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[Speyfitter]

I'm presently in between river boats right now. Sold my 11' Outcast Pac 1100 Pontoon boat (Mini-Cataraft) this past Spring and am waiting for a few stars to align for my next river boat (hopefully in the New Year or thereabouts). Just wondering what you guys use for river craft and what rivers you've drifted? Also what are your favourite drifts?  No secrets need to be given out - you can be vague if you want.

I've done the following sections on my Pac 1100:

Chilliwack River - Slesse to Tamahi
Chilliwack River - Tamahi to Vedder Crossing
Thompson River - Savona to Juniper
Thompson River - Juniper to Ashcroft
Thompson River - Big Horn to Nicomen, Below Devils gorge to Lytton
Thompson River - Devils Gorge (yes you read that right) down to Lytton
Cheakamus River/Squamish River - Bailey bridge to Judd road
Cheakamus River - Roads end to Bailey bridge
Squamish River - 13 mile to Judd Road
Coquihalla River - Carolin Mines to somewhere above Othello
Skagit River - 26 mile bridge to S-bend
Elk River - Hosmer to Fernie
Elk River - Fernie to Morrissey
Kettle River - International Boundary to Victorian Motel
Granby River - Browns Creek bridge to 10 mile bridge
Granby River - 10 mile bridge to Victorian Motel

Also rafted the following rivers, some with a buddy, some through whitewater training:

Thompson river - Devils Gorge (a few times) down to Lytton
Nicola River - Lots of times
Nahatlatch river - Francis Lake to Apocynym (the main whitewater section)
Coquihalla River - Carolin Mines down to above Othello
Chehalis River Canyon - Statlu Creek bridge to Morris Valley bridge
Chilliwack River - Slesse to Tamahi (a few times, at higher water levels)

For pure fishing bliss I REALLY enjoyed the Skagit. Beautiful river to walk n wade - even more beautiful and scenic floating/fishing it (but lots of wood - be careful!!!). For the exploration factor the Chehalis canyon was awesome (Lower Statlu canyon was even better!) - lets just say lots of cool stuff to see in there but you gotta be prepared and have a trip plan.  For pure adrenalin running my 'toon through the Devils gorge was a blast, but I must admit that was a whitewater endeavour. The Granby river float is highly recommended - the fish there are strangely acclimatized to floaters there (as lots of tubers go down the river).  I remember seeing a fish going around me and I plopped a fly down right near my toon as I floated by him and he came up and grabbed it!

IN the future I'm hoping to do the following:

Blackwater River
Wigwam (Purple Canyon/Lower Elk)
Flathead River
Chilko river
East/Upper Kootenay River
White River (Kootenays)


Bucket list, bucket list!!!

[bigblockfox]

i recently purchased this dave scatton assualt xxx. i have had boats all my life but this is my first drift boat. excited to get it in the water for the first time. reading all the great info people have been posting lately including safety gear and technique.

[Birkenhead]

Curious about the Thompson River sections. Did you fish the river from the boat as there are some mighty fast waters to contend with throughout those sections.

[Speyfitter]

The main sections guys often drift for trout is the Savona to Juniper and Juniper to Ashcroft sections (don't go below Ashcroft! - Black Canyon!), both of which are around 18-20-ish km long and are a good 6-10 hour drift depending on how much you stop to fish. The regs presently say you are not allowed to fish from a boat on the Thompson so you must park your boat and fish from shore (there is a reasonble amount of shore access/beaches to fly fish from).  I use the Thompson near Spences Bridge River levels station on the water levels site: https://wateroffice.ec.gc.ca (search "Thompson River" then click on the "Thompson River near Spences Bridge" and "View Report"). Myself personally I'd like to see the river at about 1000 CMS or lower discharge wise before considering going. 800 CMS or lower is even better. Less pushy, more runs slow down/open up, etc.  The water temps tend to warm up  about mid August some years so many guys will start around mid July or later so they are warm but not too warm if it's fair to say. Don't float these sections alone. There are a couple hazards to watch for in the Savona to Juniper section and they are on the train bridges. The First CN bridge downstream of the Deadman confluence has what are called the "Bridge rapids," just downstream. You go under the bridge and when you pop out there is an Island with rapids on either side (rated at Class 2 - straightforward, just straighten your boat out and ride the waves). The next CN bridge after can be quite treacherous as there can be some debris/logs on the bridge posts and a few bigger rapids/waves immediately downstream (depending on which route you take).  I tend to find the river left line to be the best/safest but this can change year to year. If in doubt, stop and scout. The other thing worth mentioning when you walk n wade is keep alert for rattle snakes near shore when you are wading. Either in/about the rocks and/or in the shallow water. Remember stream cleats or studs are highly recommended on the Thompson due to the river slime.  The mid Thompson sections are a step up grade wise: Martel down to Spences or Spences down to Big Horn or Nicomen have some Class 3-3+ rapids with bigger waves. And of course the Devils Gorge from Nicomen down 4 km past the Jaws of death and down to Lytton is big water class 3-4 or greater depending on levels (Cutting board goes Class 5 on the right side as the river gets lower into the late Summer).  The Thompson, despite all the bridges and trains is quite scenic and I find the trains running by you regularly are part of the history of this great Country that I've come to admire. There is a lot of history in them hills and a few good trout around. Pick up a copy of Bernie Fandrich's book "British Columbia's Majestic Thompson River." You can order a copy online or on your way up stop at Kumsheen rafting in Lytton and you can buy a copy there (Bernie Fandrich started Kumsheen rafting back in the 70's - his son's have taken over the business now). His book has detailed descriptions of the Thompson rapids and a lot of the history of the river as well. For example you can read about the community of Walhachin that was a settlement on the Thompson back in the early 1900's. And if you look far enough into the hills as you are floating you can spot the wooden flume that used to bring water from the Deadman valley to there. 

[Speyfitter]

i recently purchased this dave scatton assualt xxx. i have had boats all my life but this is my first drift boat. excited to get it in the water for the first time. reading all the great info people have been posting lately including safety gear and technique.

Right on man!

I highly recommend you take the Kumsheen course if you can swing it. It's 2 days of a lot of fun and you can find out what you are your boat can do.  The resort and instructors are top notch and the Thompson is a great river to train on.

Here's a video from a couple years ago when I took it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Wa1YX6sEX4
Rapids shown in this video are from Big Horn down to Nicomen (above Devils Gorge) and from Below the Devils Gorge down to Lytton.

[natepolean]

Hey Speyfitter, you drift the squamish from 13 miles all the way to Judd road?  I thought most people drift either the upper squamish or lower (cheakamus to squamish)  How easy is the squamish drift?

[Speyfitter]

The 13 mile to Judd road is drift is fairly easy at lower levels. Mostly Class 1-2 water.  There is quite a bit of wood/log jams in this section but it's generally not that hard to navigate around the stuff we saw (nothing river wide that day).  The main problem with this section is mid drift a few km's from the put in there is a long section of froggy water on the Squamish that you really have to get on the oars to move through - I wanna say at least 2 km's worth?  I probably won't do this drift again for that reason LOL.

[Speyfitter]

Hey Rod, did you ever sell your Outcast Power Drifter? Or is it deep in the dungeons of your fishing locker collecting a thick layer of dust? 

[clarkii]

Hey Rod, did you ever sell your Outcast Power Drifter? Or is it deep in the dungeons of your fishing locker collecting a thick layer of dust? 

Headwaters probably traded it for camera equipment 

I run an 8 ft bucks bag southfork.   Total drifts so far, 2.  It is complimented with a stohlquist fisherman pfd

[BNF861]

Picked up my first pontoon a few weeks ago. Was considering one for a while for smaller lakes where I can't put in my trailered boat as well as for an occasional drift. Found a really good deal on an Outcast Fishcat IR9 and picked it up. Definitely still a rookie, I have only done two drifts so far. The maiden voyages were a drift from Telkwa to Smithers on the Bulkley and Owens to Aspen on the Morice. Still getting the hang of it but a fun way to explore a river if you have a means to shuttle.

[Speyfitter]

Right on!!