Shallow water Cobia
 

This is how we do it.:grinpimp:

Forgot to add the pictures.

lol. been there before. almost spent the night in the duck blind a few years back cuz the water dropped out fast and there wasnt enough water to cover the top of our feet for 100+ yards

Ouch, west cove?

That has the North end of West Cove as you are going towards the ship channel written all over it!!!

OUTCH!!!!!!!!!!

Ok......time to give us some details!

Help a fellow boater out.

Well I can tell you that my new lower unit on my new boat does not have any paint left on it after today

Stuck tryin ta soak sum croakers!!! Lol is that ol bender i see pushin ya out? Nice ta meet yall especially you bender

West Cove, South of Rabbit Island. Out in the middle of the water.
Oysters everywhere. I got the scratches on the bottom to prove it.
Bender turned her around, but we both had to push her to deeper water. And I didn't have waders. Water was clear, we could see the oysters and clams.
I ran there yesterday with no problems, but the water was a couple feet shallower today. I didn't pay attention to the water levels. But I will from now on.
No one flew out. But we did stop kinda quick.

Next year, we will change our team name from Expert Potlickers to Reef Raiders.

I have been there with somebody and turn-up mud on a low tide.

Yeh I have done that before a few years ago in same area. Not so bad that I had to push. But i stay out that area now just for that reason.

We went in there also and Big Nasty has a splintered trolling motor shaft and a few scratches to prove it. That **** was low!~

Thanks for the trip Ray, you made me feel right at home. I am no rookie when it comes to getting off reefs and sandbars!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I think I got to see just about all of Big Lake.


Thanks again I enjoyed it.

Ray...
 

What saved me is that I traveled north of Rabbit Island to the west bank of WC. I knew from past experience that you can bottom out in some spots south of Rabbit Island... and that is at normal water height. If you check depth maps, the water is deeper north of Rabbit. That is the only way I travel-- now that my new boat draws more water. But, I did tear up a trolling motor shaft on a rock/oyster pile-- live and learn!

We were heading to that reef to fish, if the water was clear enough. It sure was clear.
We could see every detail of the bottom, but it was too shallow for shrimp to swim in.
I passed there the day before around 3 pm and it was fine. I should have payed better
attention to the tides. I didn't think it would be that low, but I was wrong.
When we passed down the West Fork, we could see whole oyster reefs sticking out
the water that normally are under water. Same thing over at the Old River area. The
water usually is up in the grass, but it was way down over there too. I just screwed
up and didn't read enough. I was more into looking for clear calm water then looking
at the big picture.

Been there also. I quit going to west cove other than rabbit island from the south cut. I was in a smaller boat when I ran onto about 2 inches of water in a flat bottom. The sucktion was killer to get it turned around. I hope everything is ok with the ride Ray. It's bad enough for that crap to happen but even worst when you have to open the wallet to repair our screw ups.

Sorry that happened Ray but it is useful info for somebody like myself thats fairly new to the lake..Is there anywhere in the main lake that this could happen?..It was brought up a while back on here to have a section on the SC about hazards in the water, not a bad idea.

I came out of west fork into west cove saturday. Less than a foot and a half water after about 200 yards. My gps said deeper water ahead so I kept going forward. Wish I had turned around. It took me over an hour and alot of pucker factor to get to the ship channel to meet up with my partners. Is it always that low on that side of west cove?

Yes.....several spots during low tide to watch.

At 9 mile cut.......About 50 to 100 yards north of the big sign that is out in the water. I have seen some motors hit the object and kick up.

At 9 mile cut.......When the water is low and the tide is moving, you can see a shallow area. This area is about 150 (?) yards out into the lake and 200 to 300 yards (?) south of the sign. Maybe someone can give a better discription of where these spots are located.

Also at low tide..........there is a shallow area south of the West end of the old Jetties. Stay close to the jetties or near the south bank and you will be ok.

The north enterance to West Cove.....once you get out into the Cove, it is a little shallow. Also north of this area......where the cut is that goes into Hog Island Gully. All the water in this part of West Cove can be shallow. All along the north shore of West Cove is shallow.

gerald where you this weekend? didnt see you

Thank you Gerald

If you see some white pipes South of the old jettys, stay way away from them.
There is a big hump there.
North entrance to West Cove, stay in the center, on plane. Don't go North.
There is shallow water all around Rabbit Island.

Best bet, don't be a dummy like me. Pay attention to the tides. Look at the whole
picture. I was thinking about fishing, not tides and winds. North wind on a low tide,
bad for me, real bad for Reel Bender.

Hey it happens to the best.

You were doing a heck of a job and telling me about the particulars of the lake and showing me the sites. So actually you could say......it was my fault!!!!!


Thanks again for taking me depite the grounding you were a top notch guide.

I showed you all of Bruces spots.
I ain't got none of my own.

Do0n't forget Jordan's

West Cove
 

Ray, I was staying to the south side of the north entrance to West Cove and had to shut it down due to being too shallow. The water was low.

We really went all over West Cove and didn't hit anything till we got to that reef.

Good info fellas..keep it coming