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#1046855 - 02/02/21 10:55 AM Re: Skagit and Sauk to Open Catch & Release [Re: RUNnGUN]
Todd Offline
Dick Nipples

Registered: 03/08/99
Posts: 28170
Loc: Seattle, Washington USA
The boulders are boulders...they stay put...but it is really bouldery, and low water like now can make it really boney.

The river above 530, however, doesn't stay put...it moves back and forth across the flood plain a lot, sometimes weekly if it is rainy. It's new sweepers that showed up overnight that cause the most trouble up there.

Fish on...

Todd
_________________________


Team Flying Super Ditch Pickle


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#1046856 - 02/02/21 12:25 PM Re: Skagit and Sauk to Open Catch & Release [Re: Salman]
Get Bent Offline
Juvenile at Sea

Registered: 05/13/03
Posts: 232
Loc: Vashon/Grayland
If you don’t understand wrapping around a boulder maybe you need to do a little warm up run from bear crick to the salmon hatchery on the Sol Duc. Seriously with questions like that it sounds like this is no place for you to learn.

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#1046868 - 02/02/21 07:28 PM Re: Skagit and Sauk to Open Catch & Release [Re: Get Bent]
Salman Offline
Spawner

Registered: 03/07/12
Posts: 806
Originally Posted By: Get Bent
If you don’t understand wrapping around a boulder maybe you need to do a little warm up run from bear crick to the salmon hatchery on the Sol Duc. Seriously with questions like that it sounds like this is no place for you to learn.

That’s what I want to know! Would you wrap yourself around a boulder because you need to zig zag through a run or would you be trying to stay away from one when you can go inside, pictures?
_________________________
Why build in the flood plain?

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#1046869 - 02/02/21 09:03 PM Re: Skagit and Sauk to Open Catch & Release [Re: Salman]
On The Swing Offline
Spawner

Registered: 02/06/03
Posts: 783
Originally Posted By: Salman
Originally Posted By: Get Bent
If you don’t understand wrapping around a boulder maybe you need to do a little warm up run from bear crick to the salmon hatchery on the Sol Duc. Seriously with questions like that it sounds like this is no place for you to learn.

That’s what I want to know! Would you wrap yourself around a boulder because you need to zig zag through a run or would you be trying to stay away from one when you can go inside, pictures?


Get off that marlin speed, the proper trolling speed up this channel is 1 to 1.4
_________________________
Fish gills are like diesel engines, don't run them out of fuel!

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#1046870 - 02/02/21 09:05 PM Re: Skagit and Sauk to Open Catch & Release [Re: RUNnGUN]
GoldDigger Offline
Returning Adult

Registered: 02/02/15
Posts: 320
Back when I had my own driftboat(s) I fished the Skagit a couple times a week
when fish were running, but when it came to the Sauk I decided to have
John Koenig take me and a buddy down.

Had an awesome trip, and nailed a few chromers while we were at it. Even
after drifting it with John, I still didn't feel comfortable enough to try and
row it in my own boat.

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#1046889 - 02/03/21 01:25 PM Re: Skagit and Sauk to Open Catch & Release [Re: Sky-Guy]
The Moderator Offline
The Chosen One

Registered: 02/09/00
Posts: 14486
Loc: Tuleville
Originally Posted By: Salman
What would I have to watch out for on the Sauk?


Swarms of elitist fairy wand swingers and locals, mostly. You may be haunted by Kid Sauk's ghost if he's in a ghoulish mood. See what I did there????

Expect someone to throw a fit (and maybe some rocks) if you are fishing from a boat (you know, unfair advantage and all) and "low hole" a swinger by casting your line in the water 1,000 yards below them. I hear that's a pretty common sight up there.

Be careful of the Sauk River Sodomy Shack.

Originally Posted By: Sky-Guy
Collapsed clay bank, Huge slides, and puking mud and whole trees in the river thru May. I wouldnt go, river is milk toast.


Yeah, and stay off of Sky-Guy's home river!

rofl

Certainly do not even think about fishing it in April. Near Dan's Creek. Totally not worth it!

And if you're a Plug Monkey, don't even think about plugging the fastest, deepest, knarliest, boulder infested runs on the river! Like the one above the Suattle. Not a fish will ever be found there by a plug! Ever.

Put away those stupid pink worms as nothing lives under the wood in that river. Just beavers.

Spoons? Forget about it. The Sauk fish are not aggressive or large and run for cover if they see a shiny spoon.

Even the large dolly's up there want nothing to do with a big, green, streamer clouser type fly or something like a 4" long minnow casting plug.

Did I miss anything?
_________________________
Tule King Paker

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#1046891 - 02/03/21 01:41 PM Re: Skagit and Sauk to Open Catch & Release [Re: RUNnGUN]
GodLovesUgly Offline
Repeat Spawner

Registered: 04/20/09
Posts: 1269
Loc: WaRshington
I might go just to watch and laugh.
_________________________
When I grow up I want to be,
One of the harvesters of the sea.
I think before my days are done,
I want to be a fisherman.

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#1046906 - 02/03/21 06:46 PM Re: Skagit and Sauk to Open Catch & Release [Re: RUNnGUN]
Salman Offline
Spawner

Registered: 03/07/12
Posts: 806
elparquito is it as technical rowing as the Calawah?
_________________________
Why build in the flood plain?

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#1046907 - 02/03/21 07:00 PM Re: Skagit and Sauk to Open Catch & Release [Re: RUNnGUN]
Todd Offline
Dick Nipples

Registered: 03/08/99
Posts: 28170
Loc: Seattle, Washington USA
This kinda escalated lol...

Salman, it's quite different from the Calawah, but every bit as technical...on the Calawah it's all about the boulders, and while there are plenty of boulder gardens on the upper Sauk that require some technical rowing, it's mostly blind channels that end in log jams that weren't there yesterday...if you aren't *very* comfortable rowing in and around lots of wood, then it's not a good place to be.

Fish on...

Todd
_________________________


Team Flying Super Ditch Pickle


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#1046916 - 02/04/21 09:40 AM Re: Skagit and Sauk to Open Catch & Release [Re: The Moderator]
Salmo g. Offline
River Nutrients

Registered: 03/08/99
Posts: 13520
Originally Posted By: elparquito
Originally Posted By: Salman
What would I have to watch out for on the Sauk?


Swarms of elitist fairy wand swingers and locals, mostly. You may be haunted by Kid Sauk's ghost if he's in a ghoulish mood. See what I did there????

Expect someone to throw a fit (and maybe some rocks) if you are fishing from a boat (you know, unfair advantage and all) and "low hole" a swinger by casting your line in the water 1,000 yards below them. I hear that's a pretty common sight up there.

Be careful of the Sauk River Sodomy Shack.

Originally Posted By: Sky-Guy
Collapsed clay bank, Huge slides, and puking mud and whole trees in the river thru May. I wouldnt go, river is milk toast.


Yeah, and stay off of Sky-Guy's home river!

rofl

Certainly do not even think about fishing it in April. Near Dan's Creek. Totally not worth it!

And if you're a Plug Monkey, don't even think about plugging the fastest, deepest, knarliest, boulder infested runs on the river! Like the one above the Suattle. Not a fish will ever be found there by a plug! Ever.

Put away those stupid pink worms as nothing lives under the wood in that river. Just beavers.

Spoons? Forget about it. The Sauk fish are not aggressive or large and run for cover if they see a shiny spoon.

Even the large dolly's up there want nothing to do with a big, green, streamer clouser type fly or something like a 4" long minnow casting plug.

Did I miss anything?


The Paker nailed it. I've seen all that and more on the Sauk, including drift boats wedged into log jams as I paddled my canoe on down the river.

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#1046925 - 02/04/21 10:52 AM Re: Skagit and Sauk to Open Catch & Release [Re: RUNnGUN]
Carcassman Offline
River Nutrients

Registered: 11/21/07
Posts: 7411
Loc: Olema,California,Planet Earth
It wasn't the Sauk, and it wasn't in a boat but I once snorkeled the Kalama, in the summer, above the falls looking for summer steelhead to see how many jumped the Falls rather than used the ladder. What a kick! Went through a riffle going downstream while a Springer went up. Nice way to see the critters and I would just bounce off the rocks. Wetsuit helps.

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#1046941 - 02/04/21 02:04 PM Re: Skagit and Sauk to Open Catch & Release [Re: Salman]
The Moderator Offline
The Chosen One

Registered: 02/09/00
Posts: 14486
Loc: Tuleville
Originally Posted By: Salman
elparquito is it as technical rowing as the Calawah?


No, but kinda depends.

You doing it in a hard boat or a raft?

Raft's seem to be the "great equalizer" on that river. You can bounce off some rocks and wood and not get in too much trouble. You can also just as easily get in to trouble with a raft up there if one omits the basic common sense when boating a river.

It's very doable in a hard boat, especially if you've been down the river this year and know what has changed and hasn't changed. As with most rivers, the lower it get's the more challenging and skinny some places will get.

As many have pointed out, the Sauk is a very dynamic river, where the Calawah generally is not. The main channels on the Sauk change every year, which means new lumber, rocks, sweeps, new hazards, etc.

I'm guessing getting information about the river from this board may be slim to none, minus what other's have mentioned.

Personally, I'd tackle this river like any other unknown river I was going to row. Yes, I'm firmly aware that I do not own a drift boat, but that doesn't mean I don't know how to row one. I'd float it first with someone I knew and trusted and once I saw first-hand what I was up against, I'd decide whether I could row it in a hard boat. Else, If I had a raft, I'd also just go for it, take my time on some unknown areas, ask some fellow boaters if you came across them, get out and scout if I really needed to, etc.

Google Earth isn't going to help you much...unless photos are updated frequently. There's a good chance the river will change course between now and the end of the fishing season.
_________________________
Tule King Paker

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#1046943 - 02/04/21 02:14 PM Re: Skagit and Sauk to Open Catch & Release [Re: RUNnGUN]
Todd Offline
Dick Nipples

Registered: 03/08/99
Posts: 28170
Loc: Seattle, Washington USA
I will go up there and row it in a hard boat a few times this March/April...but I've been fishing up there since the 80s in drift boats, and learned to row on that river.

Still can produce a pucker or two each season, and back before closures and whatnot, it ate more than a few boats every year, and unfortunately a few fishermen, too.

As noted, the only reports that are really useful so far as rowing conditions are this week's, and if there has been any rain of note, yesterday's might help.

Floating it 30-50 times each spring, it was fun to get to row a new river every week without having to move camp or change rivers wink YMMV.

Fish on...

Todd
_________________________


Team Flying Super Ditch Pickle


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#1046944 - 02/04/21 02:18 PM Re: Skagit and Sauk to Open Catch & Release [Re: RUNnGUN]
The Moderator Offline
The Chosen One

Registered: 02/09/00
Posts: 14486
Loc: Tuleville
I still love the worm pile in Toff's .sig photo.

Must have been fishing with Rico on that day?

Got any Vision Worms left over?

rofl
_________________________
Tule King Paker

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#1046947 - 02/04/21 02:23 PM Re: Skagit and Sauk to Open Catch & Release [Re: RUNnGUN]
Todd Offline
Dick Nipples

Registered: 03/08/99
Posts: 28170
Loc: Seattle, Washington USA
That pile is in the bow of the boat after a short 4 mile upper Sauk drift...considering the can of Copenhagen in the pile, that must have been at least 10 years ago lol...the other pic is a collection of dead soldiers from a couple of days up there, that's a rafter brace in one of the Adirondacks at Howard Miller Steelhead Park smile

You can tell how old I am by where I stay up there...it used to be 45 days in a tent in the woods getting soaked...then it was 30 days in an Adirondack that was at least dry-ish, and we could put a heater inside and not freeze balls.

Now it's a couple of weeks, and in a really nice AirBnB in Rockport with heated tile floors...getting old ain't all bad.

Fish on...

Todd
_________________________


Team Flying Super Ditch Pickle


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#1047029 - 02/05/21 03:55 PM Re: Skagit and Sauk to Open Catch & Release [Re: Todd]
Ikissmykiss Offline
Repeat Spawner

Registered: 03/01/03
Posts: 1260
Loc: Snohomish County
Originally Posted By: Todd
That pile is in the bow of the boat after a short 4 mile upper Sauk drift...considering the can of Copenhagen in the pile, that must have been at least 10 years ago lol...

I took that pic, and it was a hell of alot longer than 10 years ago bud grin

Ike

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#1047032 - 02/05/21 04:04 PM Re: Skagit and Sauk to Open Catch & Release [Re: Ikissmykiss]
Todd Offline
Dick Nipples

Registered: 03/08/99
Posts: 28170
Loc: Seattle, Washington USA
Originally Posted By: Ikissmykiss
Originally Posted By: Todd
That pile is in the bow of the boat after a short 4 mile upper Sauk drift...considering the can of Copenhagen in the pile, that must have been at least 10 years ago lol...

I took that pic, and it was a hell of alot longer than 10 years ago bud grin

Ike


Damn. I can't argue with you on that. We aren't exactly spring chickens any more, eh?

Maybe...2004?

Fish on...

Todd
_________________________


Team Flying Super Ditch Pickle


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#1047037 - 02/05/21 06:50 PM Re: Skagit and Sauk to Open Catch & Release [Re: RUNnGUN]
Salman Offline
Spawner

Registered: 03/07/12
Posts: 806
How technical is the wood? Packing the boat over a pile or picking my way through piles that touch both sides of the boat? Are the boulder gardens going to hit both sides of the boat or do you need the right line?
_________________________
Why build in the flood plain?

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#1047042 - 02/05/21 09:16 PM Re: Skagit and Sauk to Open Catch & Release [Re: RUNnGUN]
On The Swing Offline
Spawner

Registered: 02/06/03
Posts: 783
You trying for that worst troll ever award from f4b there salman? Parker might need to change the title
_________________________
Fish gills are like diesel engines, don't run them out of fuel!

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#1047046 - 02/05/21 10:32 PM Re: Skagit and Sauk to Open Catch & Release [Re: Todd]
Ikissmykiss Offline
Repeat Spawner

Registered: 03/01/03
Posts: 1260
Loc: Snohomish County
Originally Posted By: Todd
Maybe...2004?

Yeah, around there...maybe 2002 even?
They shut us down in what, 2006? It had to be quite a bit before that, obviously.

Looks like Broodbusters Lav, so probably back in the Joe and Gacto years. Or JJ or Justin's? Good times those were.

And to answer Salman's stupid questions, nobody floats the Sauk without a Come Along and a chainsaw...common knowledge.

Ike

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