I have fished the Cowlitz blue creek Fast water for years, and I always drop the tip in the drink when I get one of those down stream torpedos, seems to turn them around for me, more than not.
I'm not really sure about the guys that hook a fish up at the top of the drift, and then run all the way down to the tale out yelling (fish on coming down) only to stand at the end of the line with no place to go?
It seems better to me to try and stay up higher, so I can bring it in at the middle or end of the drift before going over the tale out.
I'm not slamming anyone's technique's just my opinon. Fish.