Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: Speyfitter on November 30, 2013, 09:08:59 PM
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Hey fellas - any of you guys float/drift rivers in a pontoon/raft/drift boat/other? If so, what boat(s) do you own/use and what rivers have you drifted to date? Do you still drift rivers relatively regularly?
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I use my Canadian Tire kayak I've kitted out for fishing. Mostly used on the canal
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There's not too many rivers in BC that I haven't dropped a line in. It was 984 at last count taken from almost 60 years of diaries. The ones where it was practical I usually stuck a canoe in and paddled away from easy access points. Drifting while fishing was the main reason why I bought a pontoon. It is like being self guided once you know how to handle the craft with fins and oars. The first day I drifted the Kettle in a borrowed pontoon last summer I felt naked without fins. When Mel loaned me his fins my results increased 10 fold. I've got a pretty good idea of which BC rivers are practical for drifting and which ones aren't. It all depends on what you want... fishing or the adrenaline rush of going through rapids. Some guys just want to scare themselves and don't care about the fishing. For others (myself included) it's more about the fishing.
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Do guys ever drift the squamish? Looks doable? I've always wondered why I lve never seen a jet sled up there.
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Do guys ever drift the squamish? Looks doable? I've always wondered why I lve never seen a jet sled up there.
The Squamish is all grade 1 water right down to tide water from the Ashlu River junction downstream. Above the Ashlu is pretty easy until you get up to about 30 mile where the river narrows and runs right beside the road in a bit of a gorge.
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Do guys ever drift the squamish? Looks doable? I've always wondered why I lve never seen a jet sled up there.
The river channel is unstable and frequently shifts. The result is lots of wood in the river and the safe lines from the day before can often turn into stuff like this (below) over night.
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/p206x206/315707_720673842906_148119967_n.jpg)
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The river channel is unstable and frequently shifts. The result is lots of wood in the river and the safe lines from the day before can often turn into stuff like this (below) over night.
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/p206x206/315707_720673842906_148119967_n.jpg)
Wow that's crazy. I noticed that the banks are very loose up at the squamish. I have considered floating it to cover more water but definitely would not try after flood or at high water
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The river channel is unstable and frequently shifts. The result is lots of wood in the river and the safe lines from the day before can often turn into stuff like this (below) over night.
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/p206x206/315707_720673842906_148119967_n.jpg)
That can happen in any river in the province... and often does. The upper Elk River in the Kootenays is especially bad for that. River drifters should never assume anything and should be prepared to abort certain sections that they've drifted safely before. I never drift rivers during high water if I don't know all the particulars. I've learned my lessons the hard way and I've been very lucky on more than one occasion.
Even jet boats are not immune.
(http://gallery.fishbc.com/albums/album251/Sunken_sled_1.sized.jpg)
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What happened with that boat? I was just trying to talk my friend into taking his jet up there.
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Taking a jet boat up the Squamish right now is an extremely bad idea. Let's just run a jet sled around and displace all of the eagles that are feeding on the chum carcasses, sounds like fun. That is a huge stressor on these birds who are just trying to eat as much protein as they can to help them survive the winter.
The reason you don't see many jets on the Squamish is because you can access most of it by foot with exception of the Native Reserves. This is not a river for jet boats and your very likely to piss off the majority of the angling community as well as the large amount of people who come to see the eagles. Drift the river in a raft or better yet walk.
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I used to row the river in a 16 ft drift boat on the Stamp, Naniamo and Cowichan rivers when I lived on the island. I can remember one time on lower water not staying enough to the left of "hole in the wall" on the Cowie and almost got sucked into the giant whirlpool there. I rowed my guts out when I realized we were heading straight for the wall and barely avoided what would have been a drowning.
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Taking a jet boat up the Squamish right now is an extremely bad idea. Let's just run a jet sled around and displace all of the eagles that are feeding on the chum carcasses, sounds like fun. That is a huge stressor on these birds who are just trying to eat as much protein as they can to help them survive the winter.
The reason you don't see many jets on the Squamish is because you can access most of it by foot with exception of the Native Reserves. This is not a river for jet boats and your very likely to piss off the majority of the angling community as well as the large amount of people who come to see the eagles. Drift the river in a raft or better yet walk.
I guess I better not catch any fish either, that would really piss "them" off!
Lmao ::)
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What happened with that boat? I was just trying to talk my friend into taking his jet up there.
That sled was the result of an operator's miss calculation on the Pitt River, not the Squamish. As others have said, a pontoon is all you need on the Squamish. No need for a jet. Jets should ONLY be used on rivers where there is no other practical means of travel. I've canoed the Squamish many times when I lived there in the 1970s.
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Growing up we used to drift the Nooksack for steelhead using hot shots. My dad still does it most years but not as frequently as he isn't able to row that much anymore. We have caught so many fish that way it isn't even funny. Back when there used to be plenty of fish, I remember going out for a half day drift, keeping our 2 a piece (so my dad and 2 brothers and me so 8 fish), all 15+ pounds, with many others released and many holes skipped because we had been too busy fighting fish we didn't have time to fish them.
I miss those days.
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Growing up we used to drift the Nooksack for steelhead using hot shots. My dad still does it most years but not as frequently as he isn't able to row that much anymore. We have caught so many fish that way it isn't even funny. Back when there used to be plenty of fish, I remember going out for a half day drift, keeping our 2 a piece (so my dad and 2 brothers and me so 8 fish), all 15+ pounds, with many others released and many holes skipped because we had been too busy fighting fish we didn't have time to fish them.
I miss those days.
I also Hot shotted for hoes when drifting the Nanaimo river way back when. Man was that ever a lot of fun! Thanx for bringing back those memories... ;D
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I also Hot shotted for hoes when drifting the Nanaimo river way back when. Man was that ever a lot of fun! Thanx for bringing back those memories... ;D
Too bad our series of BC and Federal governments do not, and have not, valued the steelhead. The steelhead is the canary in the mine and our governments have not recognized that.
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I also Hot shotted for hoes when drifting the Nanaimo river way back when. Man was that ever a lot of fun! Thanx for bringing back those memories... ;D
I would assume hoes would be the same as steelhead, they absolutely KILL the thing.
Welcome. I think about it often when I am missing fishing.
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So what are viable rivers for floating?
I would think Stave is too short?
Canal seems like there would be too many shore anglers in the way?
Fraser too big?
Squamish too eratic?
What do people prefer to use? I already have a kayak that I could outfit for the job, but I was thinking about getting a belly boat 'cause they can be super-cheap on craigslist, and I figured that would allow me to steer with my feet so I can focus my hands on fishing not paddling? but that leaves me legs in harms way when it comes to rocks, ect....
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So what are viable rivers for floating?
I would think Stave is too short?
Canal seems like there would be too many shore anglers in the way?
Fraser too big?
Squamish too eratic?
What do people prefer to use? I already have a kayak that I could outfit for the job, but I was thinking about getting a belly boat 'cause they can be super-cheap on craigslist, and I figured that would allow me to steer with my feet so I can focus my hands on fishing not paddling? but that leaves me legs in harms way when it comes to rocks, ect....
Stave is a great river to drift in my opinion, I take my pontoon there quite often!
It might not be the normal type of drift where you put in and take out 5km down, but getting in for a drift gives you access to many spots shore anglers cant get to. Definitely a great way to get away from the crowds. It is also a pretty easy river to do your first drifts on, lots of slow water and many channels to explore... It is easy to go back up some areas to try other channels. This was the first river i dropped my pontoon into!
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So what are viable rivers for floating?
I would think Stave is too short?
Canal seems like there would be too many shore anglers in the way?
Fraser too big?
Squamish too eratic?
What do people prefer to use? I already have a kayak that I could outfit for the job, but I was thinking about getting a belly boat 'cause they can be super-cheap on craigslist, and I figured that would allow me to steer with my feet so I can focus my hands on fishing not paddling? but that leaves me legs in harms way when it comes to rocks, ect....
Don't drift rivers in a belly boat of any description. It's dangerous. Pontoons are ideal if you use a combination of oars and fins, unless you only want the pontoon for transportation and you are going to get out to fish.
Also, don't anchor a pontoon in any kind of current. That is also dangerous unless the pontoon is at least 11 feet long.
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Don't drift rivers in a belly boat of any description. It's dangerous. Pontoons are ideal if you use a combination of oars and fins, unless you only want the pontoon for transportation and you are going to get out to fish.
Also, don't anchor a pontoon in any kind of current. That is also dangerous unless the pontoon is at least 11 feet long.
Read one of your excellent articles in B.C Outdoors about rafting the Gold. Did u ever tackle the Salmon, Nimpkish or Nahwitti ?
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Hmmm. I need to find a way to rig a pontoon to my 2 door neon before i get rid of the kayak....
Anyone got a welder?!?!
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Hmmm. I need to find a way to rig a pontoon to my 2 door neon before i get rid of the kayak....
Anyone got a welder?!?!
Ratchet straps, hook them to the oh poop handles lol
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Hmmm. I need to find a way to rig a pontoon to my 2 door neon before i get rid of the kayak....
Anyone got a welder?!?!
I have a welder! Just get an older roof rack, the style that's adjustable to fit any width of car and sticks out on the sides.
How small does a pontoon boat go anyways?
Also what's so dangerous about floating in a belly boat? Obviously you wouldn't want to be going down rapids, but a slower river like the harrison is what I was thinking? I have a kayak for real rivers...
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I have a 17' Willie drift boat and a 14' Maravia Raft. Mostly I do float trips in the States, using the raft for anything over class III. When steelhead fishing, I mostly backtroll plugs or side drift roe/wool. I've learned several drifts so well that I fish them at night with Brads lighted plugs and absolutely slay them.
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I'm just wondering when we're gonna see Rodney Hsu in his Outcast power drifter again on a river near you?
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Read one of your excellent articles in B.C Outdoors about rafting the Gold. Did u ever tackle the Salmon, Nimpkish or Nahwitti ?
I have drifted several sections of the Nimpkish at different times and went through one place in my raft that I definitely shouldn't have. I found out later that it had a portage route around that hole in a canyon with a boulder blocking the entrance. Thankfully we survived but I wasn't sure we were going to make it. I've drifted most of the Salmon River to tide water and the only problems were getting around log jambs in the upper river. I've walked the Nahwitti from the end of the logging road to the ocean beach, but that was a long time ago and the logging road has extended even further towards the coast now. I've done the same on the Stranby and I'm sure logging roads have carved into that valley as well.
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I'm just wondering when we're gonna see Rodney Hsu in his Outcast power drifter again on a river near you?
I'm not sure that's such a good idea…. For entertainment purpose maybe. Educational, not so much, unless the demonstration is on what not to do...
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Rod, I heard through the grapevine that you haven't drifted since the Elk on your video which was your first time out drifting a river if I'm not mistaken? You should bring the family out to the Kettle/Granby Drift in July and camp out with us- much gentler and better for beginners. Not saying I have tons of experience but it was a great place for myself to cut my teeth and it's a great family atomsphere with lots of board members out for a few days. I found that after having done those first few drifts on the Kettle/Granby, I then drifted the Elk a few weeks later and I found the Elk a good step up from the Kettle/Granby drifts (and then after the Elk did the Thompson and that was another step up from the Elk drifts I did, and then after that I did the Chilliwack for our 'toon course which was a blast).
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I agree with that, Speyfitter. The Grand Forks outing is great one... even for people who don't fish.
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I picked up an old avon ("bucket boat"/non self bailing) raft that I built a rowing frame for. I plan on using this rig soon on some island rivers.
(http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb417/Graemealbum/image_zps85e486de.jpg) (http://s1204.photobucket.com/user/Graemealbum/media/image_zps85e486de.jpg.html)
For those with experience drifting in rafts, what can I expect when trying to anchor in medium speed water? How to rafts track and are they fishable from anchor if you have a rigid floor?
My plan on getting this raft was to access spots that I could then fish from shore, so basically a means of transportation not a fishing platform.