If you think what you've described is too dangerous then you and I have a different mind set. There is a lot of things that can go wrong skydiving or there is some danger backpacking in the wilderness alone in the bear country in December but it can also be a challenge and FUN.

with a shelf rock bottom, always running into the glare of tea colored water, always have to go upstream to return to camp, no way to drift your boat out if something broke, it's probably has challenging a place to run a boat here that we have. Water levels like this year less of a problem, but arrive on lower water and the chances for big,costly trouble increase dramatically.

everyone has there own perception of how dangerous things are. And beleive it or not for me I don't think it would be too dangerous to not go do it. I just want to do a trip or two without the snow and get it tuned in before I do. but when you look at it for 90% of the people on this board it is a very dangerous trip.

There are easyier options in BC which is one of the reasons why I woudn't choose to do it a second time. Running downstream without a buddy boat in case there was problems was uncool. Keeping fingers and toes from becoming frostbitten was uncool. Going to sleep every night in a motorhome while it was snowing outside not knowing if there was only going to be 1 foot of snow, or whether there was going to be 3 feet of snow and be snowed in the next day was uncool. The grizzly were mostly down for the winter, but there are more grizzly bears in the area than anywhere else in BC, and if you step on one trying to walk out of there they aren't going to care if your waders say Simms. The river was about 36 degrees. Wading in it was uncool. If you fell in for whatever reason you would die of hypothermia before you could get back upstream. Driving there on snow and ice was uncool. Driving home on snow and ice was uncool. Shall I go on?

Hell I've put my dick in more dangerous places than that!

good for you,let's hope you wrapped that rascal.

Nice BOOT video
Good size but come on.
Looks like a sol-duc silver in January!!! I would expect better.

Cool Vid Sol!

That's one of the coolest looking SR BC bruts I've ever seen and what I consider a fish of a lifetime but just another day at the office for you boys!



NOT.....

You not only sound like someone who has never fished for Native summer runs but also someone who can't even recognize one!

The big bucks ARE dark, I won't fault you for being observant. I will say this, the cold water may have affected their willingness to take a lure, but it and their color/condition had ZERO affect on their ability to fight. Those fish were some of the toughest fish I've fought, and I've caught many of their brothers a hundred miles downstream two months earlier in the year.

Naw. Just the opposite. He sounds quite knowledgeable. Just a little cranky because his 16 MO is probably still keeping him up at nights.

A little more sleep and he'll be just fine.

Sure is a little on the pessimistic side, though. I like it! As I like to put it, "sometimes hearing the truth hurts and is good for you."

If they are spawning summer runs then leave them alone?

They don't spawn in the beginning of November.

Man, are you always this pleasant ?

IF you expect better, lets see some of YOUR videos of "better" fish. Atleast a picture. If your going to cut him down for landing a steelie like that, you better have something to beat it.

Seriously you aren't going to make many friends by cutting people down for a nice fish like that. Go fishing...

I think he's calling you out, WK...

Well said boot.....I mean Fish Hunter . I mean,I would never bag on someone for catching a darkie . That video Sol put on here is one of the coolest things I've seen in all my years and made me smile. And you,King Troll,are trying to crap on that? It says a lot about you,it says little about the guys who risked their necks and went through all the trouble to film it for our enjoyment. Fell like an ass? You should...

You are just not smart enought to know when to quit. As to what is expected, we expect you to be a asset to this site.

You sir are an ASSHAT

Asshat is a funny one!

I love these post's where all the tuff guy's with lifted trucks and little wieners pipe up! Sol if most people did 1/2 of what you do they would be curled up in a little ball on the floor of the boat calling for MOMMY!
Sol it's just jealousy pure and simple, hell I'm jealous too! jealous I wasnt there while YOU were ROWING!!!!!! Cause I'm with Parker on this one and not afraid to say it I'm not racing up there anytime soon to try it just cause I have a boat sitting in my driveway.
Oh and BTW thanks for the post I look forward to hearing about your trips it's awsome!!!

I wish rowing would have been an option, it wasn't. We fished downstream of the only put-in on a river to nowhere. It was a unique trip in that it has been something both Nick and I have always wanted to do, even long before we met each other, we did it, and neither of us care to do it again. Two things will keep the average human off "this" river: Having to learn a river with many rapids and braids by running downstream on plane and having a split second to read water and choose a route, for one. If I had not had a full season in SW Alaska running a sled on several remote rivers under similar circumstances I would not have had the ability to do it. And I might add, "this" river was far more technical that running a powerboat on the middlefork of the Goodnews, or the Togiak, or evedn any number of rivers here in Washington.

The second is the cold. It would not be worthwhile to do this trip earlier with all the lodges up and running, there just isn't enough holding water to lose all those fisheman and be able to mix in without major issues, as evidenced by our experience late this year with only one guide and four clients. If you slipped into the water while wading, or while dumping a boat or whatever, the windchill whle on plane getting out of there would kill you, no doubt. I fought serious frostbite in dry toes and fingers, wetness would do you in. That is a big gamble to take with ones life.

In all my years of steelheading this was the coolest most memorable experience I've ever had, and I thank my good friend Nick for sharing it with me. He's good people.