I’m thinking of putting in at Pooles Mill or HWY 21 and kayaking down to West Bank or Willtown Bluff in my Wilderness Systems Ride 135. I figure the trip will take around a week. I’ve got a water filtering pump and Micropur tablets for drinking water and a mess of dehydrated backpacking meals, natural energy bars, jerky, and trail mix for food to cook with my MSR Whisperlite stove and white gas. I’ll bring my 1 man backpacking tent and a hammock and bug net with a sheet and sleeping pad for camping on the banks along the way. I think I’ll bring 1 or 2 5 gal collapsible water jugs to fill up and drink from before I start getting into the brackish and saltwater. I’ll have a mess of bug repellent and my thermacell to keep the skeeters at bay.
Does anyone have any info on the what the river is like right now? My time line is Sept 1st-9th(ish). Is there sufficient water to paddle? Is it flowing slow or fast? Any places I should avoid or take special precautions with? Can anyone think of anything I should bring I’m not thinking of? ANY info is helpful.
scwatertrails.net has some great info and maps, but i dont know if they will have your whole trip on one map. that said, im game for a night or two paddle if you ever need/want
defense weapon and a lot of thermacell refills. bugs might not be bad until you hit mixed salinity, but at some point they’re gonna suck.
river has been really low all summer- rain two weeks ago flushed a little bit, but the soaking stuff we had last week may not make much difference because it was almost all coastal. you should be able to do the whole darn river from a yak, dragging over a few bars and logs here and there. bring crickets, worms, beetle spins, a few poppers, and a couple heavier live bait rigs for flatheads.
i’ll PM ya later today regarding the keys trip and extra edisto info i can come across.
Good advice from BW: “defense weapon and a lot of thermacell refills…” The two worst things on that river are #1 (often drunken) Idiots and #2 Bugs
I paddled around Messervy’s a little on Thursday and the water had come up a little. Even if it drops again there still should be plenty of water so you shouldn’t have to portage. Saw a few 4 lb range largemouth, some nice shellcrackers, tons of gar, and a gator. I would definitely recommend bringing some light tackle to catch bream and using them as flathead bait- There are some monsters in those deeper holes around the logs that could take you for a serious sleigh ride.
Also, the water is crystal clear right now, so I’d recommend snorkeling around some shallow fast-current areas and doing artifact/fossil hunting. Kinda spooky alone though…
counts as a rumor, but know someone who talked to someone who’s lived on the river all their long life who said an artifact hunter just drowned within a week or so ago in the edisto. know anything about this, carl?
chris, i know you’ve done and will do some crazy shizz, so i’ll just say i’m not going in alone or otherwise unless my boat sinks. saw a 12’+ gator early this morning in lower part of the river. not telling the lurkers where they can pop an old daddy this rec season if they haven’t already done their scouting, tho.
tie the gun to the boat if it’s not in a holster, btw.
I paddle the Edisto from Branchville down to Good Hope Landing almost every year with a group of buddies. We take canoes and do it in 3 days 2 nights. Last year we stumbled on a methneck party at the landing so I definitely second the person defense items. Thermacells are a must and be prepared to get creative with your camping spots. There are tons of “NO TRESSPASSING” signs lining the banks now.
I paddle the Edisto from Branchville down to Good Hope Landing almost every year with a group of buddies. We take canoes and do it in 3 days 2 nights. Last year we stumbled on a methneck</font id=“size3”> party at the landing so I definitely second the person defense items. Thermacells are a must and be prepared to get creative with your camping spots. There are tons of “NO TRESSPASSING” signs lining the banks now.
That might be one of the funniest but most descriptive terms I have heard in a while!
Be prepared for the snakes falling into the boat with ya…The only time I went, We had 3 snakes successfully fall in our canoe and several others barely missed…Also watch out for the gators…They tend to get a bit cranky when you float by them…
Best piece of advice that I can give you is to avoid everything between Mars Oldfield Landing and Martin’s Landing until it gets too cold for the “tubers” and the whitetrash that hangs around the landings. Most anything above Mars Oldfield is ok, but there is always the chance of running into trouble so definitely arm yourself. I do a lot of multi-day solo floats year round and very seldom have any trouble with bugs.
If you do decide to float the lower stretch and take out at West Bank or Willtown, keep in mind that it is gonna get tidal and paddling can get to be a ***** if you time it wrong. Most guys don’t realize that the tide affects the river as far inland as Martin’s.
went from martin’s to west bank yesterday on the dropping tide. 6’ viz, stained brown water and not too many fish. nice and fresh for that stretch, but it gets salty just down from there i think. may be getting another little rise in river level from the storm last night. saw an artifact hunter heading out when we were leaving.
Oh yeah, the river runs at pretty much a steady 3-4 mph at most all levels until it gets tidal. Also, no need for the water filter and tablets unless you just want to do it the hard way. There are plenty of fish camps and houses along the way. Just ask politely and you’ll have no issues.
Adventure Carolina in Columbia does the Edisto a lot. They do a turnkey trip or you can take your own yak. Last two trips I did were super fun! Got up into some oxbows and hung out for a rain one time, it was super nice.
