Hatchet Creek 5/6/2006

Upper Hatchet Creek
US 280-US 231















I took the fairly short 200 mile trip (3 hours) up I-65 from Mobile, meeting my friend Curtis Wright coming from B'ham at the Verbena exit on I-65 at 8:30 Saturday morning. After discussing the river level and wanting to both paddle and fish, we opted for the 280-231 run of the Hatchet.

We ran it in my 16 ft Mad River Explorer and probably scraped rocks a dozen times, but never had to drag or get out of the boat at this level. I want to run it again when weve had some rain. Overall, we were glad we made this very scenic upper run.
















The whitewater action was a little better than I expected. The shoals are spaced between short pools. There is one solid class II drop and two or three other drops that are borderline II. Lots of class I-II shoals. The river widens a little in the last two miles and this is were we encountered a little scraping in the shallower ledge areas. I would think that above 1000cfs, this would be a real nice solid class II float. We had a few minor splashes in the boat and got a little water while surfing a small hole about halfway into the run at this minimal level..

















The scenery is outstanding, especially for Central Alabama. The water was very clear, lots of wildlife. We had two deer swim the river ahead of us in a class I-II shoal area.. We got very close to them as they reached the left bank, they panicked and scaled directly up a 25 foot semi vertical rock face. One fell back into the river, regained her footing and scrambled back up like a mountian goat.

The fishing conditions were very tough. Strong north wind and a cold day in the mid 50's, but the spotted bass were still biting surprisingly well. We did catch 2 of my favorites - Redeye Bass. Lower Hatchet CR18-Kelly's Crossroads We camped Sunday night in the Hollins WMA below Cheha Mtn., ate in Sylacauga at Old El Paso (Mexican), and then drove to Rockford Sunday morning to run the "Lower Hatchet."

Lower Hatchet Creek
Above Lake Mitchell
















This is a wider run that starts of with some flatwater stretches. Its not as scenic as the 280-231 run but it has its moments, and was perfectly floatable at the 450 cfs level. You could likely padlle this section at 400 cfs, but below that level, it would be pretty bony. The fishing was not as good on this run, probably because it sees more pressure than the upper runs. Curtis is pictured with one of the few fish we caught Sunday morning.

Again, there is one class II drop and and the other shoals are I-II and overall a little easier than the upper run. It is 8 miles long with numerous cabins along the way. It was a good second day, half day paddle. This was one fine creek overall.