Salkehatchie River near Yemassee provides natural beauty, history and a glimpse at wildlife

Cheerful voices carried through the swamp: “We are spending more time out of the boat than in it!” This was followed by hollow banging sounds of an aluminum boat coming into contact with a stout piece of cypress or tupelo tree.

I rounded the bend in the river to discover two fishermen with a small Jon boat. They had climbed out of the boat to balance precariously atop a log that was blocking the main channel. The log was slick with the cool black river water, and they resembled two soggy lumberjacks as they balanced atop it. They dragged the boat across and climbed back in, and once again began to paddle upstream.

I greeted them and we exchanged conditions up and down stream from which we had come. More fallen logs would greet my new acquaintances but they didn’t seem to mind.

“We are catching a mess of fish,” they said. Indeed, it appeared that they were having a good morning. I told them I was fishing, too, but mainly was here to enjoy exploring a quiet river that not many people knew about. This earned me a funny look from the fishermen.

“Fella, when you are on the Salkehatchie and the fish are biting, you ain’t never alone.”

We were on a section of the Salkehatchie River near Erhardt in Bamberg County, and on this summer morning, the river was indeed getting crowded. I soon discovered why. The redbreast bream were biting, and that meant fun fishing, and for many, good eating.

“I have been catching redbreast all morning,” said Chase Freeman, a fisherman from Hampton. I encountered Chase fishing from his kayak not far from Broxton Bridge. Chase reached into his cooler and came up with a fish about the size and shape of a regulation ping pong paddle.

The redbreast sunfish (Lepomis auritus) loves the slow moving dark water of the Lowcountry. When caught, they put up a spirited fight and their striking beauty is something to behold. I had brought a small pole and decided to catch a few myself, and soon discovered why the swamp was a surprisingly crowded place.

The Salkehatchie River rises near Barnwell and runs for less than 100 miles to become the Combahee River near Yemassee. Turkey Creek and Whippy Swamp converge to form the main body of the Salkehatchie.

Unlike many other rivers that crisscross the Lowcountry, the Salkehatchie is a braided, winding, swampy river that often lacks a defined channel. It is vital to the ecology and intertwined with the history of South Carolina. This year, I resolved to explore the Salkehatchie and soon discovered that I would have to do it in sections.

In February, a friend and I launched near River’s Bridge and paddled a mile long section of the river. The channel flows past Rivers Bridge Battlefield, the site of one of the Confederacy’s last stands. We got out of our kayaks and toured the battlefield, marveling at the thought of the Union Army wading the flooded, frozen swamps of the Salkehatchie in mid-winter to attack and defeat the defending rebels.

In the late spring, we paddled the section of the Salkehatchie at Broxton Bridge. This crossing is the site of another Civil War battle. Here, the dark, tannin-stained waters of the river weave in and out of swampy channels beneath a canopy of cypress and tupelo trees. Songbirds dart among the vines, woodpeckers tap their codes, and fishermen bumped across fallen logs in search of redbreast bream. I discovered other company in the swamp: tree-roots and hanging limbs had eyes, as each one seemed to sport a water snake basking in the filtered sunlight.

A few weeks later, I kayaked the lowest portion of the Salkehatchie above Yemassee. Here, the wide, shallow river quickly becomes entangled in a swampy maze, where fish hide and alligators cruise. A few hours on the water convinced me that this was truly the most authentic river experience in the Lowcountry and I vowed to return.

No matter which section of the Salkehatchie River you explore, you will be overcome by its breathtaking beauty and overarching sense of the wild. Whether you go to explore and experience the history and catch a glimpse of the Civil War from days past, or if you wish to observe nature with binoculars or a fishing pole, you will not be disappointed.

Getting there

The three sections of the Salkehatchie River described above are all within an hour of Beaufort County. The Rivers Bridge boat ramp is located on SC 641 near Erhardt. It is within a mile of the Battle of Rivers Bridge State Historic Site. If you wish to paddle this section of the river to get a feel for what Union troops encountered during the battle, you can paddle less than a mile upstream and see the remains of the old roadbed crossing the swamp.

From the Beaufort area take US-21 to Yemassee and then SC S-25-13, Salkehatchie Road to US-601. At 4 miles turn left onto SC 641W. To launch at the Broxton Bridge Landing follow the same directions. The landing will be where 601 crosses the river.

To paddle the lowest section of the Salkehatchie, launch at US-17A in Yemassee, where the highway crosses the river. The river here is affected slightly by the tides but a short journey upstream will take you to the braided swampy channels of the lower Salkehatchie.

For more information on these landings, the Salkehatchie, and to obtain a freshwater fishing license (cost is $10) go to https://www.dnr.sc.gov for maps, and other information.