DAVIS LAKE Car Top Boat launching area closures, Jenkins/CowCreek etc.

[FREEDOM-FLYFISHER]

No apology required WLREDBAND. Here's a little more information for you and everyone else concerned about access issues for your fellow flyfishermen/women as to what is taking place at Davis Lake so everyone can better understand the situation. I was trying to explain the situation concise and clearly and not rant as you said so that people such as yourself and everyone unfamiliar with the situation can understand what is going on and perhaps lend support and shoot off a quick email for access in support of your fellow flyfishermen/women. Apparently I have failed you in that regard.

Let me try again.
What is currently going on at Davis Lake is the closure of Jenkins Point and Cow Creek which are important areas for launching various small craft for many users (car toppers). They are both dirt points extending into the lake on the west shore which are sheltered from the wind giving close access to fishing areas without having to boat unsafe long distances. Both points have been in use for 54 years since the dam was built in 1967 and the lake formed. This isn't a natural lake that is environmentally sensitive it is a man made reservoir. There are no environmental issues here or damage from car toppers. People aren't driving along the lake shoreline they are simply driving to the waters edge just like what is done at developed points such as Camp 5 which now has a paved road out, a parking lot and concrete boat ramp. Cattle have been allowed to graze the shoreline since I have been fishing the lake some 35+ years trampling the shoreline, trampling the creeks, urinating and defecating all over leaving behind cow pies to be washed into the lake, tearing up the shoreline leaving behind deep holes from them sinking into the muddy areas. So the cattle grazing all over might be considered much more environmentally damaging than anyone driving to the waters edge on hard packed dirt out onto either Jenkins or Cow Creek point.

The lake was undeveloped for decades. Nice and natural. Then in went the paved roads, paved camp grounds, parking lots, concrete boat ramps and development. Some would say that isn't environmentally friendly. Personally, I would prefer the lake undeveloped as it once was but I am ok with the development just leave a few spots for people that need to launch from the shoreline. Also, Car toppers aren't backing their vehicles into the lake they are simply parking at the waters edge. Their vehicles are not going into the water with brake dust on the axle, axle grease, road grime and dirt, axle grease from the trailer so it could be argued that what car toppers are more environmentally friendly than all the pavement/development/boat ramps and vehicles going in the water. Just to be clear, I am not against the development or power boaters, I/WE simply want to have a few places left for ourselves. As I stated above these points have been in use for 54 years since the reservoirs formation but now USFS is closing this access apparently to force people to developed areas and concrete boat ramps which don't lend themselves to car top launching so that they can charge fees.
I don't mind paying a fee. I just need a safe place I can drive to the shoreline get in my kayak and leave my wheelchair at the waters edge unmolested awaiting my return as I have been doing at these areas for some 35+ years.

Aside from myself the closures also affect anyone that is "car topping" that needs to have a little time off loading their boat and loading up the boat with gear which spending 20-30 minutes on a boat ramp doesn't allow. I know a lot of guys that use prams and they have little kicker motors so they have to get that out of the truck and bolt it on and then grab their gear which takes a bit of time. A car topper with a pram on the roof isn't loading up the boat on a trailer in the parking lot before launching. A car topper is popping their pram/canoe/ off the roof and then loading it up. That can't be done on a boat ramp as it takes a bit of time. A lot of car top users use these points as opposed to boat ramps for that exact reason ,,,,,so they can take their time and load up.
So that's the issue here, I hope it's a little clearer.


Pictures of the Cattle. This picture was taken right across from the closed off northside of Camp 5 point. You can see the ripped up shoreline from the cows as it is soft mud along the shoreline in that area.
I once witnessed two bulls going at it for a half hour 50 yards from me at cow creek kicking up a dust storm. It was quite the wild seen.
This photo is an example that a vehicle simply parking 10 feet from the shoreline on hard packed dirt is far less damaging than cattle freely roaming the shoreline all around the lake tearing it up.

As an example picture of the northside of Camp 5 point a nice open flat area with plenty of area for parking that had been in use for decades that has been closed off with boulders and logs by the USFS. I loved launching from here because it is very flat which I personally need and I could leave my wheelchair blocked by my vehicle and had a short paddle south to the dam area to flyfish or north to Jenkins if that point had a lot of vehicles.
You can see a "handicapped fishing jetty" in the distance.
All sorts of people used to park on the northside Camp 5 point pull out a chair and fish. So now they can't but USFS saw fit to spend thousands? ten thousand+? on a jetty that 90% of the time high and dry is out of the water and no one uses instead of leaving open the northside of the point to parking and fishing. It's all a money grab my fellow flyfishermen/women.