Lower Sac in a 8’ Pontoon?

[Jcolin]

Is it a bad idea? Rowing wise i have 2 years experience now on mostly coastal rivers other than a few floats on the lower yuba and american rivers, so not Very much, my main concern isnt fast water or obstacles so much as being intimidated by how wide the river is. My brother wants to do a multi day float from redding to red bluff...hed be in a kayak. I told him it sounds dangerous being in such small boats but after reading online it sounds like some people even canoe it...any input is appreciated, i am not familiar with the lower sac other than driving by it a lot. Thanks

[dave earl]

I canoed posse to bonneview in the 90's it was fine. I've done it since in my 10 ft toon and did not find anything threatening. Feels great to "wade wet" when it's 100 degrees out. There's is a recirculating eddy below one of the islands that is a bit dicey. Most of the time boaters aim for the "V" in rapids and riffles. I think there are only class one riffles in there but rivers change, do your own research.
It's run everyday in driftboats. It's always a good idea to wear a PFD and get out and scout if you can't see a clear line.

[John H]

There are a couple of boils that make me nervous. One is below Bonneyview.

There is a lot of rowing to get to Red Bluff. A lot. Less at high summer flows but still a lot. Too much for a pontoon boat IMHO.

Having done the multi day float a few times I think Jelly’s Ferry is a good take out. If you start at Posse it is hard to get to a campsite the first day. There is one a few miles below Anderson which is reachable in one day if you put in at Bonneyview. There is one a couple miles below Jelly’s which is good on the second night. We did camp at the Sac RV Park once which is reachable in one day from Posse. We went there first and paid so there would not be a problem when we arrived.

There is a store at Balls Ferry where you can get a cold drink.

[tcorfey]

First thing to check is does your pontoon have the weight capacity for a multi-day trip. Most 8' pontoon boats do not. Remember it is your weight plus all your gear and food. Figure that out first and maybe make a test run fully loaded at a lake or some slow moving water. You don't want to be at mile one of a multi-mile trip and realize you are way overloaded to the point where it is dangerous to continue.

Regards,

Tim C.

[TroutHunter10]

[QUOTE=John H;197645]There are a couple of boils that make me nervous. One is below Bonneyview.

Agreed. If you stay left of the boil and dont let the water take you right, you will be fine. With that said, ive seen guide hold their boats in the slack water on the right side to fish the seam and they come out fine.

There is another section below the Anderson takeout that can get tricky. the water gets going pretty fast and when it runs over the clay banks, it creates a bunch of weird currents and big waves. Keep your boat pointed down stream and you'll be fine.

[Jcolin]

Thank you guys. One very important thing i did not take into consideration is long stretches of frog water on a very long multi day float; would probably be hard to keep up with a kayak on a pontoon, especially with all the gear loaded on it.

[ricards]

Is it a bad idea? Rowing wise i have 2 years experience now on mostly coastal rivers other than a few floats on the lower yuba and american rivers, so not Very much, my main concern isnt fast water or obstacles so much as being intimidated by how wide the river is. My brother wants to do a multi day float from redding to red bluff...hed be in a kayak. I told him it sounds dangerous being in such small boats but after reading online it sounds like some people even canoe it...any input is appreciated, i am not familiar with the lower sac other than driving by it a lot. Thanks

Yes, it's a bad idea with the flows currently at 12,700 CFS, and it's a very bad idea to float all the way to Red Bluff. Aside from the boat-eater below Bonnyview, there's China Rapids below Bend, which is a very dangerous section of the river. Wait until the flows get down to five or six thousand CFS, and then make sure that you take out at Bend, and no lower. Wade fishing is also much better at those more manageable flows.

[Jcolin]

Thanks ricards, should have mentioned that we were not planning to do it any time soon...id much rather do it when it cools off in the fall, dont know how the flows are then.

[ricards]

Best time in my opinion. Keep an eye on the releases from Keswick and good luck.

https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?11370500

[dave earl]

I like it at this flow in a pontoon since its less rowing. I'm a car camper so if it were me I'd go down the Sac RV and have a car with my stuff or camp set-up. 2nd day you could float down to Jelly's Ferry from sac RV. Personally I like the upper section best as it seems to hold a lot more of the larger fish. I've heard Posse is closed till August 1.

[Steve S]

Anyone float it at 5-12k in an 8-10ft pram?
I did from Posse Grounds to Anderson in a 12 ft Portabote with two passengers at 5k and except for the pucker at the chute at the island it was easy peasy.

[Sonoman]

I would drift it in a boat to familiarize yourself with the water first. I have drifted from Posse to Jelly's Ferry many times, I have not gone to Red Bluff. Most of the river is easy but as others noted, there are some tough spots. We saw a guy in a kayak get into trouble in March or April in the whirlpool below Bonneyview. There are tough corners just above Bonneyview, just below Anderson, and in some of the side channels and it wouldn't take much to get into trouble if you are not experienced.

Also, you MUST wear a PFD! My son and I took out at Anderson in March when the dive team was looking for the guy who drowned. It is a big river and the water is cold so even if you are a strong swimmer like the guy who drowned, it is very different in the current and cold water.

Finally, a lot of the river is private property. I have not checked out camping spots, but have a plan before you go. Lots of homeless people near Cypress and Bonneyview in Redding, farther upstream than you would be stopping, and it gets more rural as you go downstream. I don't know the situation closer to Red Bluff. There are some islands along the way you could probably camp on, but I don't know if they are too rocky and brushy to sleep. Don't trespass and please clean up after yourself and leave no trace

[Bkane]

We rescued an overnight canoeist two weeks ago just below Clear Creek. He was going to Red Bluff with two buddies in yaks.

[steveg137]

I didn't mention it when I replied originally.

On my first toon float on the sac we went all the way to Anderson.

Was dark by time we got off and very nearly missed the ramp - would been major issue if we had.

So I'd focus on the shorter floats - and fish the key sections from shore or wading next to boat.