# man drown in scioto/be careful!



## Danshady (Dec 14, 2006)

i seen someone else got taken, not fishing but swimming in the scioto, this river has claimed alot of lives, i know alot of us fish it but wade it also, be careful.. i almost got into it this am myself, its crazy but i lost a bait in some debis on the bottom from my crawdad, and was trying to retreive my bait and was just about to jump from boat into water and start trying to feel around for it but could feel alot of rocks and sticks from the boat and decided against it, and mentioned to my fiancee that the scioto had claimed some lives of ppl, i ended up finding my bait on a burlap sack with muck in it and i was glad i didnt go in.........this poor guy was swimming in the scioto...dont know why....but gf witnessed him drown,,, this is horrible and didnt have to happen.


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## Smallmouth Crazy (Apr 4, 2006)

Did you hear what part of the river he was in??


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## seethe303 (Dec 12, 2006)

link to article on the drowning


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## Smallmouth Crazy (Apr 4, 2006)

seethe303 said:


> link to article on the drowning


Thanks for the link...I never have fished the river down there but it appears to be a different animal than most of the areas we wade around here.


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## JamesT (Jul 22, 2005)

My condolences for the victim and his family/girlfriend.

It is important to be careful. Especially when the water is up and moving. I've tipped in a raging rapids before and it's scary. Aspiration ain't no fun!

Let's hope we don't see another one of these threads for a while.


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## Finn03 (Sep 19, 2008)

New to the area - whats so bad about the river? Is it just the currents, or the debris on the bottom? I see people skiing and tubing out there alot, and assumed it was swimmable too


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## FOSR (Apr 16, 2008)

It's against city code to swim, or to wade for purposes other than fishing.

In other words, being a kid is illegal...

Underwater debris is one hazard, but there are also a lot of pools in the stony riverbed. You can be wading knee-deep, take one step, and be in shoulder-deep water. And of course the lowhead dams get the roller effect that catches people once in a while.

You'll see a lot of people here half-joking about the river being toxic, but in truth it's much better than it used to be. The biggest threat these days is from the "combined sewer overflows" where stormwater overwhelms the sanitary sewer system and (by design) the mix of stormwater and rainwater is dumped in the river. The fix is to disconnect those downspouts, look up "rain garden" or "downspout disconnect" for an explanation.

As recently as a few years ago, this used to happen in a big way at a sewage pumping station in Dublin, until the EPA got on them and a major sewer line was installed. There used to be, how shall I say this politely, visually identifiable human waste floating in the river after a storm.


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## andyman (Jul 12, 2005)

The Scioto is really no different down in Chilli than it is up here. A little bigger and wider, but pretty much the same river as on the south side of Columbus.
And there's no half-joking about the toxicity of the river, especially south of Columbus. The water quality is absolutely disgusting south of teh city. Drink a glass full of that water and you'll found out how not joking it is. 
With all due respect to the victim and his family, the river itself had absolutely nothing to do with his drowning, other than it has water in it.
The flow is extrememly low right now, no spikes, no sudden rushes of water, etc...
I'd assume the accident involved either alcohol or the guy was just not as good a swimmer as he thought.
Condolences to his family.


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## FOSR (Apr 16, 2008)

There's sort of a catch-22 going on with the city and the EPA.

The river used to be worse than it is now, with less life. It has improved, and now the EPA gives it a higher rating - which in turn means the city is required to enact more measures to protect its quality.

So the more the city improves the river, the more the law obliges them to protect it as a resource. Conversely, if they let the water quality slide, then there's less obligation because there's less life to protect in and around it.


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## andyman (Jul 12, 2005)

Alex,
I just reread my post and I hope you didn't take offense. 
People like yourself, working toward IMPROVING the water quality, etc...should be heralded. I hope you didn't take my post as anything other than it was....another guy who gets frustrated about the quality of the river, the water table, etc...
I live 1/2 mile from the Scioto on the north side of town and I too have an affection for it. I also hunt alot on the south side of town along the river, and it frustrates me to no end to see some of the goings on down that way.
It would be outstanding to see the river realize all the improvement that needs to take place. And I absolutely salute you and yours who work to make that change a reality. And I know how difficult that task can be.
Congrats on yoru efforts. If you ever need some able bodies to assist, please think of me when that time arises.


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## fishnwithjoe (Jan 29, 2008)

The lower Scioto near Chillicothe is nothing like the north end of the Scioto near the city of Columbus. The River is much deeper, faster and has twice as much fish life. The Scioto is full of 25ft holes everywhere. The spots I fished in this video went from 4ft to over 20ft in less than a 50ft distance. Outside of lake Erie I'll go on record and say its one of the best fisheries in the state. I regularly have 25-35 fish days catching saugers, saugeyes, smallies, freshwater drum, and tons of spotted bass. It's easy to see how even an experienced swimmer would drown in its swift fast waters. It's one of our most precious fishing resources and we overlook and mistreat it. Any efforts made to clean up the Lower Scioto are very important and I applaud them. Here's a link to one of my videos made on the lower Scioto near Chillicothe for everyone to see what a great fishery it is.






Fishnwithjoe


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## bronzebackyac (Apr 19, 2005)

andyman said:


> With all due respect to the victim and his family, the river itself had absolutely nothing to do with his drowning, other than it has water in it.
> The flow is extrememly low right now, no spikes, no sudden rushes of water, etc...
> I'd assume the accident involved either alcohol or the guy was just not as good a swimmer as he thought.
> Condolences to his family.


Andyman with all due respect to you, you are wrong my friend. The river down here is a different river than the upper reaches of Pickway and Franklin Co. The hole he drowned in is deeper than my 25ft. anchor rope, and there are some teribble undercurrents/undertows from Chillicothe down to Ohio River. The coroner rulled out drugs and alchohol and it truly was an accident. Was it avoidable? Sure. The Scioto river is not a place to swim, but you should also get your facts straight and your knowledge of the river in the specifc area before you go assuming. Cause you what what happens when you assume.............


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## andyman (Jul 12, 2005)

I understand what you're saying. And indeed I have fished the Scioto from north of Cbus down to Chilli. I also know it well.

And normally I would agree with what you are saying. However on the day of the accident, and quite honestly for over a month, the cfs hasn't been over about 300-500 cfs in Chillicothe. That's hardly a trickle for that stretch and certainly not enough to create a deadly undercurrent. They also mentioned they found his body less than 50 feet from where he went under....so undertow doesn't sound like the cause.

Bascially I'm just saying that this particular accident doesn't make me any more or less cautious about the way I approach the Scioto or any other river. Wear a friggin' life jacket and check before you step.

He was irresponsible, plain and simple. Doesn't make it any less tragic, but it also doesn't make me rethink any safety factors.


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## Smallmouth Crazy (Apr 4, 2006)

fishnwithjoe said:


> The lower Scioto near Chillicothe is nothing like the north end of the Scioto near the city of Columbus. The River is much deeper, faster and has twice as much fish life. The Scioto is full of 25ft holes everywhere. The spots I fished in this video went from 4ft to over 20ft in less than a 50ft distance. Outside of lake Erie I'll go on record and say its one of the best fisheries in the state. I regularly have 25-35 fish days catching saugers, saugeyes, smallies, freshwater drum, and tons of spotted bass. It's easy to see how even an experienced swimmer would drown in its swift fast waters. It's one of our most precious fishing resources and we overlook and mistreat it. Any efforts made to clean up the Lower Scioto are very important and I applaud them. Here's a link to one of my videos made on the lower Scioto near Chillicothe for everyone to see what a great fishery it is.
> 
> YouTube - Chillin for fish in Chillicothe, Ohio
> 
> Fishnwithjoe


Nice video...I have family down that way I guess I should give them a shout.


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## fishnwithjoe (Jan 29, 2008)

Andy,
I apologize if it seems like I questioned your lower Scioto River facts. I've fished the River quite a bit and am always very cautious in that area. I just wanted to give anyone that died the benefit of the doubt. It seems like you fish the Scioto near Chillicothe quite a bit and know lots about it. I bet you have lots of photos of fish that you've taken in the area throughout the years. You should upload and share a few photos of fish youve caught in that area with the rest of us. We'd like to see some of the big ones youve caught down there. 

Fishnwithjoe


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## brhoff (Sep 28, 2006)

Sorry to "hijack"....fishin'n with Joe...how's about fishing with brhoff sometime?

The vids are awesome, I fly fish, perhaps something could meld?

PM if you'd like.


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## fishnwithjoe (Jan 29, 2008)

I just finished filming for another show on the lower Scioto on Sunday and put close to a 50 inch musky in the boat on film. Once the show is edited it will be broadcast on my website and on over a dozen of my affiliate websites as well. Look for it to be posted sometime in January when my new season of shows comes out. Until then check out all my other fantastic shows.
If youre interested in going to the Scioto I do guide trips and can show you how to be safe on the River but, you better book now. The weather is changing and the good fishing wont last long. Go to www.fishnwithjoe.com for more details.

Fishnwithjoe


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