Upper Allegheny trip Help?

[artncarey1]

My two brothers and I are will be revisiting the middle Allegheny river region from 7/22 to 7/25 for a bucket list fishing trip. Last time we were there was 1960 in the Henrys Bend/Oleopolis area. We are staying in President and we have a 12" jon boat with electric motor. Can we float fish from President to Oleopolis. Or would we better off leaving the boat at home and renting a boat/canoe/kayak? Does anybody use jon boats on the middle Allegheny these days? Or is it just canoes, kayaks, and jets? Any other tips you might have for this trip would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Art

[Red Childress]

I am seeing canoes getting hung up a bit on this stretch of river but it is an easy fix as long as you are not weighted down with camping equipment. A 12ft Jon will be much more combersome to slide over shallow shoals, as you know. The Tionesta area is low as well so I assume President and further South might be much of the same but I am not positive.

If it were me and I did not want to work my tail off during my float trip, the canoe would be the ticket. As for rentals in that stretch of water, I have never heard of jon boat rentals.......just canoes and kayaks.

Hopefully someone with local knowledge will chime in before your trip.

Good Luck!

[tblose]

The two places that would concern me would be just down from the president boat launch, and where pithole creek comes in, those two areas seems to be the skinniest. I wish there was a way i could blow up a picture of that section of the river and i could draw in where the best places to go down through.

[ppalko]

I've fished the area around Warren from both a 16 foot square back canoe and a 12 foot car top semi V.

* The semi V is a more stable situation to fish from.
* Although I find my sq. back canoe very stable, I'd think rental canoes are a bit easy to flip.
* I've taken the boat and canoe through some very shallow water (4 inches).
* It's much easier to navigate the boat with a set of oars in shallow water than using a motor.
* As far as running riffles, the canoe is a better bet. A small jon boat could take on some water.

I'm not familiar with that stretch of river but I'd guess nothing terrible exists. I think the worst stretch is down by Oil City above the confluence of Oil Creek. One thing I do is walk my boat or canoe through shallow areas. I also do a lot of wade fishing when I take the boat so this fits in with the "plan".

[artncarey1]

Wow, these are great responses. Thanks for taking the time, guys. I think we will definitely leave the jon boat home and possibly just wade-fish that little stretch from President to Oleopolis. Hopefully there will be access points where we can get to the shoreline. We have another two weeks to think this through. Again, thanks for the info, and I'll be checking back for new responses. By the way, the three of us are from the Baltimore, MD area.
Good fishing!
Art

[artncarey1]

One other thought:

Could this section of the Allegheny - from President downstream to Oleopolis - be negotiated in a solo, well-made float tube?

[Red Childress]

The only semi-dangerous water you will encounter will be the Oil City rapids right under the bridge in OC as stated earlier. The shallow shoals will be your only enemy. With the lack of rain, the flow is very slow but that could easily change by then.

Kinzua is already starting to slowly increase her outflow later this week to accomodate barge traffic in the lower river.

[artncarey1]

We won't be going as far as Oil City, so it looks like canoe, raft, or even tube would work to get down our stretch of river. You have been a big help, and we appreciate eit.

[SportJet120]

Hey Art, That's a fairly short trip and I think any of your choices would be fine. I would prefer a canoe or kayak. Like said the river is low right now. Since you are staying at President give Turtle Bay Lodge a call. Im sure they can give you some good info. 814-677-8785 There are canoe and yak rentals in the area if you dont want to drag one along. From President to Oleopolis is a nice trip. The trip from Henry's Bend to Oleopolis is pretty short. Have a great time! Gary

[muskyjerk]

Hope this advice isn't to late. Took this trip President To Oleopolis (Walnut bend pool where Pithole comes in) In a boat and also in kayaks. During boat trip there was 1 spot we got out to work boat over a shallow riffle. In kayaks It was easier to manage even though we still got out. This area was around the middle of the trip. Can't remember water stage or exact location as the trip was in 2007.