Heading up river

[DMF]

This is my first boat trip for the season. Is there anything special at the mouth of the river that I should be aware of leaving Havasu heading to Topock?

 

[HNL2LHC]

This is my first boat trip for the season. Is there anything special at the mouth of the river that I should be aware of leaving Havasu heading to Topock?

It has been posted that there are bouys the now. I am sure someone else will chime in with photos and GPS coordinates as well as a tracking device route that will get you where you are wanting to go. Bottom line is that nothing has really changed.

 

[FlyByWire]

Same as years past. They have red stakes at the mouth of the river now that are outlining the shallow areas. We’re heading up tomorrow morning if you’re already here.

 

[DMF]

Same as years past. They have red stakes at the mouth of the river now that are outlining the shallow areas. We’re heading up tomorrow morning if you’re already here.

We won't be heading up river until Friday. I appreciate the offer! Are the red stakes on both sides of the mouth? You stay in between them?

 

[FlyByWire]

We won't be heading up river until Friday. I appreciate the offer! Are the red stakes on both sides of the mouth? You stay in between them?

No, stay to the left of them (going upriver).

Really crude example, but they’re kind of set up like this;

 

[DMF]

No, stay to the left of them (going upriver).

Really crude example, but they’re kind of set up like this;
View attachment 1387267

Perfect example.....thank you!

 

[Not So Fast]

First time going up, stuck on a sandbar but was going slow so got out and pushed boat to deeper water, no damage.
It can be confusing when on the water VS seeing it from above !!!!!!!!
Best bet is follow someone who knows how to traverse the mouth because it all looks the same from the water. Good luck
NSF

 

[Captain Dan]

No, stay to the left of them (going upriver).

Really crude example, but they’re kind of set up like

Perfect example.....thank you!

I did it yesterday. Follow that path and you're good to go. I noticed the lake appears low at the Beachcomber ramp by about 8 to 10 inches.

 

[MooreMoney]

I think polarised glasses help you see water and where the sandbars are.

 

[DarkHorseRacing]

First time going up, stuck on a sandbar but was going slow so got out and pushed boat to deeper water, no damage.
It can be confusing when on the water VS seeing it from above !!!!!!!!
Best bet is follow someone who knows how to traverse the mouth because it all looks the same from the water. Good luck
NSF

Yeah but you don’t know if who you’re following knows where they are going either. I followed someone once and wound up shallow. Had to pull the feet up more but the wake behind me was all brown.

My advice is follow a large expensive v-bottom and watch the color of water he leaves in his wake. If it starts turning brown, trim up.

 

[Badchoices03]

Trim up, hammer down, lift feet...and any path will work...

 

[Jay Dub]

same path as prior years. Although it seems the "shallow" area at the mouth has grown.

 

[CommanderLee]

Trim up, hammer down, lift feet...and any path will work...

Lifting of the feet is key! I have used the pull up on the steering wheel method with mixed results.

 

[Ballyhoo]

I went through there a couple weeks ago and I think those red buoys are helping folks. Before the buoys were put in, many folks would crowd towards the island. I also noticed that I was good to go with a straighter path as I approached the island. I did see a couple of guys make the blind left turn as they cleared the island to go northbound. That definitely wasn't necessary when I was there, my 24 I/O had plenty of water to work with. Polarized sunglasses are a huge plus for peace of mind.