Hey there hawg. One of the best places to put in on the Saluda in the area you are talking about is at the Saluda Shoals Park and yes, very safe.. They charge for parking but it's only like $4.00.
http://www.icrc.net/saludashoals/
Also, not sure if you've been on the Saluda or not but on the Saluda you need to pay VERY CLOSE attention to how fast the water is moving. If they are generating power and have the turbines running at the dam the water becomes very fast and very unsafe. You can check here for accurate up to the hour results.
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/sc/nwis/uv/?s ... 0065,72020
Pay attention to the field below the chart and the reading that is labeled "Most Recent
Instantaneous Value". That's the number you need to care about. You can tell by the chart they they have not had the Dam operating all week. Odds are they won't tommorow either due to it being the weekend.
I also know that SCANA has a webpage that is updated daily and tells whether or not they will be running the turbines but can't seem to find it at the moment.
When on the river before the turbines are run a very loud horn is emitted and you will hear it. Word of advice, if you hear it, make it back to the launch, you'll have time to do so, just don't disregard the alarm.
There are many different species you can catch in the Saluda; Largemouth, Smallies, Catfish, Gar, Pickeral, and if you are lucky you may run into a school of Striper.
The Saluda is a gorgeous river, one of my absolute favorites. ENJOY and let us know how you did!!