Would i be able to row from the mouth of the cascade river back up to the marblemount boat launch?

[Stimson]

Never fished up there. I would like to give it a go for kings. So we're talking about the next couple months. Potential for fall coho runs if it works out. I have a 9' pontoon(outcast pac 9000), or a 12' smokercraft I would like to use. I also have a 55lb minn kota I could put on either boat.
Is it possible to row back upriver to the boat launch w/o the elec motor? Is it deep enough to run an elec motor(say a foot+ under the surface)? The e motor on the smoky really makes it go surprisingly well. I can easily motor up the upper snohomish with 2 people.
Let me know what I'm facing. Please/Thx.

 

[Matt B]

Never fished up there. I would like to give it a go for kings. So we're talking about the next couple months. Potential for fall coho runs if it works out. I have a 9' pontoon(outcast pac 9000), or a 12' smokercraft I would like to use. I also have a 55lb minn kota I could put on either boat.
Is it possible to row back upriver to the boat launch w/o the elec motor? Is it deep enough to run an elec motor(say a foot+ under the surface)? The e motor on the smoky really makes it go surprisingly well. I can easily motor up the upper snohomish with 2 people.
Let me know what I'm facing. Please/Thx.

I doubt it would work out very well for you. That part of the Skagit has a lot more current than the Upper Snohomish.

 

[Salmo_g]

Where will you launch? Are you considering launching at the Marblemount bridge, drifting down to the mouth of the Cascade, and then rowing back to the same launch? If that were your plan, I think it would be easier and more efficient to just walk down the Skagit to the mouth of the Cascade and then back again. Depending on the height of the Skagit, it could range from difficult to impossible to row back upstream to the launch.

 

[Dr. Magill]

I’ve tried it lower in the river, lowish flows, trolling motor
Was very difficult

 

[Pink Nighty]

Another vote for probably not. It's a high water fishery essentially in a canyon, there is precious little soft water to work with heading back upstream. 2 summers back on my buddy's jet sled we lost the main motor in the main current and the 9.9 kicker barely got us out. It was hairy.

Would also say the water above the cascade isnt really the target water for these fish.

 

[Long_Rod_Silvers]

I don't know if you can do it or not. I'm 100% sure I can't do it. I'm also 100% sure that if you can't do it, you'll possibly be in a pretty bad spot, having to take out where your truck isn't and walk back (best case scenario is up the hill at the mouth of the cascade), and you'll be fucking exhausted from trying to row up one of the most powerful rivers in the state.

All that said, YOLO.

 

[Stimson]

OK general consensus it's a no go. So what about later in the year for coho? Flows will be less. Maybe then? Thx to everyone's input. I knew the flows would be high at this time of year, but what about late sept/Oct?
So what is the posibility to launch an alumaweld stryker for kings now, or coho later in the year(at the Marblemount launch). Hi flows now low flows in Sept.
Is the boat launch too shallow to launch a sled like mine?
Help please/thx.

 

[fatbillybob]

I have nothing to add except I would have to have arms like popeye...

 

[Pink Nighty]

OK general consensus it's a no go. So what about later in the year for coho? Flows will be less. Maybe then? Thx to everyone's input. I knew the flows would be high at this time of year, but what about late sept/Oct?
So what is the posibility to launch an alumaweld stryker for kings now, or coho later in the year(at the Marblemount launch). Hi flows now low flows in Sept.
Is the boat launch too shallow to launch a sled like mine?
Help please/thx.

I know very little about the specific requirements to launch that but would say large jet sleds are the norm up there. If you dont need more than a couple feet of draft you'll be fine

 

[Buzzy]

OK general consensus it's a no go. So what about later in the year for coho? Flows will be less. Maybe then? Thx to everyone's input. I knew the flows would be high at this time of year, but what about late sept/Oct?
So what is the posibility to launch an alumaweld stryker for kings now, or coho later in the year(at the Marblemount launch). Hi flows now low flows in Sept.
Is the boat launch too shallow to launch a sled like mine?
Help please/thx.

Since the river is free flowing, the river bed changes so my response is based on launching at Marblemount in the past. I've been lucky enough to float that section in two different driftboats and one sled, a big ugly old beast. Launching was not an issue for the sled. Your Stryker should be fine just make sure the motor starts as rowing a sled all the way to Sutter Creek when the motor conks out is a real Popeye muscle building experience, right Herb?

 

[HauntedByWaters]

You could drag your boat up the river right side of the river successfully but it would require low ish flows that aren’t likely this weekend.

 

[skyrise]

We used to take the drift boat and float from marblemount down to the cascade and then back up again but that was with an outboard motor on the back. Even with the outboard at full throttle it was a slow go to get back upriver. As Haunted said you could drag your boat back up to the launch but unless you’re a Tri Athlete in your 20s it will put you out for days.

 

[Lue Taylor]

Many have miss judged the power of the current on the Skagit

 

[Camo Clad Warrior]

I would say rowing back up isn't going to happen. i have a Clack Eddy and have been to chicken shit to take it down that run. I have fished from the shore a ton but not in a boat in that section.

 

[Porter2]

That would be a HARD NO!

 

[skyriver]

I would say rowing back up isn't going to happen. i have a Clack Eddy and have been to chicken shit to take it down that run. I have fished from the shore a ton but not in a boat in that section.

There's no crazy water between Marblemount and Rockport. Like, you could do it in a damn inner tube. There is some whirlpool type action just down around the corner from the Cascade, but it just means you have to row to avoid it or get out of it. If you're looking for a good 1st float for the Clack I can't think of one that would be much easier. Have fun!