Anyone run up there before? I got a little flat bottom jon that I wanted to take to Terrapin Creek. Looks like there is a launch up river at Croft Ferry. Can I run Dead River hammered down all the way to Terrapin?

DO NOT LAUNCH AT CROFT FERRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yo chit will be gone when you get back to ramp. But, yes you can run all the way to dead river.

Been a lot of people raising hell over the years of people being able to navigate up there and Canoe creek in a jet drive winning big dollar TX.

Man, I drive an ,02 Dodge with almost 300K miles on it. Generally leave the windows down and the keys in it HOPING someone would steal it.

I wonder if it would be beneficial to wait for some water to be coming over the spillway into terrapin? Maybe Drake would know. I have a friend that takes a tunnel hull up there pretty frequently, but he’ll lose a lower unit every once in a while. I believe he has a jack plate stacked on a jack plate. Apparently there’s some pretty good fishing up there if you time it correctly.

If you want to launch at croft ferry, youll have to back your boat up from the highway to the boat launch. Its about a mile. I have done it a few times. Someone bought the land right beside the boat launch, which used to be the old ferry landing. When they bought the land, they tried to make it as hard as possible to launch there. But you can still do it if youre pretty good at backing a trailer, which i am. If you drive straight down in there, there wont be anywhere to turn around.

I have parked on croft ferry a hundred times, never had anything stolen

You cannot run Dead River to Terrapin Creek. You cant even paddle it in a canoe in the summertime in low water.

You my friend are lucky!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I duck hunted for years on the Ball Play side and worked for Temple at the time. I was told unless you were "permitted" do not park down there.

I have never been that far fishing, just duck hunting. But a jet drive would almost be a 100% must to me. IMO.

The guys that have the boats and balls to do it catch some big sacks. That is why most of the TX directors have outlawed jet drives.because they say it is not "a fair playing field". I say givem hell like Keith Pochee does.

There is a little known launch where the river and dead river meet straight across from the powerhouse. You can launch there but you're chances of having a trailer to load back on is about equal to Croft Ferry. It'll put you closer to Terrapin though. As far as Terrapin Creek goes, you're not going far into it without a jet drive. If you're carrying a prop motor, you're going to need a spare prop and a good tig welder for your skeg when you get home. I used to catch some heavy Stripers in there.

That is we stayed at the spring at Greensport. Caught the chit out of stripe largest dead was 29#. everyone knew how to act, make a pass and let the next boat go through. Old school courteous. When Odenville tapped that well, all it is now is a plume of sand. I know peoples kin folks that made liquor our of that spring in the early 1900s. They are all rolling over in their grave seeing how we are acting.............................

Im talking about the other side, off 411

Same thing. You park there and windows get broken. Dad had his broke and believe it or not, they stole his truck battery!

First off, God bless you for fishing Neely to begin with

But the general rule of thumb about the Dead River (and honestly the whole Coosa below both Weiss dams) is DO NOT take anything with a foot/propellor there.
You also stand a fine chance of losing your catalytic converter at that launch LOL

There are 3 launches in that area. One on the Ballplay (Croft Ferry Rd East) , the other across the river ( Croft Ferry Road West) . Then there is the one at the end of Kershaw Quarter road on the Ballplay side across from the power house on Weiss. Some farmers took the pines in a few years ago and it's mostly row crop now. I live as the Crow flies about 1.5 miles from the Kershaw Quarters launch.

They will break into your stuff at all 3 but the one at the end of CFR East is by far the worst.

Funny story. A young guy I know from out of town wanted to propose to his girlfriend and knew she like that area so he set up hay bales, roses and a big scene there to record it when he proposed to her. He went and got her to bring her there to do the thing and somebody stole all his props. Can't make it up.


It ain't as bad as it used to be but I wouldn't leave anything there I didn't want to lose.

William, if you were putting in to go far up the dead river I'd put in at the Kershaw ramp. Saves a couple of miles. There is great fishing if you know how to fish the water level flux. It may raise or drop 4 feet in a matter of an hour depending on when they pull and how much. And it affects the fishing big time.

BPI, is Kershaw qtr road and McCluskey Ferry rd. the same road? I know McCluskey runs out across from the powerhouse. Thanks

Never heard it called that and it's the only road across the river from the power house for a pretty long way.

Just checked google earth and that's what they have it labeled as though. Must have gave it a name when the farmers took it over. It's always been known as Kershaw as long as I've lived there.

It's a flat bottom. Hell, I could put it straight in Terrapin Creek off the side of the bank if I had to.

Kershaw Qtrs is the little known ramp I mentioned earlier but couldn't remember the name. But yeah, all three ramps are good places to leave stuff like boat trailers that you don't want anymore. There used to be a ramp just above croft ferry on the 411 side th had at least a LITTLE security but it is no more. I used it until I couldn't.