First raft trip

jact55

Life of the Party
Forum Supporter
Hello. This is my first post. I'll try not to be a turd and have it be my only. I'm a member of many forums, and try not to abuse, rather be part of the community.

So I just picked up a catchercraft 10.5' sea rull bull raft.
I travel to Idaho and Montana for work, and live in eastern WA. So I fish all 3 states.

After I learn to row on my lake by my house, obviously I'm itching to hit rivers. But I'll practice patience and make sure I'm as ready as I can be. Maybe hit slow parts of spokane river to get used to current and such.

After doing research, I think I've landed on my maiden voyage real adventure being on the St Joe in Idaho. Between huckleberry campground and Calder Bridge.

I've never fished the st joe. Only rivers I've ever floated are in montana.
But from what I can research, this seems to be a fairly gentle but productive stretch?
Do you agree or no?
I plan to drive there before hand and scout. But before I make the couple hour drive, do you think this stretch is good for a first run, or no?

Thanks in advance.
 

_WW_

Geriatric Skagit Swinger
Forum Supporter
I have floated that stretch and I think you'll be fine. Of course timing is everything though. I did it when the river was 3000 cfs and dropping.
 

jact55

Life of the Party
Forum Supporter
I have floated that stretch and I think you'll be fine. Of course timing is everything though. I did it when the river was 3000 cfs and dropping.

Thank you for your input sir.

Maybe a dumb question, but I'm dumb/learning.
So I had in my head that CFS that would be proper to raft would vary river to river.

Is there a general "if it's under 3000 CFS it's good in general for EVERY RIVER"?

Or does size of river play an inpact on cfs versus raft safety?
like 3000 cfs for st joe and like 5000 cfs for spokane would be go time?

It seems common sense is best. Don't hop on a river in late April while it's raging. But wondering if different cfs per rivers is a key? Or there is a "magic number" that pertains to most rivers?
 

Fourbtgait

Steelhead
It’s relatively tame there after probably July. Last several miles can be slow on a hot day For the stretch you are talking.
 
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_WW_

Geriatric Skagit Swinger
Forum Supporter
Is there a general "if it's under 3000 CFS it's good in general for EVERY RIVER"?
For me, the intel I got was that the Joe fished better after runoff was down to 3000 cfs. So that's why we went at that time. After our trip I decided it might even fish better at a lower cfs. I included the cfs in my comment more as a safety data point than anything else.
 

Shad

Life of the Party
Get familiar with reading streamflow gauges before venturing out, and talk to a local sporting shop about what flows are safe on a given river. Starting out, you should look for flows to be close to "normal," whatever that might be. As you gain experience in each watershed, you'll get to an understanding of what flows make a float ideal, marginal, or out of the question.

Bear in mind also that high flows are not always more hazardous than low flows. Indeed, when the water gets too low, it's often more dangerous, due to the fact there's less room to avoid hazards.

You'll get a feel for these things fairly quickly once you get started, but until then, it's wise to ask someone who knows the water you're planning to float what flows are safest.
 

NRC

I’m just here so I don’t get mined
Forum Supporter
Hello. This is my first post. I'll try not to be a turd and have it be my only. I'm a member of many forums, and try not to abuse, rather be part of the community.

So I just picked up a catchercraft 10.5' sea rull bull raft.
I travel to Idaho and Montana for work, and live in eastern WA. So I fish all 3 states.

After I learn to row on my lake by my house, obviously I'm itching to hit rivers. But I'll practice patience and make sure I'm as ready as I can be. Maybe hit slow parts of spokane river to get used to current and such.

After doing research, I think I've landed on my maiden voyage real adventure being on the St Joe in Idaho. Between huckleberry campground and Calder Bridge.

I've never fished the st joe. Only rivers I've ever floated are in montana.
But from what I can research, this seems to be a fairly gentle but productive stretch?
Do you agree or no?
I plan to drive there before hand and scout. But before I make the couple hour drive, do you think this stretch is good for a first run, or no?

Thanks in advance.
If possible, float with someone, assuming you can find a buddy or even kindly internet stranger with their own craft.
 

jact55

Life of the Party
Forum Supporter
Thank you all for the replies. All good info.

Regarding the last comment from NRS- I know a few folks who have experience. I've reached out to them, and everyone is game. But happening in real life is a different story.
For montana, I do go out with a guy who's taken me down the flathead and kootenia. I can lean on him for rivers in those areas.

I've given serious thought to paying a guide to take me down some, spokane, Yakima, ect. But at 500 bucks a pop, I can only do so many.
But it's prime to watch someone with experience to start.

I think I'm going to put together a spread sheet with flow rates, river stretches, time of years, ect. Just finding proper info. Obvious experience trumps all. But I do take it serious, risks and respect to the power of a river

I'll start my spreadsheet with 2000-3000 cfs for st joe haha :)

The balance of time i have, versus scouting, versus fishing is the tough thing. Damn job gets in the way lol
 
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jact55

Life of the Party
Forum Supporter
I guess on that note of strangers, I think I would want to stick around here and get to know some folks first.
But down the road if someone wants to take a rookie who would be more interested in learning to read a river over fishing at this juncture and wants some help with costs on a day, Holler at me. Life ain't cheap and I would value learning.
 

Fourbtgait

Steelhead
Here is the past year stream flow of the St Joe at Calder, which is where you will take out. Our trip last year was July 23. Decent flow for drift boat, but should have gone beginning of July for more water. So if you can talk to others of last year, by having this you can see stream flow amounts.
talk to Silver Bow fly shop in Spokane, see what they say.
 

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Hello. This is my first post. I'll try not to be a turd and have it be my only. I'm a member of many forums, and try not to abuse, rather be part of the community.

So I just picked up a catchercraft 10.5' sea rull bull raft.
I travel to Idaho and Montana for work, and live in eastern WA. So I fish all 3 states.

After I learn to row on my lake by my house, obviously I'm itching to hit rivers. But I'll practice patience and make sure I'm as ready as I can be. Maybe hit slow parts of spokane river to get used to current and such.

After doing research, I think I've landed on my maiden voyage real adventure being on the St Joe in Idaho. Between huckleberry campground and Calder Bridge.

I've never fished the st joe. Only rivers I've ever floated are in montana.
But from what I can research, this seems to be a fairly gentle but productive stretch?
Do you agree or no?
I plan to drive there before hand and scout. But before I make the couple hour drive, do you think this stretch is good for a first run, or no?

Thanks in advance.
The few times I've fished up there I stopped into Idaho Fly Fishing Company, in Avery, for intel. I know you're not going that far up it could be worth calling or stopping in to get an idea of how it's flowing and fishing at any particular time.
 

jact55

Life of the Party
Forum Supporter

First off thank you all, been very helpful and active in helping a new person to your forum.

I've heard that reds fly shop also offers a rowing class in Yakima. I'm in spokane, so may be a little closer to home.

But these classes is something I have been pondering.
 

jact55

Life of the Party
Forum Supporter
The few times I've fished up there I stopped into Idaho Fly Fishing Company, in Avery, for intel. I know you're not going that far up it could be worth calling or stopping in to get an idea of how it's flowing and fishing at any particular time.

I've talked to silverbow here locally. They gave me some simple maps of north fork cda River and st joe. As well as shuttle phone #s.
I plan on doing a day trip at some point before I eventually launch, just to scope the river. I'll pop into this shop and get to know them. Thanks
 

LBL

Steelhead
Forum Supporter
First off thank you all, been very helpful and active in helping a new person to your forum.

I've heard that reds fly shop also offers a rowing class in Yakima. I'm in spokane, so may be a little closer to home.

But these classes is something I have been pondering.
My daughter was a guide for Northwest. These are high quality schools coming from a white water point of view. Safety will be a focus as will understanding hydrodynamics and how to read the water. They will also get you into real class III.
After a class like these I believe that anyone who fishes will be safer and much much more competent on normal fishing waters.
Plus it will be really fun taught by nice people.
 

brownheron

corvus ossifragus
My daughter was a guide for Northwest. These are high quality schools coming from a white water point of view. Safety will be a focus as will understanding hydrodynamics and how to read the water. They will also get you into real class III.
After a class like these I believe that anyone who fishes will be safer and much much more competent on normal fishing waters.
Plus it will be really fun taught by nice people.
Thanks for those posts. I'm thinking about either doing that class with my wife or setting up a couple days of private instruction with them. I com from a WW kayaking background so I can read water and pick lines but I'm a shitty rower and could use some help with raft-based rescue instruction.
 

LBL

Steelhead
Forum Supporter
Thanks for those posts. I'm thinking about either doing that class with my wife or setting up a couple days of private instruction with them. I com from a WW kayaking background so I can read water and pick lines but I'm a shitty rower and could use some help with raft-based rescue instruction.
Hey Thomas
I’ve rowed a lot (Grand 5 times, Middle Fork - multiple, Rogue, Grand Ronde, etc plus everything on the OP a including the Sitkum) I live in PA and would be happy to go out with ya anytime. My daughter Emily owns the new bakery in PA. She’s the real pro, she taught in that school. PM if you’re interested
 

brownheron

corvus ossifragus
Hey Thomas
I’ve rowed a lot (Grand 5 times, Middle Fork - multiple, Rogue, Grand Ronde, etc plus everything on the OP a including the Sitkum) I live in PA and would be happy to go out with ya anytime. My daughter Emily owns the new bakery in PA. She’s the real pro, she taught in that school. PM if you’re interested
Awesome. I'll be in touch after the rivers close for fishing in a couple weeks.

Where's Emily's bakery? We'll try to time our commute out there at a time we can stop by. I'm usually burning through PA unless it's a weekend morning when I try to stop in and support Grayson's but a good bakery is a schedule-changing event!
 
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