Wabash

There is a new gauge!!! posted 5-24-16
http://nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov/in/nwis/uv?site\_no=03323000

March 15, 2015. This is big drop at 2550 CFS. The hole is huge and nasty! It looks runable, just big. It likely would spit you out. The hole shown is the drop in the middle. There is a smaller but significant hole just above this that is nearly river wide but looked easy to punch through. The last hole at the bottom looked nearly as significant as the one in this photo. Because all three of these become somewhat of a single continuous rapid and because of the size I would call it solid class IV to IV+ at this level. Definitely scout this rapid at this level.

We ran this twice now (at 350 cfs and 950cfs). As stated the rapid has changed and we ran it twice recently at two different levels so here is what we found. Big drop & Brian's Hole are really one rapid in my opinion. The rapid is easy to recognize as you can see the river clearly falling away on the horizon as you approach. The combined total drop of the rapid from entrance to final pool is maybe 10-15 feet (two slanting drops of 4' plus some gradient in the entrance and in between the drops). Eddy out on river left to scout. As you approach there are small waves as the gradient increases. We'll call that the 'entrance waves'. Once through the entrance (if you didn't eddy out), you approach Big Drop, there is a small surfable hole river right at the top about 20-30 feet before the drop which is why we call it the 'hero hole'. You can play that wave/hole but your roll better be lighting fast if you flip as there 'might' be enough time for a roll, and its fast current and shallow. Screwup factor is increased if you play that upper hole and flip. The drop is a slanting drop with a hole at the bottom. At 350 cfs there is a curling tongue on river right that flows towards right of center which was the more hero route. The middle line is pretty straight forward...punch the hole, and left of center is the more conservative route. Catch the eddy on either side (river left is preferred) then run the drop into Brian's Hole.

Brians Hole: Center and right over this drop put you into the meat of the hole. Run center angled to the left and punch / skirt the left side of the hole. Far River left misses the hole at both 350 cfs and 950 cfs. The hole was very retentive at 350cfs, yet very playable at 950cfs. Don't let lower water level fool you on this one, I don't think the classification would change much between 950 and 350. I'll upload a photo.

Although I never ran this before the changes, from what I have head about it, I think with the changes to the rapid, calling it class II is maybe under rated. I would rate it more like a class II+ or III- depending on levels. This definitely has more going on than S-Turn on Big Pine Creek II-III? or Widowmaker II+ on Pipe Creek.

Also we tried parking at the ball field once and hiking up over the levee. Not recommended unless you are park n playing and have to walk back up to your car. Walking down the levee over the big loose rocks was tricky while carrying a boat and it was a longer walk than we thought.

Happy paddling!

Josh Struble playing at Brian's Hole. Caught the river right at its peak of 900 cfs. Hole was grabby but playable.

Josh Struble running Big Drop at 900cfs.

The hole on the left side of the island

My son Brian watching my line in the big drop of the Wabash
Brians turn, his first run of the big drop on the Wabash
My son Brent going to the left side of the hole
A high water run by Mike Enright

Just a small ledge with some play spots
A nice wave with deeper water and a nice eddy on the right.

A nice wave with deeper water and a good eddy on the right.