Fishing Nolin River and Green River

Bear with me while I explain this situation and my ideas.

I used to fish the Nolin River at least once a year from my kayak. I would float down to the rockhouse at the bend in the river, then paddle or peddle my way back upstream back to the ramp. Last week, I decided to do this trip again, but I noticed when I got there, the water looked a little swift at the ramp, given the water level that I checked before I left. I departed anyway, and immediately noticed I was moving faster than I remember moving when on this trip in the past. That is when I realized, I hadn't been on this trip since they took out the dam on the Green River, and the water is now lower and more swift on the portion of the Nolin River that dumps into the Green River. I decided to head back to the truck after only about a mile of floating. That's when I ran into a problem. About 100 yards shy of the ramp, the water was too shallow to use my peddle drive on my kayak, and I couldn't paddle through the current. I was stuck. I ended up beaching the kayak, attaching a rope to it, and pulling it along the bank back to the ramp. I think the Nolin river has now become too low and swift to make a kayak trip like this again.

Now for my idea. I have a 10ft jon boat and I just bought a small outboard motor to go on the back. Do you think I could use it to fish this section of the river? I was thinking with an outboard, I could float all the way to the mouth of the river, where it meets the Green River, then I could motor back up to the ramp. I think that the boat and motor may have a shallower draft than the peddle drive of my kayak, so I could get through the shallow spot just before the ramp.

Also, would this be a decent setup to fish sections of the Green River?

[QUOTE=Rudypoo4444;575315]
Now for my idea. I have a 10ft jon boat and I just bought a small outboard motor to go on the back. Do you think I could use it to fish this section of the river? I was thinking with an outboard, I could float all the way to the mouth of the river, where it meets the Green River, then I could motor back up to the ramp. I think that the boat and motor may have a shallower draft than the peddle drive of my kayak, so I could get through the shallow spot just before the ramp.

Also, would this be a decent setup to fish sections of the Green River?[/QUOTE]

I have done that trip twice, like you, before the dam was taken out (foolishly imo). We always did it with two people/cars and actually paddled back upstream to Houchin's Ferry on the Green.

I think what you will find now is you are going to be dragging through several riffles until you get down to the mouth. From there I don't have any idea what it looks like going back upstream the Green to Houchin's. I bet it is plenty deep but you may want to get out to drag through some fast sections and riffles.

My opinion is that MCNP (and the COE) has completely screwed up the river. The first by insisting that the dam get removed. The second entity by not taking care of the dam in the first place when it was put into caretaker status. They certainly did not care for it. On top of MCNP wanting it gone they did not have a plan in place for how in the heck people are supposed to get from Brownsville to the north side of the park. It makes the trip you are speaking of logistically a much longer deal due to having to go all the way around and use the bridge in Brownsville.

That stretch is an ambitious one day trip if you do much fishing at all. If you are just paddling it it is a 3/4 day trip. Makes a nice overnighter though.

Last MCNP gripe. They now require you to wear a life jacket the entire time you are on the water within the park. I am not sure when we let NP's have governance over navigable waterways but apparently they are doing it.