removing the dams off elkhorn

[catdaddy863]

Have you heard about the group going around trying to buy several dams on elkhorn to tear them out and return them to original streams. This group from North Carolina is trying to buy the dams from individuals and on the county level. I have been born and raised on the creek and if those dams are removed you will be able to walk across Elkhorn and not get ur feet wet. Elkorn will be no more if this happens!!!!!!

[BOURBONBALES]

Just wondering where you heard that and was wondering if there was any info anywhere?

[catdaddy863]

Yes my neighbor owns one of the damms and he has been asked.Plus there is an article in the georgetown paper about the NCgroup offering it to scott county fiscal court

[Fntsyfbgod]

Elkhorn will be no more??? come on. Not saying it will good or bad for fishing but in most of elkhorn I dont think the flow is affected much by the dams. The only part it would impact is North Elkhorn. I think it will make the smallmouth fishing better but it will be harder to float in any size boat. South Elkhorn doesnt have any dams and its fine. You just have to wade in the summer. Unless your into fishing the bigger holes above the dams my guess is it wont matter much.

[catdaddy863]

Yes I am talking about North Elkhorn around Georgetown,if you take out the dams ,the three to four foot pools will be gone. These pools hold fish a lot longer than the shallow pools where their fins stick ouy of the water

[redneckshadrap]

Which one...We own property connected to the one at De Garis Mill

[catdaddy863]

I think all of them ,but its one of thosehush hush deals

[redneckshadrap]

BTW,

What purpose would that serve those individuals.? I don't think you can't disrupt a waterway because you own the land. Could be wrong, but I remember some folks in a different county that got into some trouble trying to do some water altering work to thiers.

Does anyone know the actual # of dams on the North Fork?

[catdaddy863]

hey redneckshadrap you have a pm

[Tim_T]

Has anybody talked to a fishery biologist to see how this would affect the smallmouth fishery?

[thepoorehouse]

Has anybody talked to a fishery biologist to see how this would affect the smallmouth fishery?

I think if you check with Fish and Wildlife folks they will tell you -- off the record -- that removing those dams would be one of the best things you could do for smallmouth on the Elkhorn. The Elkhorn is a great smallmouth stream. Remove the dams and it would be an AMAZING smallmouth stream. F&W folks haven't "waded" into this one, I'm betting, because they don't want to get into the politics of it. But when Scott County Judge Executive George Lusby was pushing for the rebuilding of a dam, he did so for political purposes and I guarantee you F&W folks were trying quietly behind the scenes to keep it from happening. Smallmouth love moving water over rocky bottom. That's the definition of the Elkhorn -- except where there are dams. If you like catfish, carp and undersized largemouth, you should be for keeping those dams. If you love great smallmouth fishing, you ought to do some research. If you did, you'd learn that bringing the old Elkhorn back -- by removing some useless dams -- would make for some of the best smallmouth fishing in the world.

[ryan_ekubass]

i would say the group is just some activist group that feels sorry because the fish are bound by a dam and cant swim freely thats prolly it or theya re just trying to get it back to its native habitat.... but i guess they missed teh memo that beavers dam up creeks too.....