Hoboin' on the River

We did a three day float on the Lower Sac which we have done before. It is a pretty good trip. You get to fish and disappear into the river environment for a few days without going far from home. I have found the fish dont bite nearly as well when there is not a guide in the boat but that is okay. I like catching lots of fish with a guide every once in a while and about once a year I like camping and floating the River on my own. They are both good.

This trip we floated Posse to Jelly's and camped on islands both nights. We camped on Hobo Island the first night and Gabe Island the second night. When you are making a hobo camp it is nice to be on an island and out of view of any houses. You don't need any other hobos wandering into your camp in the night or someone in their house calling the sheriff because your campfire is making them nervous. Good weather, good campsites, ice cold beer, tasty campfire fare and a few nice fish. What's not to like.


http://i.imgur.com/F87pdLA.jpg
Hobo camp. Not a lot of stuff fits in a hobo's drift boat but a hobo definately needs his chair and a bottle of homemade wine.


http://i.imgur.com/pveOyXw.jpg
Hobo campfire. Six second photo exposure so a hobo needs to stand very still.


http://i.imgur.com/Mj0llgM.jpg
Hobo meal is cooking. Meat on the grill and potatoes in the fire.


http://i.imgur.com/FX3Hi1z.jpg
Hobo meal is on the hobo plate.


http://i.imgur.com/HLxtE4o.jpg
Hobo drift boat.


http://i.imgur.com/TMAGFkB.jpg
Hobo fishing the river above the new Jelly's bridge.


http://i.imgur.com/0bM02J1.jpg
Hobo trout speying.


http://i.imgur.com/J6a0LAf.jpg
Even a hobo runs into a nice trout once in a while.


http://i.imgur.com/kazaUsm.jpg
Hobo happiness.

Great photos, John. For my money, that stretch of river from the Jelly's Ferry Bridge to the Bend Bridge in Red Bluff is one of the best. A great mix of swing and indicator water. With the Buttes and lava rock formations, it's an entirely different river from the river in Redding and Anderson.

Very inspiring post John.........nothing quite like a campfire.........Love those photos.

This looks like a nice trip that most could do?

The lower Sacramento river is one of the most consistent large wild Rainbow trout fisheries in California.

Mike Mercer, industry legend at The Fly Shop in Redding, CA, told me October was his favorite month on the Lower Sac.

_____________________________________________

In 1976 I did a 6 day float trip in the Wilds of Alaska.......out of Bristol Bay Lodge on the remote Togiak river.

Our guides were Jim and Kitty Vincent (later founded Rio Products) and Buss Bergman Jr, famous Alaska and FL Keys guide.


Did a 2 or 3 night float trip on the lower Deschutes river for Steelhead, Maupin to the mouth.


Also did a 3 night float trip down the lower Grande Rhonde river for Steelhead.

___________________________________

There is something "timeless and magic" about a multi-day float trip down a river.

I also like the Jelly’s to Bend section. The hills along the river are beautiful. A fantastic undeveloped pocket in the middle of the valley. The first time we did the float we went all the way to Red Bluff. There was a lot of rowing below Bend but we lucked into a nice steelhead so it was worth doing.

I do like the multi-day float. You get to check out of society for a while. It is kind of like backpacking but you can take better food and you are never far from fish. The multi-day canoe trip is also a good one.

We took that trip a few years back when Mike Costello was just starting out. He'd be fishing stripers in the delta one day and be driving to Redding with his drift boat the next.

Roger Case called me and said Mike wants us to go camping with him on the Sac. and do some trout fishing. Never called it "Hobo" camping then and never knew Mike even went trout fishing as he'd always been around the delta chasing stripers.

Seems like we put in at Cottenwood and set up camp late afternoon. Had fresh trout that first night for dinner. Couldn't tell you the name of the island (if it even had one)

The next day I remember going through a large whirl-pool several miles downstream. You could actually see the drop in the center as being a couple of feet from the surface. Qwite a pool non of us liked.

Took a couple more trips with Mike from the Posse Grounds down to Cottonwood and lots of trout along the way.

Always nice to get away from the crowds.
Tony

Sounds like some good trips. You may have camped on the same islands we did. The islands don’t have names as far as I know. I made those names up just for fun although Gabe Island I named after a guide who told us about it and then passed away a couple of years later. I made up the hobo thing also just to try to keep the post interesting. Those whirlpools and boils are scary. I don’t like going through them.