Pontoon on Middle Fork American River

[Sheepdog8404]

Anyone take a Pontoon down the middle fork? I heard the lower part of the river is pretty flat and might be ok to float in a pontoon. Any of you guys do it?

[Morgan]

Sounds deathly to me....

[bigfly]

The whole point of Darwin's theory is to let people try things....
I know when folks said to me, "Oh no, I'd never do that", I went straight away to try. (Obviously they were wrong.)
That's what makes life exciting, death.....or a close shave anyway.
And, maybe find a spot where fish don't get pressured as well! (The main goal..)
Just let someone know before you go......and maybe post pics afterwards if it works out.
Don't say I sent ya.

Jim

[Mark Kranhold]

My brother in law does it Gary . His toons are pretty heavy duty and big.

[tcorfey]

If you seek out some of the whitewater kayak sites they usually have pictures and a description of the river if any one has run it. They will discuss which side of the river to stay on for certain obstacles and where you need to portage to get around an obstacle.

[Jeff F]

Anyone take a Pontoon down the middle fork? I heard the lower part of the river is pretty flat and might be ok to float in a pontoon. Any of you guys do it?

Sheep,

At the current flows (3000+cfs), it would be really hairy. Especially if you're thinking about putting in below Oxbow. If you put in below Ruck-a-chucky, the water is flatter with less gradient and less waterfalls (portages). But think about it.......the whitewater pulse flows in the summertime are around 1200cfs. Double that now. So do the math.....

A good float would be Chucky down to Mammoth Bar or even the confluence. But I'd wait until the flows drop. Plus, there's not as many fish down in that area. The strecth from Oxbow to Ford's Bar holds the most fish, and is only accessible via boat, or a very strenuous hike......or if you're a member of the "club" at Horseshoe Bar. But you may get a shotgun pointed at you if you float over "their" water. They own the riverbed ya know.......but don't get me started on that.........

~J

[Ralph]

Oxbow to Ruck a Chucky is class 4, doable with a Super Puma, but extremely hard to extricate should you get hurt or destroy a boat. It's a long one day float that doesn't allow a whole lot of time for fishing. Plan on an overnight. Lots of private land in the canyon inhabited by people who don't get along well with others. Look for the BLM plots before parking the boat and wandering around. Lot of grows even on public land. Sailors Bar to Mammoth is a class 2-3 easily done in a day. Watch the pulses, it is actually easier to float at higher and mid range flows than the very low flows we've seen the past few years. It is not a very productive fishery. Fishing is better by 10 to 1 in the Oxbow reach.

[JasonB]

It's hard to give good advice on how "easy" a float is without knowing a bit more about the experience level of those who would be floating/rowing/paddling (or swimming!) those waters. For someone who understands how to read water at a distance, knows what kinds of angles to set to deal with bends in the river or to avoid obstacles I would say that the lower section from Ruck-a-Chucky to Mammoth is quite mellow. Nothing remotely close to class 3 on that section imo.
There are however plenty of opportunities to get into trouble if you don't have some whitewater knowledge and experience, and there are a couple of spots that can certainly surprise a novice. The standard summer releases (typically near 1000cfs roughly) from Oxbow don't typically get down to Ruck-a-Chucky until somewhere around 1pm (give or take up to an hour depending on a few factors). You will probably find it best, especially if you're unfamiliar, to wait for the flows to come up. This stretch is indeed pretty hit and miss, though it does have some nice fish to be had at times and is worth doing imo (just keep expectations well in check).

The Oxbow to Ruck-a-Chucky section is a very long stretch to fish in one day, and has some class 4, one that verges on class 5 (NOT at all appropriate for a pontoon!), and a portage around Ruck-a-Chucky. This last point is a major hurdle to deal with for most private boaters, especially if you've opted to do the float in 2 days and have all of your camping gear to deal with as well. The private land issues addressed in posts above are another major factor here. All in all, there are some substantial challenges to fishing this river on your own any way you slice it. While the expense of a guided trip is a bit of a stretch for some, of all the places I can think of to fish, this stretch of river is probably THE place where it really makes sense to spend the cash. Some friends of mine do guide there and really do know their stuff (both in terms of fly fishing, and SOLID whitewater rowing experience!).
http://riseuprivertrips.com/american-river-fishing/ Would highly recommend for anyone interested in fishing the American.
Best of luck,
JB

[Sheepdog8404]

Thanks for all the advice! The section I was interested in on the Middle Fork was from Greenwood to Mammoth. I read on the whitewater sites that this stretch was easier and doable for the novice. Not sure if a Kayak or a pontoon would be better, but either way I have little to no experience with them. Maybe an inner tube would be better for me? lol

I was going to wait until the flows came way down and the releases were more consistent. No need for me to push it and try to run something at higher flows than normal. I know the upper stretch from Oxbow to Chucky is the gravy boat but I have no way of getting in there right now. Maybe later when I win the Lotto! Thanks again for the advice! If anyone would be willing to let me tag along with them sometime and perhaps show me the ropes, I'd be extremely grateful!!!

[JasonB]

Responded via PM, but thought that I should also respond here on one key point: I would NOT recommend either section of the MFA to someone with very limited experience in floating rivers, or in the specific craft of choice. One of the issues that should always be considered is the "what if" factor. In the case of the MFA, help would likely be a bit difficult to come by; small issues could become much bigger ones pretty easily. No, it's not wilderness, but it's a pretty steep canyon in most places, and having to hike up to the road would be a major ordeal at the very least.

For anyone in the newer stages of boating, I always recommend cutting your teeth on rivers that are somewhat forgiving. I have found that rivers in general are remarkably forgiving of error, and lack of judgment/experience/technique; MOST of the time...
The thing is that by the very same token, I've seen (first hand) where rivers can be remarkably unforgiving of even the slightest error of even seasoned boaters. For this reason, my conservative approach to floating rivers has grown consistently more cautious over the years. When I think of a "forgiving" section of river, some (though certainly not all) key points to consider:

-emergency egress options, and difficulty of obtaining additional help. With both of these points I would suggest that you consider them from the perspective of say a broken ankle...
-recovery room, length of rapids vs length of pools. what would a swim likely look like? a short swim in mild water to shore, or an epic, and exhausting "adventure" through multiple rapids at high water (it does happen!)
-air/water temps. Hypothermia is no laughing matter, and is always worth having in mind
-flows. very generally, lower flows tend to provide much more opportunity to swim to shore and recover gear than higher flows. Some understanding of how a given section of river responds to various flows is key!
-group dynamics. consider the resources of the group as a whole: types of skills and abilities, limitations, etc. Always remember "The chain is only as strong as the weakest link"

Just a very brief "tip of the iceberg" glimpse at some of the thinking that should go into any unknown waters. For newer boaters, I can't stress enough how important it is to develop and hone those skills (and judgement!) on more familiar and accessible waters. While the lower section of the MFA is quite "mild and tame" there would still be ample potential for the unskilled to get into some trouble, the lower American through Sacramento makes a much better place to learn the basics.
Tight lines and safe boating,
JB

[TaylerW]

Really hard to fish the water you will want to while rowing. Do some Google earthing and put your boots on, better yet buy a jeep.

[Spicytuna1]

Responded via PM, but thought that I should also respond here on one key point: I would NOT recommend either section of the MFA to someone with very limited experience in floating rivers, or in the specific craft of choice. One of the issues that should always be considered is the "what if" factor. In the case of the MFA, help would likely be a bit difficult to come by; small issues could become much bigger ones pretty easily. No, it's not wilderness, but it's a pretty steep canyon in most places, and having to hike up to the road would be a major ordeal at the very least.

For anyone in the newer stages of boating, I always recommend cutting your teeth on rivers that are somewhat forgiving. I have found that rivers in general are remarkably forgiving of error, and lack of judgment/experience/technique; MOST of the time...
The thing is that by the very same token, I've seen (first hand) where rivers can be remarkably unforgiving of even the slightest error of even seasoned boaters. For this reason, my conservative approach to floating rivers has grown consistently more cautious over the years. When I think of a "forgiving" section of river, some (though certainly not all) key points to consider:

-emergency egress options, and difficulty of obtaining additional help. With both of these points I would suggest that you consider them from the perspective of say a broken ankle...
-recovery room, length of rapids vs length of pools. what would a swim likely look like? a short swim in mild water to shore, or an epic, and exhausting "adventure" through multiple rapids at high water (it does happen!)
-air/water temps. Hypothermia is no laughing matter, and is always worth having in mind
-flows. very generally, lower flows tend to provide much more opportunity to swim to shore and recover gear than higher flows. Some understanding of how a given section of river responds to various flows is key!
-group dynamics. consider the resources of the group as a whole: types of skills and abilities, limitations, etc. Always remember "The chain is only as strong as the weakest link"

Just a very brief "tip of the iceberg" glimpse at some of the thinking that should go into any unknown waters. For newer boaters, I can't stress enough how important it is to develop and hone those skills (and judgement!) on more familiar and accessible waters. While the lower section of the MFA is quite "mild and tame" there would still be ample potential for the unskilled to get into some trouble, the lower American through Sacramento makes a much better place to learn the basics.
Tight lines and safe boating,
JB

Best advice given yet.

Having been on the sticks for a long time there are still plenty of situations you can get yourself no matter how much experience. However its that experience that can help you get out of those situations. Rivers are never EVER to be taken lightly no matter who you are.

Especially that Canyon with literally little to no way out.

I would recommend starting out on an easier river suck as lower america or feather till you get some miles under your belt.


My brother who has been rowing as long as me was on the sticks last year on the Mammoth bar stretch and we had a very close call that was only saved by experience and quick thinking.

[Ralph]

Best advice given yet.

My brother who has been rowing as long as me was on the sticks last year on the Mammoth bar stretch and we had a very close call that was only saved by experience and quick thinking.

Every year people miss the Mammoth Bar take out and end up in the very unforgiving class V immediately downstream. This run has lots of old mining debris, overhanging vegetation, and some weird slaloms that eat up novice boaters on a regular basis. Maybe it isn't a true class III on the whitewater technical scale, but has hidden hazards and a long, really hard exit that need to be factored into the risk equation.

[JayDubP]

Some great posts! Kudos to Sheepdo8404 for asking for help before he tried this. I hope some of you meet up with him so he can learn these waters.

90% of people using fishing pontoons/inflatables should stay on Class II water. Toons and rafts will go through Class II rapids sideways or backwards without much problem.

Think of a video game, where each succeeding level is exponentially harder: faster; more danger; more chance to screw up; and easier to die. That is what Class III is vs Class II.... and Class IV water should be left to experienced boaters.

And you will screw up-- even people with tons of hours on the oars can get into a situation that surprises them. A mistake or indecision or misunderstanding the water will scare you on Class III, but odds are you will get through. Do the same on Class IV and you may lose everything on your craft and maybe your craft-- and you'll be lucky if that is all you lose. Class V- think what you'd do in a multi-car freeway crash at 90mph.

Your mantra should be: ANY doubt- portage or line your boat through the rapids.

Stay Alive My Friends!

[Sheepdog8404]

Thanks for all the replies and advice! I would love to get out on the water with someone who has a bit of experience and would be willing to teach me a little about navigating rivers! I am still shopping around for one but not entirely sure what to look for and which companies/models to steer away from.

Thanks again!

[TaylerW]

Just buy a watermaster.

[John Hogg]

Go to www.class5flyfishing.com for more information. you might want to float it with a pro, and then see if it something you want to try on your own.