We've done this once before. Put in off Old Lorna Rd in Hoover near the Galleria and take out at Hwy 52 in Helena. Well, that 52 takeout has been sold. So, I decided that we would go up Buck Creek in Helena to takeout. It just so happens that there's a brewery overlooking the takeout. Bonus for me!

It's easier going down the muddy hill at the Bain's Bridge launch in Hoover than it is to climb up it. Since I was unsure how long or hard it would be to get up Buck Creek, We got here earlier than normal. We were on the water by 830AM.





Water was moving pretty hard and was still off color from last week's rains.



The wife and I agreed that this Hoover to Helena section is FAR prettier than the other Hoover section. There was far less trash, much more interesting scenery, far easier to navigate (there was one shoal near Buck Creek), and far less development. The fishing was good, not great and the only people we saw were when we got to Buck Creek. We had the whole river to ourselves again which is still amazing to me.....


The only real obstacle until we got to Buck Creek:


The fishing was good. The wife smoked em again on a buzzbait. I lost count of the fish she caught. I had a better day than her size wise on a RC1.5 crankbait, but I could have had a special day if I hadn't lost two really good ones........ Oh well. I did have big bass a 2+ LM and big trash fish a 3+ drum. Of course the drum ate the crankbait like it was the last supper.

One of the many bridge pilings going over Buck Creek:



We made it from Bain's Bridge to Buck Creek entrance at 3PM. We had the canoe loaded up and were drinking some well deserved beers at Oversoul Brewing by 5PM. Buck Creek was running hard and there were several shallow shoals to manage. It is approximately 2 miles from the entrance on the Cahaba to the park to takeout. The wife caught a nice spot in Buck Creek to end the day. Seems the spots on the creek hate white buzzbaits. The park at Helena is an excellent facility and is crowded with people. Oversoul is a great venue and they had live Bluegrass when we got there.




We met some hardcore paddlers at Oversoul along with a fly guide. Both recommended using Hwy 52 next time. Seems there is a takeout at the bridge opposite of where the old takeout was. They claimed it was easier than coming up Buck Creek as long as you had some rope. We will try that next time.

Wrapped it up with a Cahaba Riverkeeper meeting with the board members and this year's volunteers. Nice meeting everyone and sharing information and stories about the river we love. Good times.

Another great thread! Thanks!

Very nice write up! Thanks for sharing.

Yes......Thanks for sharing, and it does sound and look like a great time.

Nice trip. Good thing it rained and there was enough water in Buck creek for you to paddle.

Have you considered floating from the Hwy 52 bridge down to Cahaba River Park? Looks like it would be a nice trip.

Excellent thread as always. Looks like a great trip. How was working your way back up buck creek?

Cool trip

Thank you for sharing your trip!

It wasn't that bad. Not sure we'd do it again though if the takeout at 52 is actually good.

How do you handle your car spotting? That is always my biggest hassle.

Awesome pics thanks for sharing!

Sounds great! Post some fish pics next time please!!

It is a hassle..... Currently, the wife drives her car and I take the truck. We drop hers at the take out, ride over to the put in. Then, she takes the truck to the take out and meets me back at the put in. Next year, I think we will get a trailer and a motorcycle/scooter so we don't have two cars.

Thanks for taking the time to document your trips. There are tons of great float trips in Alabama but hard to get first hand info. I have been on more than one trip that a chainsaw would have been more useful than a paddle.

Nice. I sure miss canoe trips like that. Thanks for sharing

Thank you for sharing