- Buck Creek Dock when it was in Buck Creek pic from John P Davis.png (972.17 KiB) Viewed 3559 times
- Buck Creek.png (1.46 MiB) Viewed 3559 times
This is it when it became Omega Marina
- Buck Creek now Omega in photo.png (502.28 KiB) Viewed 3559 times
Here is a write up from the KDFWR page
Buck Creek
Buck Creek Map
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No other stream in Kentucky has caves that flow cold air and fog over the water, springs that gurgle fresh water along the bank and rugged beauty that rivals the Red River Gorge. Nothing else resembles Buck Creek in Pulaski County; it even has a tributary that appears from one cave, flows aquamarine for less than a football field before disappearing into another cave.
A series of floats on this remarkable resource immerses the paddler into the power of water in a karst environment and its ability to carve a steep gorge into the Cumberland Plateau through the millennia. The Buck Creek drainage has over 90 documented caves. The cleansing effect of water moving through rock contributes to the creek’s exceptional water quality.
Buck Creek’s pristine water is home to 77 species of fish and 30 species of mussels, nine of which are considered rare. The water of the creek nourishes the extremely rare cumberlandian combshell mussel, the little-wing pearly mussel and Cumberland bean pearly mussel, all listed as endangered species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Paddling the creek in the usual low water of fall grants perfect water conditions for families and beginners; however, boaters can expect to periodically drag their boats over shallow shoals and stream drops.
Buck Creek is home to a healthy population of smallmouth bass and an incredibly strong population of rock bass. The fishing for both of the species is some of the best found in streams in southeastern Kentucky.
The first float begins at the Dahl Road Access (KY 1677), which is actually located just a short distance down Rainey Road, which forks south at the Dahl Road Bridge. The access is located on the left, so look for the No Dumping sign. The take-out is a little over 4 miles downstream at the old KY 80 Bridge in the community of Stab. This makes an excellent half-day float.
The creek flows to the left just after the put-in along a bluff and the craggy rocks along the right bank (looking downstream) hold smallmouth bass. The water of Buck Creek flows exceptionally clear in fall. Downsizing line selection to 4-pound test fluorocarbon line lends a great degree of stealth.
Buck Creek smallmouth bass like minnow imitations in the fall. Soft plastic jerkbaits rigged weightless in the smoke-bluegill color draw strikes as well as chrome and black floating-diving minnow lures such as a Rapala.
After flowing straight over shallow bars, the creek then bends hard to the right and some gorgeous, bulging exposed rocks appear. The shady water under overhanging rocks is a fantastic smallmouth hide on Buck Creek in autumn. The Rapala is a productive choice in these areas.
The stream makes a long bend to the left and the bluffs that rise on the right signal Buck Creek’s descent into the northern edge of the Cumberland Plateau.
The creek then bends to the right and back left with exposed rock high above the paddler. After another sharp bend to the right, the KY 80 Bridge comes into view. The take-out is on the right at the old KY 80 Bridge (Stab Road), immediately downstream of the new bridge.
This is also the put-in for the next float that constitutes some of the best smallmouth bass water in Buck Creek. The take-out is about 7 ½ miles downstream at the Bent Road bridge (KY 1003).
Just downstream of the put-in, Buck Creek takes a nearly 180-degree turn to the left, the water’s force through the centuries scouring a gorgeous blue-gray bluff. This rock-strewn water at the base of the cliff holds smallmouth bass.
Buck Creek then flows straight for a time before a hard bend to the right and enters a doorknob-shaped bend, signaling the beginning of what is known as The Bent, and some of the most scenic paddling in Kentucky.
The Bent makes nearly a half square as Buck Creek carves its way down into limestone of the St. Genevieve and St. Louis formations, formed by ancient seas millions of years ago.
At higher flows, Buck Creek wants to push boats up against the base of these bluffs. Paddlers should watch out for strainers such as fallen trees that can quickly flip a canoe or kayak.
Anglers should probe any woody cover in the deeper holes in this stretch with 2-inch black curly-tailed grubs for rock bass. Rock bass in Buck Creek run larger and more robust than in other streams.
Just after the second 90-degree turn of The Bent, soaring terraced bluffs come into view on the right with the Bent Road Bridge in the distance. The take-out is just downstream of the bridge on the right. High clearance 4-wheel drive vehicles are recommended for driving to the creek at this access, but those in other vehicles or in rainy weather should park at the top of the access and carry out. Make sure to not block the road for other users.
This also serves as the put-in for the next float that ends 5 miles downstream at the Dykes Road Bridge (KY 192) or at the Poplarville Access one mile further downstream. This stretch abounds in geodes.
The stream flows into a more entrenched gorge in this section with terraced bluffs lining the stream, often on both sides. In fall with leaves changing, this section of Buck Creek transports a paddler into views of the foothills not much different from what greeted the pioneers or the Cherokee before them.
The bluff and overhanging bank on the left side of Buck Creek downstream of the Bent Road Bridge is an excellent fall smallmouth bass spot. The smoke bluegill-colored soft plastic jerkbait works wonders in this stretch. The creek bends to the left and then gently back to the right. The drops in this stretch offer some excitement to paddlers, especially at higher flows.
The creek flows straight for a time through a karst area known as The Sinks that produced saltpeter for black powder during the 1800s. Whetstone Creek, one of the few above ground tributaries of lower Buck Creek due to the karst geology, soon enters Buck Creek on the left. Whetstone Creek also marks the boundary of the Daniel Boone National Forest.
Soon, Buck Creek makes a sharp turn to the right. The rocky bank on the left against the bluff should be probed with a medium-running brown and orange crankbait for smallmouths. The creek then makes another sharp bend to the left, followed by a shallow bar. This water above and below this bar holds smallmouths as well.
The creek then deepens for a stretch and fallen trees hold rock bass and spotted bass. After receiving the cool waters of Baker Branch and a spring, Buck Creek makes a hard “U”-shaped bend to the right and then again left. Dykes Bridge comes into view. On early summer mornings, the cool air blowing from Dykes Cave at the bridge places a blanket of fog over Buck Creek here, called “cave smoke” by locals.
The take-out is at Dykes Bridge via a 4-wheel drive road on the left. A small parking area just west of the bridge accommodates users. Paddlers may continue for another mile to an easier take-out at the Poplarville Access on KY 3269, a short distance from its intersection with KY 192.
The parking area is on the right, across KY 3269 from two sandstone chimneys that once warmed long gone log structures. The entrance to Wells Cave on the left denotes the take-out for paddlers.
The next float begins at the Poplarville Access and ends 6 ½ miles downstream at Hail’s Haven Boat Ramp. At fall water levels, paddlers encounter the headwaters of the Buck Creek arm of Lake Cumberland early in the float. This relaxing paddle is perfect for families enjoying the fall scenery and the spectacular bluffs of lower Buck Creek.
The mud flats exposed by the recent drawdown of Lake Cumberland grew up in trees that are now flooded in lower Buck Creek, providing excellent fishing for largemouth and spotted bass as well as crappie.
Visitors can combine paddling Buck Creek with boating on scenic Lake Cumberland for a great fall weekend getaway. Nearby Somerset and Lake Cumberland offer accommodations for visitors. General Burnside Island State Park has 94 campground spots available until Oct. 31.
The old dock ended up at Omega and was swamped and lost its moorage multiple times being in the main river channel. Eventually to be torn up and pulled from the lake
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Omega Park residents incensed over conditions at Buck Creek Dock
By CHRIS HARRIS, CJ Staff Writer
Commonwealth Journal Aug 31, 2010
WEB creek.jpg
Debris litters the water at the Buck Creek Boat Dock at Omega Park in southeastern Pulaski County. Local residents say the Corps of Engineers should do more to help, while a representative of the Corps says they’re available to offer assistance when asked.
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“Omega” is the last letter Alphabet, and Bible readers have come to associate it with the end of time. For some who live near Omega Park, the perceived lack of attention to the state of the recreation facility there must make it seem like it’s at the very end of the earth. Residents of the Omega Park area are incensed by the current state of the Buck Creek Boat Dock, which is covered in debris. Planks of wood, old tires, and other miscellaneous pieces of junk litter the water out into the middle of this narrow stretch of the Cumberland River. Rose Ann Lupton lives only a couple of miles away, in a residential area off of Omega Park Road. Originally from Ohio, Lupton and her family have been visiting Lake Cumberland for 12 years and even moved down here — one advantage of the decision being proximity to the beautiful lake waters. However, the recreation area — which contains one of the numerous boat ramps in the county — isn’t fit to enjoy, she said. “I’m speaking for the community,” said Lupton. “We want a place for our family to swim, for our grandchildren to play in the lake.” Around the time the lake level was lowered to ease pressure on ailing Wolf Creek Dam, the Buck Creek Boat Dock moved from its old home at the end of Ky. 769 down in the southeastern part of the county a few miles west to Omega Park. Things really seemed to get bad out at Omega Park in May of 2009. An accumulation of heavy rains caused the Cumberland River to rise rapidly, and debris flowing downstream got clogged up at the end of the marina. According to Tom Hale, Lake Cumberland Operations Manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which maintains the lake and Wolf Creek Dam, the location of the dock presents a challenge. Most marinas are built away from the main channel in a cove or creek, which buffers the effect of strong water flows. However in the Omega Park area, the water flow can be much more forceful. The owners at the time, Gigi and Willy Zink, struggled to clean up the mess, and when heavy rains wreaked havoc again in January and May of this year, the situation at the marina became more or less permanently problematic. “We’ve had this marina almost 27 years, and we’ve never had any problem,” Gigi Zink said in May of 2009. “This time, it really got us. ... Mother Nature really did us in. ... It’s a disaster.” However, Lupton suggested it’s been going on longer than that. “This has been going on way before the marina came,” said Lupton. “We’ve talked with everybody and their brother, and we can’t get any response.” Since those earlier catastrophes, the ownership of the marina has changed hands. According Hale, Steve Watson and Albert Obest are the current owners of the Buck Creek marina. They could not be reached for comment on Monday. In 2009, Gigi Zink said that the marina’s insurance company wouldn’t provide the money to clean up the mess — “They won’t pay for anything,” Gigi said, “they say it’s an ‘act of God” — and that while she believed that the Corps should do more to help their business, she wasn’t getting much satisfaction from them either. Hale told the Commonwealth Journal on Monday that the Corps would offer assistance if requested by the marinas owners. “It’s just goes a lot quicker if they would let us know they need something,” said Hale. “If we know that someone is needing assistance, we try to set it as a priority. They don’t have to ask, but usually people call and ask.” Lupton said on Monday she contacted the Corps of Engineers herself and was given Hale’s phone number, but didn’t seem optimistic about hearing back. “(The Corps are) full of broken promises,” she said. “They brag about have a million dollar barge that chews up the debris” — but Lupton says she’s never seen it used at Omega Park. That “barge” is “The PRIDE of the Cumberland,” a boat christened in 2005 with the purpose of removing wood and trash debris on the lake. Hale said that after the January flooding, the “PRIDE of the Cumberland” tried to go out and clean up the area, but the water flow was too strong and the boat’s operators had to wait until the waters settled down a bit. “As soon as it went down, we took the boat up there and made it available to help,” said Hale. “In May (when severe flooding took place again), we were not asked to go do anything. We usually try to address the areas that need the most attention. We worked quite a bit around Waitsboro and the Pitman Creek areas, and did some work around some other private facilities.” Hale said that part of the current problem in that area is that last week, the lake rose about seven feet in elevation, from around the target level of 680 feet above sea level to 687 feet. “After that rain occurred ... we got quite a bit of rain downstream,” said Hale. “We’re letting the water out gradually. When that water came up, there was debris that came through, but nowhere near the load that came through in May.” Whatever the case, it’s too much for Lupton’s tastes. “It just breaks my heart,” she said. “The Corps does everything for the rest of the lake, but they do nothing for us. We’ve begged them to come clean it up, and we just can’t get anywhere. We pay our taxes and we want it cleaned up.”
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Fiscal court maintaining Omega Park dock
BY BILL MARDIS Mar 22, 2015
Omega Park
Pulaski County government is maintaining the boat-launching ramp at Omega Park. Site of a former marina, the ramp now has a community-built courtesy dock open year-round.
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The boat dock and recreation area at Omega Park in far southwestern Pulaski County are no more, but a courtesy dock has been built by the community and Pulaski County government is maintaining the boat-launching ramp.
Tiffany Bourne, community development director for Pulaski County, said the community made up money to build the courtesy dock that has been approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. She said it is simply a walkway and docking area where people can get in and out of their boats.
A marina, formerly Buck Creek Boat Dock, moved from the end of Ky. 769 to deeper water at the Omega Park area in 2007 when Lake Cumberland was lowered 40 feet while repairs were made to Wolf Creek Dam.
Gigi and Willy Zink operated Buck Creek Boat Dock at its original location for nearly 30 years, and were still owners when the dock moved to Omega Park.
The Zinks sold the marina after it moved. The Commonwealth Journal was never able to contact the new owner for a story about his plans for the marina.
Brant Norris, conservation ranger for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said buildings and shelterhouses at the former recreation area have been moved.
“A former marina owner had grandiose plans to develop the area but it never materialized,” said Norris. There is nothing there now but the boat ramp and the county graciously agreed to maintain that,” he said.
“We are maintaining the ramp just like a county road,” said Bourne. The single paved ramp is open year-round.