A unique website dedicated to fishing information from Florida's Northern Big Bend. This includes the area from the Econfina River west to the Apalachicola River
I have a Kenner that drafts a foot. What is the lowest water level that I could get in or out of Ecofina. Sunday's low is .9' about the time I want to come in. Is it safe or a bad idea? With my skiff I only worried if it was negative. But I dont want to skin up the new one.
Hammer down!! Let up when you see the first no wake zone. Seriously, I come in on positive tides lower than that all the time. Be safe and run at a navigable speed in the river and you should be fine. Just remember, Your boat runs in 12 inches of water and you will have that much water to run in , however , there are many rocks out there that stick up 8-10 inches off the bottom!!! Id come in thirty minutes to an hour earlier if possible!! Im lieing, Id probably stay out and fish til the next high tide cause I cant resist a rising tide, but if you do that you better take some extra munchies and some sunscreen!!!(Maybe even a spotlight!!)
A wise person pays attention to correction that will improve his life...... Proverbs 15:31 ICB <")))))>*<
The lowest i've run the mouth now at a +1.0 on my GPS planed out with the jack plate up to 4. It still freaks me out to be running on plane and watch the depth finder go down to 1.7' then to ---. That river is probably going to cost me some $ one of these days but I sure do like fishing out of there. I have hit twice but both were due to having to come off plane b/c of other boats. I do my best now to make sure I have clear run before I commit. Having to come off plane 1/2 way between the tripod and the red marker on a low to mid tide is an ugly thing. Good Luck!!
"There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."---Will Rogers
As long as there's not a north wind, you should be able to get into the river on a 0.9 tide. Once you make it in to where the river narrrows, you're home free. And, there's some stakes that will help you follow the natural channel at the mouth of the river. Just beware that there are some major rocks that you could hit on a low tide as you get further into the river. High tide or low tide, I just idle in and enjoy the scenery. I would recommend that you do the same.
rocket wrote:If a one foot tide makes yall nervous at Ecofina, don't come to Aucilla. You'll have nightmares for months
If you don't have a rock guard just go ahead and take a hammer and knock the skeg off and get it over with.
That makes me wonder. Has anyone ever actually done any testing with a motor that has NO skeg? Seems it would do fine except the steering would be mushy at idle. But at speed, The prop would do the turning..
Sure would give you a few more inches of draft befor dragging....but would need a little beefier gearbox guard....
Dubble
The more I know about something, the more I know that I did not know as much as I thought I knew that I knew.
rocket wrote:If a one foot tide makes yall nervous at Ecofina, don't come to Aucilla. You'll have nightmares for months
If you don't have a rock guard just go ahead and take a hammer and knock the skeg off and get it over with.
That makes me wonder. Has anyone ever actually done any testing with a motor that has NO skeg? Seems it would do fine except the steering would be mushy at idle. But at speed, The prop would do the turning..
Sure would give you a few more inches of draft befor dragging....but would need a little beefier gearbox guard....
Dubble
I have run many of them without one,I don't recomend it because then your wheel is the first thing to hit,that causes bent or broke prop shafts or worse.
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.
Benjamin Franklin 1759
I have a Kenner that drafts a foot. What is the lowest water level that I could get in or out of Ecofina. Sunday's low is .9' about the time I want to come in. Is it safe or a bad idea? With my skiff I only worried if it was negative. But I dont want to skin up the new one. 
That river is probably going to cost me some $ one of these days but I sure do like fishing out of there. I have hit twice but both were due to having to come off plane b/c of other boats. I do my best now to make sure I have clear run before I commit. Having to come off plane 1/2 way between the tripod and the red marker on a low to mid tide is an ugly thing. Good Luck!! 
If you don't have a rock guard just go ahead and take a hammer and knock the skeg off and get it over with.
