Hey all,
Heading out to Laughlin for a few days, Sept. 23-25.  Our first time taking the boat on a road trip & first time on Lake Mohave, & the river.  Going to spend Saturday on the lake & Monday on the river.
Was wondering if anyone familiar with Lake Mohave had some suggestions on where to go on the lake this time of year? Better to launch out of Katherine's or Cottonwood? A nice quiet cove or two to chill in? Any things i should watch out for, or be aware of while on the lake?, etc.?
Also, how is the run from Jack Smith to the Gorge? Is that a doable day trip with a stop at Pirates Cove for lunch? Is the river around there pretty easy to navigate for a newbee, or will I be out of my depth, so to speak?


Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!


Thanks,
Gary

What size boat?


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Jack Smith to the Gorge is no big deal at all, I Do it all day in my Bahner. Just watch your fuel levels so you don't run out of gas. As with any stretch of the river there are always shallow spots, but if you keep your eyes open and know how to look for them you'll be fine. In my opinion the Gorge is one of the most beautiful spots on the river and I would prefer to do that section over the lake any day.  As far as Mohave (in my opinion) the Arizona side has better beaches for day used. When I've been up there we'd launch out of Katherine's landing and head up a few miles on the AZ side and find a beach. There is a jumping rock on the AZ side before you get to the Princess cove Launch ramp.  You'll know it's the right jumping rock because it has two holes that come from the back side of the rock to the front to jump out of. It's about 3-5 miles up the lake on the AZ side from Katherine's. I added a snapshot of google maps and the cove. Like with the River watch your fuel levels on the Lake. You don't want to get caught out there with no gas. Also the Lake can get like the ocean with huge swells rolling through when it gets windy. I've been out there when I shouldn't have and it was a pretty scary ride back. I know you said you want to hit the lake one day and the river the next, but I think you might find when you get on the river the second day you're going to wish you had done it the first day as well. Anyway, have fun and be safe! - Ryan

Watch out for leeches on Lake Mohave.


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Yep, Leeches

When the water temps are up.

Mohave and Havasu are in the mid 80's right now.

Colder water on the river, not so much. But can happen.

Dan'l

FYI.... I have never seen leeches on Lake Mohave or the river near to Willow.... Nor have I ever seen them anywhere in or near to Lake Havasu or on the river from Havasu to Pirates..... Just my two cents.... And I have been traveling all of these water ways 10+ years.....


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We must have picked the wrong cove when I was there at Mohave, cause everyone in the group had small leeches stuck to our feet while getting back into the boat.


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Thanks for all the suggestions & info!!!


Ryan mentioned the wind causing some pretty rough water. That's one of my concerns going out onto Mohave. We have a 19' Rogers & I've been on a bit of rough water at Lake Silverwood but probably nothing like what a lake like Mohave can dish out.
 Is it pretty busy at the launch at Katherine's this time of year on a Saturday?
Are we going to be dealing with a bunch big lake/wakeboard boats in the area  just north of Katherine's? Is it a bit quieter farther north towards the basin?  (We're more about chilling on this trip, + I am still getting used to the boat, so avoiding the crowds & yahoo's, if any, would be a priority)


Any opinions on Launching from Cottonwood & going north?


The forecast calls for winds at for winds up to 18-23 mph on the lake.  Does that sound like it would be sketchy at all out there with that kind of wind?


The run from Jack Smith down to Pirates sounds pretty cool, & from what ya'll describe + pic's I've seen, Topock Gorge looks beautiful. Going there would definitely make the wife happy.


Also thanks for the reminder about watching fuel levels………..


Sooo many questions, & a bit nervous about hitting the river & lake for the first time…. Just reading you guy's responses is a big help…..


G

With those kind of winds you're better off launching out of Katherines and staying towards the dam if you launch on the lake at all. You'd be in trouble heading north in that size boat. I have a similar size boat and trust me I have been caught before. We're fortunate we live local so we can pick and choose our launch days.


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To go along with what mash on it said. I have been on the lake when it's supposed to be windy and it wasn't and I've been on the lake when I couldn't see over the swell in front of me. You don't want to be out there when it's like that. I've never been up to Cottonwood so I can't comment on that. I grew up going to Laughlin and and Mohave with my parents. We did that for years until we started going to the AVI and using the river. We never went back to the lake after that! But, Last summer I got hooked into a trip to Laughlin and the lake with some people I work with. We hit the lake with the group for the day and had a good time, but at the end of the day my wife told me she wouldn't want to go back to the lake. She'd rather be on the river. I agree with her!!!

It's up to you what you want to do, but my wife told me to tell you to head down to the river on the first day. Hit Topock Gorge, Pirates and Topock 66 on the first day and you'll probably want to go back the next. I agree with that.

Like mash on it said, river boats are for the river.

Whatever you do! Have fun and be safe!

-Ryan

yep-

this one for flow (units):

http://www.usbr.gov/lc/region/g4000/hourly/DavisParkerSchedules.pdf


and this one for 'timing?'- look at Davis Dam Release cfs compared to Needles bridge cfs- (10am vs 10am, etc):

http://www.usbr.gov/lc/region/g4000/hourly/yester.html

Dan'l

Hey all,
Made it out to Laughlin.
Was hoping to get the boat wet today, launching out of Jack Smith.  The winds are pretty heavy, 20-26 mph.
Is that considered a blow-out on the river?
Winds are suppose to be in the single digits tomorrow
Would it be worth giving it a try today, or chill & wait till Monday?
Thanks,
Gary

78,


Thanks for that. Got out there last year but it was pretty blown out so only got on the water one day out of three.  Went from Pirate Cove down just past the gorge which was awesome.  Planning on another trip there later in the summer & want to explore more of the river so your info is really helpful!!