Re: Big South Fork in McCreary County
I absolutely love this run, I've ran it for the past 7 years on Memorial Day. It is a beautful, scenic run with some good runs. If you put in at Station Camp near Bandy Creek, and take out at Blue Heron, it can be a great overnighter. The first few miles are deadwater, which makes for some good fishing, especally smallmouth. The rest of the run is through the "Shoals", and it is about a 5 mile strech dotted with a Class II run about every 100 yards. The only major hazard on the river in this strech is Devils Jump. It is a rapid where the 100 ft. wide 10 ft deep BSF churns itself through a 4 ft. wide, shallow chute. It is either a Class III or IV, depending on level, and is characterized by the lookout on the top of the mountain. If you dont know much about canoeing, it is a MUST portage, otherwise, it is a great whitewater rapid.
If you go from Leatherwood Ford Bridge to Blue Heron, I recomend 3 days. More dead water, more fishing oppurtuinties, but another hazard, Angel Falls, which is a man-made rapid when the TNFWR blasted a strech of river in the 20s to try to make a dam. It is a hazordus Class IV that is a MUST portage for most paddlers. Again, a overlook on the cliffs characterizes the portage.
All in all, i think you will be pleased with the run. Small, in-line spinnerbaits drifted over shallow rocks near riffles produces the most fish, and I have always had luck fishing nightcrawlers at night for catfish while camping. If you want to learn more, you can email me specific questions at [email protected]
Hope this helps
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