Is there any map or chart of wing dams above St. Anthony Palls, particularly above the end of the navigation channel? There is a stumpfield by the 694 landing on the map, but several people have told me that there are several wing dams between 694 and the Camden bridge. I am mostly interested in not losing my prop, any navigation tips for this stretch of the river would be great! Thanks
J
From what I can see in the Metro Rivers Guide, there are not wingdams. That is not to say that there aren’t tons of hazards up there. I would call that ‘stumpfield’ a pretty big one, but there are also big rocks just under the surface in many areas. My suggestion would be to have someone familiar with that stretch take you on a ride and show you the ropes.
Here’s a link to the DNR maps:
http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/education_safety/safety/boatwater/metro_river_guide.pdf
You can order a paper copy for free (until July 1 shutdown?). Be safe!
Edit – I spun my prop just upstream of the big island near 694 last summer on a hidden rock!
Hey, thanks for the reply, I see you are in Friendly Fridley! I’m on the river, just downstream of River Park on the Brooklyn Park side. I have Kayaked from my house down to Boom Island many times, usually when the water is a lot lower than it is now. With the water being consistently high this year I have thought about mooring the boat (it’s a 13′ center console with a short shaft outboard) down on the shore to do more extensive (and convenient) exploring, at least till the water starts to drop.
Do you usually carry a spare prop just in case? What’s your plan B? Thanks.
J
Ideally you have a spare prop along, never a bad idea on the river. My real plan B in that stretch is always to fish upstream of the launch so I can limp back to the ramp with my trolling motor if needed.
Right now with the river as high as it is, you should be OK to run around that area a bit as most of the obstructions are probably under at least 3′ of water.
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