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Author Topic: Flash flood  (Read 5990 times)

KarateKick

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Flash flood
« on: April 24, 2014, 09:04:53 AM »

Are there southwest BC locations where anglers may be at risk of being washed away by a sudden rush of melt water down a river or stream?
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Easywater

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Re: Flash flood
« Reply #1 on: April 24, 2014, 11:58:17 AM »

Chehalis canyon maybe.

Never fished there but I think someone mentioned it before.
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Rantalot

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Re: Flash flood
« Reply #2 on: April 24, 2014, 12:53:20 PM »

You would think any stream or river would Carry that risk .
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Funeral Of Hearts

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Re: Flash flood
« Reply #3 on: April 24, 2014, 01:27:15 PM »

Not really a flash flood but the water can come up pretty fast on the stave due to the dam or tides.

penn

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Re: Flash flood
« Reply #4 on: April 24, 2014, 02:20:43 PM »

Chehalis canyon maybe.

Never fished there but I think someone mentioned it before.
Used to fish there a fair bit in high water . Saw it come up fairly rapidly at times  but never even close to what I would call a flash flood .
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Every Day

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Re: Flash flood
« Reply #5 on: April 24, 2014, 02:42:36 PM »

Used to fish there a fair bit in high water . Saw it come up fairly rapidly at times  but never even close to what I would call a flash flood .

People that say the canyon section may be dangerous may be referring to the possibility of a flash flood from the unstable landslide letting go? Not sure. I've been on it in heavy rain, and I would say it's far from a flash flood scenario, you have ample time to leave.

I saw a few in Arizona and other places in the states, and they are nuts. You get rain and literally 5 minutes later there is a river half the size of the Vedder where there was nothing before that will take a car no problem. The standard protocol in one area we were at was to pull over in the middle of the road with 4 ways on (during the heavy rain you couldn't drive), and wait for the storm to pass by. The reason they started telling people to pull to the middle of the road, was that same year we were there a family pulled to the side and had their car taken away  ;D We rarely get enough rain to cause one, and our ground doesn't allow for it.
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Spoonman

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Re: Flash flood
« Reply #6 on: April 24, 2014, 04:03:43 PM »

No real risk of a flash from rain.The natural geography  here soaks up and slows the water.But from a landslide ..definately.I experienced one in Chehalis canyon 8(?) years or so ago.A landslide blocked the river causing a back-up and then let go....water dropped and dirtied first(definately THE warning sign to look out for.. just like a tsunami)....lasted about twenty minutes.....then became louder....1/2 km upstream we noticed the water begin to rise and ride up a cliff at a bend.......me and three others.. ..we all looked at each other....is what I think is happening actually happening???..... then heard the boulders start to roll along the bottom....water came up two feet in about thirty seconds... as it rose buddies pack starts to float away....grab our gear and book it!!.....luckily to get out of the spot was pretty much straight up....water came up ANOTHER  5-6 feet min about a minute and a half!!!.....as a side story there were kayakers on the river that day that came upon the slide, CLIMBED OVER IT carried on and had it break open behind them and rode the wave... they also saved an angler somewhere upriver from us that had waded out in the dropping water and was being swept away just as they happened upon him...met his buddy on our hike out...definately the scariest moment on the river...
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DragonSpeed

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Re: Flash flood
« Reply #7 on: April 24, 2014, 05:29:51 PM »

Debris torrents are your biggest concern with rivers/creeks around here.

HOOK

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Re: Flash flood
« Reply #8 on: April 25, 2014, 04:25:42 PM »

No real risk of a flash from rain.The natural geography  here soaks up and slows the water.But from a landslide ..definately.I experienced one in Chehalis canyon 8(?) years or so ago.A landslide blocked the river causing a back-up and then let go....water dropped and dirtied first(definately THE warning sign to look out for.. just like a tsunami)....lasted about twenty minutes.....then became louder....1/2 km upstream we noticed the water begin to rise and ride up a cliff at a bend.......me and three others.. ..we all looked at each other....is what I think is happening actually happening???..... then heard the boulders start to roll along the bottom....water came up two feet in about thirty seconds... as it rose buddies pack starts to float away....grab our gear and book it!!.....luckily to get out of the spot was pretty much straight up....water came up ANOTHER  5-6 feet min about a minute and a half!!!.....as a side story there were kayakers on the river that day that came upon the slide, CLIMBED OVER IT carried on and had it break open behind them and rode the wave... they also saved an angler somewhere upriver from us that had waded out in the dropping water and was being swept away just as they happened upon him...met his buddy on our hike out...definately the scariest moment on the river...


I remember this flood.

We were down near the hatchery fishing a nice pool between it and Easter seal camp. My dad almost got swept away because he crosses over when the water had gone down allowing him to get onto the little island and fly cast towards us. I remember the three of us with large tree branches in our hands hoping we could grab him as we watched him cross back upriver in chest deep water and heavy current. Only thing that saved his life that day when the wall of water hit was hiding behind a huge tree stump and waiting until the logs finished going by.
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milo

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Re: Flash flood
« Reply #9 on: April 25, 2014, 04:32:50 PM »

Any activity that involves being in, on or at a river is never risk-free, but with good old common sense and awareness of your surroundings, you can pretty much minimize the risk of an accident.
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CohoMan

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Re: Flash flood
« Reply #10 on: April 25, 2014, 08:38:30 PM »

Spoonman, I remember that day. We were across the hatchery when all of a sudden the river dropped and smolts were jumping up and down in puddles of water.

We knew something was wrong and rushed back quickly. Sure enough, torrents of water came down.

Still haunts me today to think if we did not move back what would happen.
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Archer

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Re: Flash flood
« Reply #11 on: April 26, 2014, 09:35:18 PM »

Good stories here.  I mostly fish the lower Fraser.  Freshet can bring down river some HUGE debris, like a full size tree, etc.  So more so if you are in a small boat, always have your life vest on...you won't have time to slip it on when that log, etc. come straight at ya and catches the anchor rope or hit the boat...your swimmin!!
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Daguru

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Re: Flash flood
« Reply #12 on: April 28, 2014, 02:03:43 AM »

Don't know if it's considered A flash flood but I  seen the capalano river rise and drop by as much as 3 feet in an hour or so
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Noahs Arc

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Re: Flash flood
« Reply #13 on: April 30, 2014, 10:20:47 AM »

Don't know if it's considered A flash flood but I  seen the capalano river rise and drop by as much as 3 feet in an hour or so

Ya I agree, although not a Flash flood, has been known to strand an angler or 2 from time to time.
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Sandman

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Re: Flash flood
« Reply #14 on: April 30, 2014, 09:51:59 PM »

Any stream has the risk, but the larger streams have greater potential and that is from log jams that give way suddenly and release large amounts of water.  However, the greatest risk is on the Squamish when the lava flow that dams Garabaldi Lake gives way in an earthquake.  That torrent will kill thousands.
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