If you can hold your breath long enough, you can walk it back! It will only feel like 75 pounds when you hit shore.

I had a buddy that found a sunken canoe. He had scuba tanks. So he went under the boat and stayed there as it filled with his bubbles. Then he walk it out. He said that people on the beach freaked out a little he dame out of the water.

Soon after, I borrowed that canoe as I didn't own one yet. That gives you an idea as to how old this story is. I had just started going out with my future wife and I took her to shoot some rapids. The canoe took in water in the air spaces so we had to abort. There must have been 50 pounds of water in there and it would only exit the air spaces one drip at a time. So I put the canoe, full of excess weight, on my car roof. The first bump on the dirt road resulted in the roof rack ripping off and a nice groove in my hood.

Good times!

Lifetime memories.

About the battery, without that strap/handle thing, it would be hard to walk it to the river bank. It's down 8 feet.

I have a plan. Think I'll take an onion sack, swim down with it and roll the battery into the bag. Probably should double bag it, it's a big deep cycle battery. .

I'm just free swimming, without an air tank and a weight belt, so I can only stay down for a minute or so? Before I go under, I'll take 3 deep breaths, kind of catch my breath, and then go for it.

I think I can flip the battery into the bag, on my first trip? Then I plan to drop a ropw with an S-hook through one of the drain holes in my kayak. The second trip down, I should be able to punch the S-hook into the bag, then I've got it. So I can ger it to shallow water where I can handle the battery and load it into the Kayak.

Here at work we sell Interstate batteries, so the core is worth $20. That'll pay for gas. It'll take me an hour or so, but I'll get it. Once I load it in the kayak, I'll make another pass up through that hole. Might find more junk?

Search: Rock Cliff Lake.

My daughter and I kayaked there yesterday, it's a beautiful pond. So, I'll give Kim credit for 1 mile. Visibility in the dam was over 15 feet. Nice day to be on the water.

Lots of people up on the beach area, I guessed 100, Kim guessed 150.

Just checked, Rock Cliff it a 12 acre flood control dam.

Not long ago I mentioned that I got a new rain gauge. I started keeping track of rainfall, July 1st, 2023.

For the month of July, I've had 1.80 inches of rain. We are dry!

Above I mentioned the battery that I found the other day, Wednesday I went down the creek to fetch the rascal. Things worked out about the way I figured.

I took 2 onion bags, they are rotten and brittle, so didn't mess with them at all. Visibility in the water was up, right at 10 feet. I could make out the battery from my kayak. Could just see the stainless wingnuts, the rest of the battery was covered with river dust.

So, I made a loop in a piece of heavy cord/light rope, about the size of the battery, swam down with it, flipped the battery up on end and snared it. Lifting with one hand and pulling with the other. Swam out to shallow water and put it in the kayak.

There were 5 kayaks coming down the river, while I was putting on my swim fins, we all said good morning, and let them get down the creek before I started. All together, it took me about an hour and a half. I mean till when I had the kayak and battery loaded, strapped down and all.

While I was there, I went upstream and made another pass through the upper end of the hole. Up in the swift water. I think that makes 3 times I've swam in that hole, there's nothing there but a set of fiberglass tent poles.

The water is starting to get cold, but if I get time to swim there again, I'll take that trash to the bank and bring it home, for the dumpster.

Guys the forum is very quiet.

Today is Friday, I was out swimming Wednesday, didn't find much. Tell you about that in a minute.

Above I mentioned the battery that I found, it's dead. I put a charger on it for 48 hours, checked it with the trolling motor, nothing. Put my other charger on it for 2 days, checked it again, it's dead.

Guess it's been 2 or 3 weeks ago, my daughter and I went swimming. I have access to a private river lot, not sure, it's 2 acres or so? Anyway, it's a good place to find good junk. Kim didn't put on her mask and fins, I made like 2 passes up and down the river, didn't find squat.

Then I took her to some deeper water, just down the river, 1/2 mile or so?

We are very very dry here, and the rivers are low. I started keeping track of our rainfall, the first of July, 2023. In July, I had 1.80 inches of rain, in August, I had 2.11 inches. That's not much.

The rivers are just so low, way to low to put in our kayaks. In a way, it's been a bad summer for floating.

Anyway, I was out swimming the other day, and I did find a nice smallmouth bass. It was up in the 18 or 20 inch range. Easily 3 pounds, but don't think it would go 4. And that's the best bass that I've found this summer.

Thinking about it now, I've swam with only 3 bass that would go over 16 inches. Did see a nice largemouth bass the same day, maybe 15 inches? And a carp, I'd guess it was about 15 pounds or a little better?

Really, I haven't found much good junk this summer. The other week I was out and found a man's driver's license, the day Kim and I were swimming. The man is a little bit older than me, born in 58, from Arlington, VA.

It looked like the license had been in the creek for a while, expiration date was 2028. Anyway, I found it on a Sunday, wrote him a little note and mailed it out Monday.

The man called me, we talked for a minute, he thanked me, and that was it. But really, that's the best thing that I've found this swim season.

Deleted.

I'll give you an update on the stream conditions. We are dry as a bone.

It was cool and wet, back in early spring. Our rivers and creeks were running good, at the normal water mark or above, and clear as a bell for the most part. Since then, it's just like someone turned off the rain faucet.

It's been a really bad summer for floating a kayak. My daughter and I haven't even had our boats in the water! The water is just so very low.

I have been out swimming 4 or 5 times, haven't found a lot of good junk, but some. Swam in the South Fork of the South Branch of the Potomac River the other day. Visibility in the Fork would have been an honest 15 or 18 feet. That's very good for this time of year.

By saying the visibility was 15 to 18, I mean a person could hold up a Dollar bill, 18 feet from me, and I could tell you if I'm looking at the front of back of the bill. Fun to swim when it's that clear.

My brother and I were swimming the other evening and found some nice junk. Ended up with 5 rods & reels, small landing net, sweat shirt, and a first for me. A green, #6 pool ball. How a pool ball found it's way into the river, we'll never know.

Pool ball? From upstream. I trapped a small creek one time and found several golf balls. Finally figured out there was a golf course about a mile and a half above there. Those golf balls traveled downstream that far.

The # 6 ball has some pretty deep scratches. We'll never know where it came from.

Would make for a good story. Must have been one heck of a good break! To knock the 6-ball off of the table, through the window and into the river!

Our rivers get mean, almost evil when the water is up.

Here is a link to WV Metro news:

https://wvmetronews.com/2024/07/24/sport...rginia-streams/

I really don't know what's going on with our fish. But I'll tell you we don't have the smallmouth bass that we did years ago. So far this summer, I haven't found a smallmouth bass, that would go an honest 14 inches.

I've been seeing a fair number of bass in the 5" to 9 inch range. About average number of sunfish, most of them are smallish. I mean borderline big enough to keep.

I did see a nice crappie the other day, first and only crappie I've ever found in the South Branch of the Potomac River.

If you remember above, I mentioned the "shiner minnows" that are not native to our streams. The other day I stirred up a bunch of river grit, there were more than a 100 of those minnows just below me. Sized from 1/2 inch long on up to about 7 or 8 inches long. I really think they are predators, if they are eating our bass fry, that could be one reason for less bass.