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[buckjr]

Just curious as to others thoughts on pontooning/rafting the Chilliwack/Vedder for steelhead?  I've seen over the past few years more and more people feeling the need to drift the river from point A to point B, fishing different spots along the way. Is this neccessary on one of the most accessible and busiest rivers around? How does this affect the many other fishermen along the river?  Thoughts? 

[BentRodsGuiding]

I drift it regularly and avoid anglers completely. I use the raft to find spots of solitude and make my day more enjoyable.
The fact is the drift is as fun as the fishing. I can pack some firewood with me and have a small fire, roast some smokies and just have a relaxing outing.
If I run into busy sections I drift right past.
I never fish from the moving raft and use it to mostly hit spots others cannot.
It also allows me to bring multiple rods and try different techniques that suit different water types.

I always give shore anglers who are working an area first dibs as I spent decades fishing it that way and understand the challenges that walk in angling presents, such as low holing, fenceposting, and the magneto effect when someone spots me catching a fish.

I do it to make my day more fun, not catch more fish and its also a great way to learn the waters dynamics.

[bigblockfox]

couple of people floated past me yesterday. looked like fun especially with all the water we currently have. something tells me we will soon see more which is fine by me.

[riptide]

If they drift with etiquette as Rod suggests all will be good , if they setup to backtroll  or anchor at your favorite hole could be an issue . It's all about river pressure I guess , not to bad in steelhead season but it could create some heavy battles in the heart of salmon season . Also if it catches on for a new guide company or 2 that specialize in drift boating U.S. style , look out.

[Wiseguy]

Seen it done on the Stamp and Cowichan rivers. Where there is a lot less shore access for anglers. IMO the Vedder isn't really suited as every inch of the river can be accessed by shore. Bound to pee off someone by drifting over their hole and spooking the fish.

[armytruck]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsJNVIkTN4M

[BentRodsGuiding]

quite often drifting over a hole will improve fishing, once fish move and are woken up they will bite better than when they are hunkered down in a spot. i will run past anglers by going to the opposite side of the river or stay in the fast water and avoid rowing till i pass.

[penn]

quite often drifting over a hole will improve fishing, once fish move and are woken up they will bite better than when they are hunkered down in a spot. i will run past anglers by going to the opposite side of the river or stay in the fast water and avoid rowing till i pass.

Hopefully other guys doing it are as courteous as you .

[clarki]

A little bit off topic, but during coho season I saw 2 stand up paddle boarders riding the river downstream. It looked to be grand fun!

Also a canoeist came dowstream collecting floats from the back eddies along the way. The number of DNE floats that he had would make a grown man cry. He wasn't concerned with dink floats and gave me so many I needed two hands to carry them! I tend not to use dink floats so I kept a couple of the higher quaity, shorter, ones and gave the rest away.

[Speyfitter]

I'm with Bentrods (Rod) on this -

First - I have fished rivers where Kayakers or rafters have gone through, and this has happened on more than one occasion, and I have caught fish shortly after they went through. I really don't buy it that river craft affect the fish that much. Fish that inhabit rivers are used to debris coming down river and that is what oar powered boats will look like to them.  Having said that I do try to extend the courtesy to other anglers when float through. If I can, I pull my oars out of the water and try to float through the water like a log if possible. If the river isn't very wide I will pull the boat over and go behind wading anglers if possible, or float through on the far side away from where they are fishing. If there are hazards present then I focus on avoiding the hazards first obviously and that takes precedence over anything.

I've grown up around rivers all my life.  I've fished them most of my life. I have snorkel counted rivers for Steelhead several times back when I worked at a hatchery and was part of the recovery programs. I have tried to do some stillwater (lake/ocean) fishing but I always come back to and gravitate towards rivers - they honestly flow through my soul! When I bought my pontoon boat 2 years ago and started getting out and drifting rivers I really realized what I have been missing all these years - I really wished I started doing this years ago! There is not a better way I can think of to truly experience a river than to be on it floating down it. It greatly heightens and compliments the overall fishing experience. I slowly worked my way up to class 3 rivers and hitting some whitewater (with the right precautions) is downright fun! It really adds some extra accomplishment to your day if the fish aren't cooperating!

Floating rivers is very advantageous for a few reasons from a fishing point of view, even on rivers that are fairly accessible. A river like the Chilliwack can be accessed primary on foot as we all agree. I would say about 95% of it is accessible on foot. Of that 95% I would say about 20+% of it requires at least some bushwhacking and time on a trail or so to get to . When you drift a river, while there are shuttle and other logistics preparations plus getting your boat ready, etc. you really can more fluidly cover water rand access more out of the way shore angler bushwhacking type spots more easily. I have also found fishing spots I never knew of. You can also more easily access the other side if the river which is advantageous in a lot of situations - remember the Chilliwack is one of the more difficult rivers to wade across at most levels so this helps. Overall floating in a boat really lets you cherry pick the water you want to fish which is advantageous and also shortens the time between the spots you want to fish.

At the end of the day having done a river drift you will find you REALLY do sink in your seat a bit more. Your stress levels have come way down. And I figured out why: I was watching a rafting video and the raft guide nailed it as to why drifting rivers reduces stress. It is because you are living in the moment. When you are on the oars you are only focused on what is in front of you. Everything is 5 seconds ahead and 2 seconds behind you. There is nothing in your mind but this. Subsequently all the things that piss you off, or that worry you, are gone for the time you are floating down the river. When you park your boat at the end of the day you then begin reflecting on the enjoyment you had. Perhaps watching some video of the drift, or looking at pictures of fish on the camera. And you feel relaxed!  As long as you don't get into a life threatening situation and take the right precautions, river drifting is a highly enjoyable activity.

If you are going to throw stones without having drifted a couple rivers I encourage you to drift first and get back to us. I'm sure your opinion will change.  I do agree though - I won't go down the Chilliwack during Salmon season, only during the early to mid Summer or Steelhead season when pressure isn't as high.

Also, I have a youtube channel with some video I've taken from some rivers I've drifted over the past year or so - have a look!: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc26no1tJllWgUu6xlSw9xA

[TayC]

Very nice write up Speyfitter. Exact reason why I ordered an assault xx and will be drifting regurlarly.

[VAGAbond]

In respect to spooking the fish by drifting over them, I have fished with guides where the boat was literally parked over the fish with the motor running in actively moving water. No problem, we still caught steelhead just a rod's length from the boat.   In pools you could see the fish spook and move away as the boat approached.  Salmon, I don't know.  They tend to be in schools and I suspect the whole school would spook although this past Fall I fished from a guide boat where we ran over the pool with a jet boat, anchored and then caught coho in the water we just crossed.

[RalphH]

Whatever one may think about we will see  more and more boat, raft and pontoon traffic on the river. More and more boats come down from Barrowtown Pump launch and head up the canal - it's kind of annoying and they don't give a crap who is shore fishing and how their presence effects you or your angling experience.

[GENERAL-SHERMAN]

Whatever one may think about we will see  more and more boat, raft and pontoon traffic on the river. More and more boats come down from Barrowtown Pump launch and head up the canal - it's kind of annoying and they don't give a crap who is shore fishing and how their presence effects you or your angling experience.

   I have way more negative experiences with other anglers and overcrowding. People that fence post yet act all butt hurt when you ask to fish below them. Then there's the "runners" or speed walkers that have to hit every piece of water before the guy upstream of them... Fishing etiquette is way more an issue than people drifting or boating the river.

[penn]

Whatever one may think about we will see  more and more boat, raft and pontoon traffic on the river. More and more boats come down from Barrowtown Pump launch and head up the canal - it's kind of annoying and they don't give a crap who is shore fishing and how their presence effects you or your angling experience.

I don't think power boats should be allowed upstream of the highway bridge . There's no need to bring them upstream . They have restrictions for power boats on lots of lakes , why not the Chilliwack river ?