Low-Flow or High-Flow Feather River Float?

Just got a Colorado XTS (single person pontoon boat) and I want to take it to the lower Feather river since I assume the banks will be pretty packed. I've tubed the lower American river many times but the Feather seems to be a little faster with more overhanging trees and logs. This will be my first time drifting a river, but I know all the rowing basics since I've been rowing and kayaking in the ocean since I was a young kid. I also know the safety guidelines for drifting a river.

Is the Low-Flow or High-Flow a better drift for a newbie?

Any recommended put-ins and take-outs?

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Originally Posted by fishing&beyond

Just got a Colorado XTS (single person pontoon boat) and I want to take it to the lower Feather river since I assume the banks will be pretty packed. I've tubed the lower American river many times but the Feather seems to be a little faster with more overhanging trees and logs. This will be my first time drifting a river, but I know all the rowing basics since I've been rowing and kayaking in the ocean since I was a young kid. I also know the safety guidelines for drifting a river.

Is the Low-Flow or High-Flow a better drift for a newbie?

Any recommended put-ins and take-outs?

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The best put in is at Riverbend Park in Oroville. Nice cement boat ramp. The next boat ramp is at Out House riffle access. This is a rough dirt put in or take out. It is only about 2/3 of mile from Riverbend. The next boat ramp is at the River Reflections RV park. Pay to take out or launch. It is about a 3/4 from the Out House Riffle. The next one down is the Outlet boat ramp. This is a dirt ramp that has cement bricks cabled together. Steep - but a good boat ramp. The next take out down is Vance Ave. Which is a cobble gravel launch - river bank.

The main 2 issues you will have if you are experience is the old dam boulder field. Keep to the right. You will see the slot. This is just past the River Reflections RV park. The next spot down that you will have to look out for is Steep Riffle. Steep riffle is just past white gate riffle. It will be a dead end in front of you with two fingers of the river going around an island on river left. Take the second one. there will be a tree in the middle of the river with a sign on it stating stay right. This riffle is fast moving water with lots of overhanging branches that the current will take you into. At the bottom of the riffle will be a large oak tree that overhangs the river. You must go right underneath it. You only have about 3 feet of clearance. It pretty tight slot. My driftboat is so big that I actually walk my boat all the way down this riffle. I have rowed it many times - it is just easier to get out and walk it down.

Other than that it is a pretty easy river.

Enjoy!

The Streamtime Feather River map is a good reference for a start. It's a bit dated but mostly accurate.

You can put in at the park at Montgomerey Street for Low Flow access, river left. The last takeout for the Low Flow is just above the afterbay outlet on river right and is an unimproved boat ramp. Watch out for hazards and be prepared to walk/portage if things don't look good to you. Steep Riffle has had a big rootball in the bottom of the riffle for awhile, I haven't been this year but I would assume that it's still there. The afterbay hole itself is a serious hazard and should be avoided, you can get past it just stay way left and don't get sucked into it.

Vance Ave is another put in in the high flow area. You can float down as far as the Palm Ave area in the Wildlife Area. There are several points where you could pull out with a small pontoon boat.

Past Palm you would need to go all the way to Gridley and it's mostly frog water and really flat. Plus you need a key to the Gridley ramp to use it.

Thanks Lance!

I know the steep riffle and have wade fished it many times so I will be extra cautious, and ready for that one. Thanks for taking your time to help me out.

Thanks Tahoe Joe,

The root ball is still there. Last time I waded was August and I saw it. I’m going to be primarily indicator fishing with an occasional steamer so I think I will stick to higher up in the river where the flows are faster with shorter stretches of frog water unless I get lucky with a streamer in the slow stuff.

Great info guys......thanks for sharing.


We use to drive there maybe 40 years ago, drive, walk and wade the lower flow section mostly.


I once ran into Mike Mercer from The Fly Shop there. He is a master angler and one of the good guys.

He was using a 10' Scott #5 weight 2 pc graphite rod, floating line, pre-indicator time, big black weighted rubber legs with a globug

dropper. I think that Mike grew up in Chico or Oroville?


Chris Pasley, top angler, worked for us at Kiene's and back then he guides on foot on the lower Feather river.

Chris connected many of our customers to that river with his amazing skills.


Oroville dam and hatchery is slightly newer than our Nimbus dam and hatchery plus it is further north so it is a better fishery.


In Nor Cal, close to us, we have the Sacramento, Feather, Yuba and American rivers........pretty lucky.

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Originally Posted by Bill Kiene semi-retired

Great info guys......thanks for sharing.


We use to drive there maybe 40 years ago, drive, walk and wade the lower flow section mostly.


I once ran into Mike Mercer from The Fly Shop there. He is a master angler and one of the good guys.

He was using a 10' Scott #5 weight 2 pc graphite rod, floating line, pre-indicator time, big black weighted rubber legs with a globug

dropper. I think that Mike grew up in Chico or Oroville?


Chris Pasley, top angler, worked for us at Kiene's and back then he guides on foot on the lower Feather river.

Chris connected many of our customers to that river with his amazing skills.


Oroville dam and hatchery is slightly newer than our Nimbus dam and hatchery plus it is further north so it is a better fishery.


In Nor Cal, close to us, we have the Sacramento, Feather, Yuba and American rivers........pretty lucky.

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Just for the record Bill,

I went to Elementary, Jr. High, and graduated High School ( Class of '77 ) with Mike Mercer........ in Chico..........:):)
We lived ~ a mile apart from each other growing up during that time-frame.
While I was into mini-bikes, small motorcycles, and go-carts back then, Mike was fishing a lot in Big Chico Creek just down the street from his home. :cool::cool:
He's had fishing in his blood ever since I've known him. :eek::eek:

I'm not trying to "name drop" or "feather my hat", just tossing out some info. :cool::cool:



Bob

Whether fishing the low flow or high flow please watch where you wade. Have seen to many ppl walking all over redds just to get another fish or 2. Dont be that angler, doing so can possibly crush the eggs in the redds, plus 1 bad egg will kill the hole bunch.

The biggest issue is that it takes 51 days for those eggs to hatch, then the alevins begin to emerge. The alevins are much more susceptible to being crushed and killed, and being 51 days from start to finish the redds are no longer visible just by looking for clean gravel.

Both the Yuba and Feather have had fish spawning in mid Sept and I'm already seeing alevins in these 2 river systems.

Looking for deep depressions in the gravel bed is the only way to determine if there is a redd there. Or if you fish it often, remembering where those salmon were spawning stay clear and don't wade.

At the very minimum, if you arent familiar with what a redd looks like,, dont wade in any faster moving water that is 1 to 3ft deep. This goes for thr Yuba, Feather, Lower Sac and really any river that receives salmon.

Its up to us to take care of our fisheries, a few more fish to hand isnt worth killing generations of fish to come.