Northwest Fishing Reports

Gringo Pescador and I did this drift earlier this week - incredible scenery and no one in sight for the first five miles! Unfortunately, no steel, but it's still a pleasant video and shows some neat locations. Watch it full screen to get the most of the HD quality. Especially cool for the first run we went through. Enjoy!

That first run look like a riot! The rest seemed pretty tame and relaxing though. Nice shoot!

Nice looking drift. I was noticing you guys passing up seems that I woulda hit. Way to slay the bait though lol. Looks like alot of fun.

flinginpooh wrote:Nice looking drift. I was noticing you guys passing up seems that I woulda hit. Way to slay the bait though lol. Looks like alot of fun.

Unfortunately with the low flow I was worried about getting back before dark, and we were pretty close. There was a lot of water that was prime that we really only fished very briefly. It's a long drift and no way could you fish the whole thing and do it justice.

Plugging was not an option except in a few spots, the water was just too slow.

Gringo fin-hooked a huge chum in a back-water area but unfortunately I must not have turned the go-pro on, which sucked. It was an epic battle, LOL.

The first fish on the video was a dolly, the second was a whitefish.

Yeah, it we were able to stop a few times, but with the short daylight hours and low water, we pretty much had to run & gun. There was a lot of sweet looking water I would have liked to have hammered, but as it was we got to the pullout right at dusk. And as cold as it was, we didn't want to be caught out there in the dark. If I'd had just a few more minutes, I think I could have trained that chum to pull us all the way back up to the launch though.

What about the next tricky spot just around the first corner? I had a hard time getting through there the one time I tried that drift and then there's that spot right when you get to gold bar where there is a hard left corner and the river drops several feet very quickly. Do you hold your breath and right down the middle that bad boy? Any tips would be great. Really want to learn that stretch. Great video by the way

spoonman wrote:What about the next tricky spot just around the first corner? I had a hard time getting through there the one time I tried that drift and then there's that spot right when you get to gold bar where there is a hard left corner and the river drops several feet very quickly. Do you hold your breath and right down the middle that bad boy? Any tips would be great. Really want to learn that stretch. Great video by the way

I think if I remember right the hard left corner has a big downed tree on the right. Just need to line yourself up far enough away so you don't get sucked into it. I'm by no means a pro on the sticks, but I don't recall it as terribly difficult. Just have to be ready to put your back into it for a few seconds to pull away.
Other than that and the very start of the float I didn't think it was too difficult. But we hit it when the river was quite low, so that would be a factor as well.

Yeah the river was about the same level as it is now (5' / 13000cfs).

The two spots you mentioned are not too bad, like Mike said, plan ahead, line yourself up, pump the sticks for 30 seconds and you are through.

I don't recall if it is possible on that 1st turn, but I've been up at the 2nd one (above the Wallace) where the river takes a hard left at the train tracks on a jet as well as when we floated it and if you were worried about it you could easily beach above it and walk the corner from the inside bank.

What are you rowing?

You mean 1300 cfs, 13000 is flooding. That would be one fast float!

I have a 16 foot wooldridge driftboat. I floated that in the summer and it was very low. I must have bounced off every possible rock on the way down. Iended up gettining stuck in the rocks just below the first corner trying the left side and I roped it down that big dropping corner near goldbar. At the end of the day it felt like I was in a car wreck! I'm still pretty new on the sticks but am gaining confidence every time I go.... When my friends dont flake out on me and I actually get to go. I'm trying to pump myself up to try that float again.

Well i offered to show you...Workin the next 2 weekends then off to the OP

bassplayer17 wrote:Well i offered to show you...Workin the next 2 weekends then off to the OP

Yeah I know and I appreciate it, between being really sick (got the flu and them bronchitis on top of it),family and work I haven't been able to get out.

Thanks I enjoyed the drift of the boat over the water,rocks downed trees. The smell of the rotting ferns, cedar, quietness. Then of course the icing on the cake FISHING with a Bud. I just launched, for the first time my "float tube" on Green lake.
Not equating to your trip other then the joy of floating.

tjpratt wrote:Thanks I enjoyed the drift of the boat over the water,rocks downed trees. The smell of the rotting ferns, cedar, quietness. Then of course the icing on the cake FISHING with a Bud. I just launched, for the first time my "float tube" on Green lake.
Not equating to your trip other then the joy of floating.

Thanks, it was a fun float, fish or not.

NICE!! REALLY ENJOYED THAT!!! I LIKE THAT RIVER Id be heading up that way Labor Day Weekend except got plans for the Nisqually!! THANKS AGAIN!!!

thanks. Some great scenery for sure, although the fishing was not so good that day.