Floating the American question - kayak/pontoon

[EricO]

I have a question for those of you that have been fishing the American lately. My buddy
and I are thinking about floating it this Saturday - weather and clarity permitting.

Last time I floated it, it was 2000 cfs. Now almost at 5,000 what do you guys think about
the higher flows in a kayak/pontoon? I know the river has changed, just don't want to get
into any hairy situations...can always portage I guess, but wanted some input.

Thoughts? Is it better to walk and wade it at these flows and move around a lot from
access to access?

Thanks!

Eric O

[STEELIES/26c3]

I would recommend against it.

5,000 cfs is nothing on the AR in normal circumstances.

But this winter was anything but normal...

85,000 cfs was the peak flow and sustained flows of 20,000 or more lasted for weeks at a time.

The problem isn't rapids or fast water chutes... it's the massive amount of trees and other dead wood which has been transported and deposited in the river you need to be concerned with.

5,000 isn't fast until a tree trunk grabs you in a tailout or a back eddy and pulls your toon under... at which point the current becomes exponentially magnified.

I consider myself an expert+++ wader and I had some close calls wading through the Arden Braids and out to the main river channel 2 weeks ago. I won't go back until the river drops to 4,500 cfs.

Driftboat YES, kayak for a seasoned yakker, perhaps, but fishing from a pontoon, I just wouldn't...

In a few weeks when the water is gin clear again, perhaps... but not now.

Be SAFE~

[JayDubP]

River is a lot, if not totally different than last year....Before you float, know what you are in for... so drive and walk the river to see what it is and where the dangers are.

I am with Steelie-- wait for the river to drop. There is too much junk in the river now.

[EricO]

Thanks guys, really appreciate the input.
It's probably log hell up and down the river.

Eric

[Sheepdog8404]

I bet JasonB can provide some extremely useful insight on this topic. Maybe he will chime in here soon.

[Jeff C.]

Upper Sunrise Island has changed at the top. At 5K there's a drop-off shelf near the bluffs below the old point that looks like it could suck you under. If you're floating the upper section the safest line is hugging the island side and not the bluff side.

[EricO]

Thanks again for the replies,

So the floating is off, but planning to walk and wade some access points.

That said, if anyone has seen the river the last day, how is the clarity??

Eric

[JasonB]

I bet JasonB can provide some extremely useful insight on this topic. Maybe he will chime in here soon.

I think Sheepdog is probably referring to the fact that I've had quite a lot of whitewater experience, and that I'm pretty cautious in general about safety. That, and I'm always happy to help people to have safe and enjoyable floating experiences and minimize the amount of support we end up needing from various rescue resources.

I've not yet floated the lower American river since the high water this winter, so I really can't add much specific info, but I do think that the advice given so far is pretty good. Perhaps a bit on the cautious side, but if in doubt caution is good! There seem to be two basic attitudes for determining just how safe a given activity is: the LCD (lowest common denominator) approach, and the solid proficiency approach. The LCD approach relies on the fact that thousands of giggling teenagers survive that float somehow despite a near complete lack of skill, knowledge, grace, or form... "how bad could it be". Then there are those who recognize that things can and do go wrong, and that it's important to have a specific plan of action to address the specific issues of concern. Having utilized both approaches (and survived!), I have found myself becoming a bigger and bigger fan of the latter...I'll give a few thoughts that I have on boating safely that are relevant, but not specific to the OP:

-Familiarity with a specific piece of water is huge when it comes to safety. Knowing where there are hazards, and how to most easily avoid them, time frame from various points, egress options (or lack thereof), access to cell service, etc. In new or unfamiliar situations, it's always best to gather as much info as you can before committing to a float, and ideally to hook up with someone else who is familiar (at current conditions).

-Recognizing that conditions change, and rivers are in a constant state of change. Not getting complacent despite how well you think you know a certain piece of water.

-Understanding how to read water. I think most intermediate level (or better) Fly anglers have a good amount of understanding of how river currents generally work. I also think 99% (or more) of us still have plenty we can learn about not just how certain current features are formed, but also how, and why they might affect our given craft (or a swimmer). I think of reading river currents kind of like learning to understand a foreign language: once you get the basic structure of it, you can begin to fill in the blanks to understand more and more of it.

-Understand how certain streams are likely to be affected by flow changes: streams with higher gradients, more constricted stream bed, and more substantial bedrock features will tend to respond much more dramatically to smaller flow changes. The lower American river is one with very low gradient, an extremely open stream bed (traditionally would carry much larger flows than we see nowadays), and very little in the way of major bedrock features or obstructions. Thus it will tend to respond quite gradually to fairly substantial flow changes.

-When navigating new, unfamiliar waters (or conditions have likely made some changes), I always look well ahead with an eye to avoid committing myself to anything I cannot visually verify. For instance: floating up towards an island where I could not quite see a clear path to either channel I might want to float closer to the shoreline that offered the easiest option to walk around it (or stop on the island itself IF that still allowed me to chose to walk around. Be very careful not to paint yourself into a corner...

-Watch out for trees and bushes ("Strainers"), particularly along the outside of bends, and in smaller, narrower side channels. There are definitely some areas of concern for strainers along the American river, and those do move around from time to time! The potential for entrapment in a strainer is almost universally underestimated ... unless you've actually been stuck in one, or had to help someone who was... Swiftwater rescue classes are now generally required to set up a simulated, controlled, "Strainer" scenario; where students get to experience the enormous power of even a fairly "mild" current entrapment (a sobering experience for all).

-Plan for a swim. When launching, that includes being dressed for one, and rigging for one. On this note: a good fitting, high quality PFD is very helpful in the event of a swim; whereas fishing waders and wading boots are severely limiting. Something to consider. When scouting a rapid that means asking yourself if you're comfortable taking that chance. When boating, or wading, it also means having a plan for where you'd go in the event of a swim: sometimes it's best to swim hard for shore (or away from an obstacle) RIGHT NOW, while other times it may be best to stay calm and float a ways further before swimming for shore. The higher the water level (relative to the streamed), the more strainer hazards become a factor limiting your safe egress options. Higher volume flows also make it much harder to break out of the core flow, through eddy lines, and into slower water along the shores (colder water also makes this tougher as it tends to sap energy).

-Safety in numbers. Going with a friend or two is MUCH safer than going solo, ideally going in more than one boat (in terms of safety).

-Take swift water rescue training, first aid, CPR, etc... Cary emergency gear and tools (and know how to use them!).

-If in doubt... don't

-It has been my continued experience that rivers tend to be extremely tolerant and forgiving of even the most reckless behavior... while at the very same time having the potential to be harsh (or even fatal) to even the slightest of errors. I have personally seen people with zero skill or knowledge survive huge and dangerous rapids by sheer luck, but I've also lost good friends who were experts that made small mistakes despite taking every safety precaution available.


This is obviously not even close to being a complete list, or even an attempt at one; but more just a couple of the highlights that might be helpful to some to get their own thoughts going in terms of staying safe. It looks like we may well have quite a bit of high water this spring, and possibly well into the summer. I'd be surprised to see flows drop much lower for at least a few months; in fact most likely scenarios would have the flows going up a bit more in another month. Certainly, safety should be a top topic of discussion for a bit.
JB

[STEELIES/26c3]

I wouldn't be too concerned about it now as the river will be at 15,000 cfs in a few days~

[Smitty Fish]

When are they going to start bumping the flows up again?

[EricO]

Jason,

Great, solid information. That's a keeper. I have had a few close calls
where thinking about it now, I'm surprised I didn't flip my kayak...shocked
I didn't flip my kayak.

And one huge mistake I made was not opening up my drain plugs in the event
of a huge rapid. My kayak filled up instantly and was a major bit*h to even
paddle to shore.

Dodged a bullet on that one.

Thanks again,
Eric

[STEELIES/26c3]

When are they going to start bumping the flows up again?

Date / Time


REL SCH



03/27/2017 08:00
7500 cfs
(http://cdec.water.ca.gov/misc/flaglist.html)



03/27/2017 10:00
10000 cfs
(http://cdec.water.ca.gov/misc/flaglist.html)



03/28/2017 08:00
12500 cfs
(http://cdec.water.ca.gov/misc/flaglist.html)



03/28/2017 10:00
15000 cfs