Coosawattee beyond Carters’ big dam
Last week I wrote about floating the Coosawattee from Ellijay to Carters Dam. But, what lies beyond the huge Carters Dam?
Located less than a mile and a half downstream of Carters’ main dam is a second dam. The Carters Reregulation Reservoir Dam serves two purposes. It holds water released through the turbines so that it can be pumped back into the main lake to be used to generate power again. The dam also allows a constant flow downstream instead of pulses such as those typical of hydroelectric dams.
The water level in the reregulation lake can go up or down 6 to 8 feet each day as the lake receives water or is pumping water back up through the turbines. The water leaving the reregulation dam’s gates mimics the constant flow of an undammed river and it also helps to reduce the amount of water going downstream during torrential rain events, easing flood threats.
Talking Rock Creek adds its flow to the Coosawattee. Talking Rock is a whitewater stream that can be canoed for 24 miles before entering the reregulation lake. The best whitewater is the section that begins at Ga. 136 about 1.5 miles north and west of the new traffic circle at the junction of 136 Connector and 136. The takeout is at the old 136 road at the reregulation lake.
This 16 miles of creek is Class I to III whitewater. It is mostly Class II or below at normal water levels and can become what we affectionately call “Walking Rock Creek” during the dry months. My friends and I floated the creek following heavy rains and this creek turned into a Cass III-IV monster that, even with full flotation bags in the canoes, many of us including me took a swim.
The creek keeps your attention no matter the water level, so fishing from a canoe can be difficult. Although part of Talking Rock is a trout stream, I have never seen a trout in the whitewater section.
Just below the reregulation dam there are two park-like areas on either side of the river. There are concrete fishing platforms along the banks and wheelchair ramps to allow for everyone to access the water for fishing. There are picnic pavilions that can be reserved for a fee and restroom facilities. The south side park has a trail, called Hidden Pond Songbird Trail, that follows a small creek back to an area with several beaver dams. The fishing for sunfish and catfish can be exceptional as it is rarely fished.
The north park gives easy access to launch canoes under the Old Highway 411 Bridge. The flow is normally strong, with a good sized wave or two getting your hopes up for some fun whitewater, but it is just a tease. The current makes an easy paddle downstream and allows an angler chances to toss flies to bream and spotted bass along the edges of deadfalls. There is a good possibility of catching striped bass in the Coosawattee during late spring and the warmer months. The first opportunity to exit the river is about 6.5 miles downstream of the rereg dam where Ga. 136 again crosses the river. The banks are steep and this is not an easy takeout, but it is easy to slide a canoe or kayak down to the river.
Salacoa Creek, the largest tributary below Carters, joins the river 6 miles or so from the 136 bridge. Another 1.5 miles farther downstream there is a bridge at Owens Gin Road and another at Pine Chapel Road about 2 miles away. Access to the river is not real good at those bridges and it is all private property. About 6.5 miles farther downstream is a public ramp on Ga. 225 at New Echota. The ramp is within sight of the Conasauga River confluence.
The Coosawattee below Carters flows at a good pace so you can easily move downstream in a canoe just by steering and there are very few places that can be called rapids. The river passes by farms, a few wooded areas and some commercial turf farms. The riverbanks are heavily wooded in most places, giving a feeling of wilderness interrupted by a few steep barren riverbanks. There are a few cabins and homes along the way.
Fishing can be good to very good at times on the Coosawattee, especially near some of the shoals and fish weirs. Fishing the early white bass run in late winter is a tremendous amount of fun on a fly rod.
Next week we will float the Oostanaula River from New Echota to Rome.
TU MEETING
The next meeting of the Coosa Valley Chapter will be Thursday, June 15, at 6:30 p.m. at the Rome Floyd ECO Center. Our guest speaker will be wildlife biologist Allison Melcher. She works with Georgia DNR in Game Management. Allison will talk about the tasks associated with her position and discuss the overlap with the Fisheries Division. The public is invited.