GLORY DAYS ON THE GREAT LOOP: BOBBIES FISH CAMP

DAY 151, WED NOV. 9, 2011
AM/PM CLOUDY, SHOWERS, COOL
DEP. BASHI CREEK 08:00 ARR. BOBBIE’S FISH CAMP (mm117) 11:00
D. 27 sm / 2759.7

After a very comfortable night at Bashi Creek, we left about 8AM we are headed to Bobby’s Fish Camp only 27 miles south. The Black Warrior Tombigbee WW (BWTB) gets really beautiful here. After some boring scenery this part has many turns and switchbacks and many offer very scenic views, especially Davis Bluffs at mm141.1. The many turns also have a downside, you can’t see the tows coming! The last thing you want to do is to come around a bend and find yourself in the path of a tow that is 3 barges wide and 6 deep. This is where AIS (automatic info system) comes in, and I am glad I invested in it. Every tow has a transponder that transmits its name, direction, speed, and most importantly location and direction of travel. This info is listed on my AIS receiver and is also graphically displayed on the chart plotter. When we are within a mile or 2 of a tow we call on the radio and ask for instructions on meeting or overtaking (1 whistle or 2?). It makes the journey much safer, and keeps the stress level down. I must add, that every tow captain has been very friendly and helpful. When you think about it, they don’t want an accident any more than you do, and I know from personal experience that they get stressed out when ignorant boaters do stupid things. They do a fantastic job of guiding these tows, sometimes over 600’ long and 150’ wide, around these turns, but cannot stop them or change direction very quickly. Our responsibility is to stay out of their way. We arrived a Bobbie’s Fish Camp at 11:00 AM. It is owned by Laura Jane, bless her heart, and is located in Silas AL. She inherited it from her father the late Bobbie who passed away 2 years ago. This place is a rare old relic with lots of emphasis on the fish camp. The marina seems like an afterthought. It is “self service.” You pull up, tie up, hook up to the newly installed electric, and then walk up the hill to pay. The problem is Laura Jane charges $1.50 per foot which is 50% more than every other marina. She gets it because she is the only place to stay in this stretch of the river. Her restaurant is only open Thurs. thru Sat, but because there are 6 of us she will open for us tonight. The mistake we made here is not asking the price. We have fried catfish with French fries and coleslaw, and fried pickles for an appetizer and the check is $50 with the tip. BTW, if you haven’t had fried pickles, you don’t know what you are missing.