Camping

[AltamahaJones]

If all goes according to plan I'll be awakening in the morning on the banks of the Altamaha, provided I'm not eaten by skeeters or gators prior to awakening. I'll be accompanied by my 12 year old son & he would probably be more to a gators liking. This will be the first trip on Altamaha in 2003 because it has been out of the banks & is still a little high but low enough to find a good sandbar to camp on. It has dropped rapidly the past week or so & though the fall rate has slowed I'm not sure how the fishing will be. I am sure we'll enjoy the time on the river & camping regardless.
May be a bit crowded being a long weekend & that won't help the fishing either. I'm sure lots of other folks have been waiting for a chance to get on the river as much as I have, hopefully we can all be courteous & respectful of each other & all have a good time.
Unfortunately I won't be paddling but will use this trip to scout for future float trips. I anticipate far too much traffic on the river to make our first attempt at camping from kayaks so I'll rely on the jon boat & fossil fuel to transport us to an oasis where we can temporarily escape the structure of the daily grind. Ah yes a setting that allows a man to determine his own pace and not be pressed to meet deadlines. A time & place where you can be content with who, what & & where you are instead of looking ahead wondering what needs to be done next to avoid being overtaken by the ambitious younger fella's who mistakenly think they are entitled to your position in life. If they only knew how gladly I'd give it all to them but alas I had those same ambitions years ago & now find myself stuck in a rut that seems endless. I thank God above for places like the Altamaha where I can still find a trace of the more primitive simpler man that I was meant to be & not the human rat I've become.
As you might have guessed from my rambling this trip is long overdue.

 

[Swampy]

AJ both the scouting trip and the actual paddle will strengthen you and your son.
I've just recently got out of that rat race ( retired)... now I see it's a different type of rat race.... but one where one can go down to the creek more often and contemplate.... lol And that was what I dreamt all those years!
You didn't get to where you are now by becomeing a Monuet...
swampy

 

[AltamahaJones]

Altamaha 8/29-8/30

Got to river about 4 pm Fri put in up river from landing I used last year when water was low & was glad I did. When we passed old landing it appeared to be covered by sand & might have been difficult to launch from. High water has really changed the looks of the river in areas of sharp bends & swift current. Went down river to a sandbar near the mouth of oxbow & set up camp which consisted of setting up tent & emptying contents of 2 milk crates so we'd have something to sit on. I wanted to try some fishing but my partner was hungry so we started a fire so we'd have some coals to cook on all of which took longer than expected so we didn't fish any Fri pm.
Sat am arose early & put on coffee,sausage & dutch oven biscuits. First time for biscuits & slightly burned em but we still ate well & set out for a day of fishing. We fished the main river around the mouth of the oxbow & caught some small red breast. Noticed several boats going into oxbow so I decided that must be where we needed to be. We eased into oxbow & slowly worked down one bank until we picked up a couple of bream. We dropped anchor & we'd catch a few then raise it an drift down a few feet & stop again. Picked up an assortment of bream,reds & warmouth but they were mostly small fish. We had enough for supper & a few for set hooks so we decided to try & locate some larger fish. We went back out to main river & went to check out a few spots I had done well at last year but with higher water most were not productive & a few were no longer recognizable. Went back to camp cause partner was hungry (that boy can eat). We ate & swam a little then headed back out. Looked for shady spots to fish since it had gotten hot. We caught a few more & a few cats & got rained on briefly then returned to prepare supper & tie up some lines to set later that evening. Partner got a fire going & cut up some taters while I cleaned fish. Well when we finished eating we got lazy & never did get out to set out hooks. Since I didn't have a good light along I wasn't to disappointed not getting on the water after dark.
We decided we'd need to bring along a cook next time to allow more time to get hooks set before dark.
we never did find any of the bigger fish I had anticipated but we still had a great time. I'm sure my son will remember these times as I remember the times spent in these same places with my dad many years ago.

 

[Swampy]

AT , I love reading about trips like that! It's what it is all about. That boy will never forget the time he fished and cooked with dad on the river... he'll forget his first date before that'll happen.
Thanks
swampy