day.

It was all over faster than I'd expected and that was with taking my sweet time. Nine miles in around 5 hours. If I were hurrying, I could easily make the trip before lunch. Nice to know for weekends to come.

And back to where I started...

For more info or if you are looking at floating this river, feel free to get in touch with me @coreybeavs and check out the link below.

Etowah River Water Trail Interactive Map