Colorado river....best spots?

[jbaker]

keep in mind topock can and will be busy any weekend until the end of October. i did a conoe trip from hoover dam to the top of lake Mojave years ago in boyscout. it was really cool. there's a sauna cave a few miles south of the dam that's worth checking out also a one of the beaches we camped at had a hot spring that had been dammed up to make a nice little pool. was awesome after a few days on the river to relax in. it took us 5 days total but we lagged a bit. we used a zodiac for most of our gear. also got to check out a hatchery along the way. It was a really fun trip and defiantly some thing to remember. also in may the air is warm but the water is still freezing, early to mid October the air cools down but the water stays warm for a bit was always my favorite month to go to havasu.

[jbaker]

what if you launched from the edgewater casino in laguhin, and end up at crazy horse camp ground in havasu?

[BrokeLoser]

Originally Posted by jbaker

what if you launched from the edgewater casino in laguhin, and end up at crazy horse camp ground in havasu?

Anyone know how 'scenic' this part of the river is? I've taken my boat on this trip many years ago and don't remember the surroundings very well...I think it's like 60 miles by river

[jbaker]

laguhin to I 40/ the top of the gorge isnt all that scenic but its fast moving current and water to fish. you could shorten it up by launching at needles or the avi resort just north of needles. i know there's some beaches on either side of the gorge but cant think of any in the middle. i would suggest planning on camping at bottom and paddling to havasu city the next day, its a few miles with no current and can have strong winds

[BrokeLoser]

Originally Posted by jbaker

laguhin to I 40/ the top of the gorge isnt all that scenic but its fast moving current and water to fish. you could shorten it up by launching at needles or the avi resort just north of needles. i know there's some beaches on either side of the gorge but cant think of any in the middle. i would suggest planning on camping at bottom and paddling to havasu city the next day, its a few miles with no current and can have strong winds

I was just thinking about this and pulling up satellite images of it..thanks

[BrokeLoser]

Just found a little something:
http://www.allaboutrivers.com/rivers...ona-RIV28.html

[YakMedic]

This trip is on my list for the year, if you plan it for October I'd love to go for sure. I'm gonna be stuck moving and getting my house ready to rent for the next few months.

[cjthomas]

Originally Posted by jbaker

laguhin to I 40/ the top of the gorge isnt all that scenic but its fast moving current and water to fish. you could shorten it up by launching at needles or the avi resort just north of needles. i know there's some beaches on either side of the gorge but cant think of any in the middle. i would suggest planning on camping at bottom and paddling to havasu city the next day, its a few miles with no current and can have strong winds

I agree. Laughlin to Needles is a lot of the same stuff. You don't get very much scenery until you hit Topocks. The scenery through the gorge is awesome but don't make the trip when it is busy. All of the waves end up bouncing off the canyon walls and make it very choppy (not to mention careless drunk boaters)

I'm actually going to be in Lake Havasu from May 23-27 with my kayaks. I plan on finding secluded areas to fish, but I keep toying with the idea of floating through Topocks (if I can figure out a way to leave a vehicle at the end point).

[jbaker]

i've never kayaked havasu, but i used to have a house up there. ive spent a lot of time on the water in that area, if your looking for seclusion maybe try launching out of cattail cove on the south end of the lake,just north of the marina and on the ca side there's some nice coves and inlets. or even havasu springs resort on the ca side by the dam. have fun up there. the topock trip might be easier if you rent a pontoon boat in havasu. load the yaks up then go up river and scout the first day, camp, then paddle and fish the second day. offseason boat rentals are reasonably priced and it would be nice if any thing happens. just a thought.

[cjthomas]

Thanks for the advice on the spots.

Apparently there are few places that rent and shuttle kayaks for the Topocks trip. They drop you off at Topocks marina and pick you up in Havasu at castle rock. One of the companies is azwacko.com

[Lets_Fish]

If you fish the area from Hoover dam south the the California border don't forget about an out of state license in either Arizona or Nevada. Here their links to their Fish & Game:
ARIZONAhttp://www.azgfd.gov/eservices/licenses.shtml
NEVADAhttp://www.ndow.org/law/regs/fishregs/index.shtm

Topock Gorge is a great place to travel through, just watch the boat traffic (like any other place). You can google images on Topock Gorge to see what it looks like. As for the rest of the areas, not sure as I have never traversed through them except from Blythe to 30 miles or so south of it. That area is flat, shallow and for the most part not very exciting unless you enter the back channels through the groves and such.

[BrokeLoser]

Originally Posted by jbaker

keep in mind topock can and will be busy any weekend until the end of October. i did a conoe trip from hoover dam to the top of lake Mojave years ago in boyscout. it was really cool. there's a sauna cave a few miles south of the dam that's worth checking out also a one of the beaches we camped at had a hot spring that had been dammed up to make a nice little pool. was awesome after a few days on the river to relax in. it took us 5 days total but we lagged a bit. we used a zodiac for most of our gear. also got to check out a hatchery along the way. It was a really fun trip and defiantly some thing to remember. also in may the air is warm but the water is still freezing, early to mid October the air cools down but the water stays warm for a bit was always my favorite month to go to havasu.

Good stuff to know...I'll try and track down those points of interest if we decide on making that trek.
You're right, we boat a lot and go to havasu and October is definitely the best month to do something like this. We are just to anxious to wait...if all goes as planned maybe we'll make another trip in Oct