No report that I know of yet.

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hope it is not true

could this be it Grays Harbor Scanner
Yesterday at 12:39 PM ·
Swiftwater rescue, Mason County has a water rescue in progress near Schafer State Park on the Mason County side. Grays Harbor dispatch advised County deputies that with Downstream water could end up in Grays Harbor County

hearing body found this morning. no name yet

I hope the drowning report is not true. As a guy who has run most of the big water of the Northwest (Salmon, Middle Fork, Lower Salmon, Owyhee, Deschutes, etc) in a driftboat, I'm still apprehensive of our "easy" rivers in the winter. Rocks can ruin your day, but logjams can kill you real easy. My worst day floating, EVER, was on the upper Kalama from the Fly fishing area down to the upper hatchery. Had to swim for it when a big cedar stretched across the river. The Satsop is an easy float, but not if you float up against a log. Certain disaster. I hope the best for this sad report.

There was a body pulled from the river Friday at a friend of ours property.

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Really too bad. Any idea what happened?

Here is what I heard....

3 guys fishing, from bank, somewhere above Satsop Rivera. Person who drown, walked too far out in current, got sweep away.

End of story......chit happens, and at winter flows, happens quickly.

I appreciate the rest of the story. I'm surprised that it wasn't a boating accident, but......

I am a new poster here. I was there bank fishing the day the guy drowned. I was fishing in the backwater at the S curves for coho. I was on the Shafer Park side of the river. Three guys walked in from the Decker creek side about the time I was quitting and taking my rod apart. The water was running high and swift but they tried to cross upriver from me between Decker and the S curves. I was walking out through the brush when I heard two of the guys yelling. I went back to the backwater and saw the guy floating in the heavy current past the backwater where it goes past the big rock and there was no chance to get him. I think he had already drowned because I saw no movement and not face. Just a life less corpse floating. He was a 50 some yr old man. His two partners were young guys and they were able to get across the river to my side. The two boys had never been on the river before so I led them back up to the park and we contacted the ranger and he called 911 on the his land line because we couldn't get cell service. In a short time, Search and Rescue, county sheriffs, park rangers, State Patrol and and ambulance showed up. The Sheriffs gather information from the boys and me. The boys were cold and wet so the ranger gave them blankets and put them in his truck to warm up. The the two boys and the drowned man live in Tacoma. I was going that way and offered to take the boys home because they all had come in the deceased man's vehicle but it was locked and the keys were on him. The boys were going to be there a while so the ranger told me that I could go and that the authorities would make sure the boys got home.
Search and Rescue was sending a boat to look for the body. .
Just a very sad and tragic situation. The river was running way too swift and high that day to be trying to cross the river (more than 4000 cfs). It was the last day of the salmon season on the Satsop. A terrible ending to the season.

Lifter99..….

Thanks for a very good update......Normally that area of the Satsop is low and clear BUT IT CAN BE JUST AS YOU DESCRIBED. There used to be a drift boat put in, just a short ways down from Decker Ck. I used that as my put in, mid 80's - until it got blocked off. It was then people starting putting in by the bridge on Decker Creek and still do to this day.


Satsop has changed "lot's" since I moved here in 1968, Cook Creek area, Satsop Rivera, around the West Fork, S. Glick place, cemetery area, above the "old hiway bridge" and recently below the "car body" area. Boats have been sunk, jet and drift, so for a short river it can be a lot more dangerous than it seems.

Be safe !!!!!!

Drifter,
I have fished that area for many years and no drift boats launched at Decker that day. The river was running very high for that area. I could hear some sleds down river who were probably around the Turnow (Middle Fork) branch or Cook Creek. So, I don't know if a sled fisherman, Search and Rescue boat or a person living along the river found the body. The boys told me the deceased man had a wife and a son who was about the age of the two boys. The two boys and the drowned man were not related but they worked for the same company in Tacoma. The drowned man had fished the Satsop before but the two boys hadn't. Very sad.

There are old waders and there are bold waders. But there are very few old, bold waders. Very sad situation...….

Yes, I am sure it left a lasting impression on the two young men. I feel for the drowned man's family.

Thanks Lifter99 for chiming in on the report of this tragedy. . .we all learn so much from these things. . .knowledge, the only good thing that can possibly come from such an awful situation,

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Hey guys,

First off I would like to say hello , my name is Steve and I run the Satsop Springs Hatchery.

Second, I apologize for the delay on posting to this thread but I would like to add to this story basically where Lifter99 left off.

The day of the incident I was taking care of the daily chores around the facility when I received a call from down at Schafer Park. When I received the call I was told that while fishing someone tried to cross and was swept downriver and do I have a boat or know anybody with a boat. When I said I had a boat I was asked how quickly I could be there. Since I was unprepared for such a call I said I had to close shop, grab my gear, boat and would be there within 20 minutes.

At this point I am running getting things together so I could head down the road to the scene. In route I was driving as quickly as I could, thinking I am in a rescue operation and the man’s life depends on me, my boat and how quickly I could get there.

Once I teamed up with enforcement who was waiting for me at the park I followed them down to Satko Glen. The amount of enforcement vehicles, fire/ambulances/paramedics, etc that were on scene when I got there was mind blowing.

When I got there I jumped into action and got my waders on, boat ready and everything I could do until I was directed where the man was and where to launch. One thing I noticed when I was getting ready was that the scene was relatively calm and not what I expected. So I asked an officer where the guy was at and I was pointed to downriver on the right. As I’m looking I don’t see anybody standing on the bank or in sight. I ask again and was told to spot the bright yellow rain jacket tangled up in the log jam.

At this time, I spot the man and realize I am not part of a rescue mission but rather a recovery operation. My heart sunk, became overwhelmed with anxiety and became sick to my stomach. However, I was able to put my emotions aside, man up and get this job done.

We get the boat launched, two divers loaded up with me and we set out to retrieve the man. I rowed across the river to the right channel below the Middle and East Fork confluence. He had been out fishing with a couple young men and when trying to cross between Decker Creek and the S-Curves he apparently got too deep and when trying to turn around to head back to the bank he lost his footing and was swept downstream. Of course no life jacket, but instead had an extremely large hiking backpack on. This thing was huge and likely contributed to being swept downstream. It looked like a big oil barrel on his back that hung down below his waist. This backpack was in fact what snagged him to the tree downstream.

Once we got the man out from the tree to the bank and next to the boat the divers tried to lift him but were unsuccessful and needed my help. We loaded him into the stern of the boat and positioned as best as we could but was a challenge in itself. He was placed lying with his legs alongside me on my side tray to my seat.

Then we started our way downstream to the Kelly bar at Cook Creek where paramedics were waiting. This stretch of river was longer and quieter than usual in my drifter.

Very sad, emotional and sure makes a person sure respect the water. Please be cautious out there.

Very sad for all involved, but thanks for sharing and I hope it's somewhat cathartic as well for you! Kudos to you for volunteering your safety and equipment in the incident!

Good reminder to not always be loaded down when wading deep!

That is very sad and must have been difficult to deal with while being unprepared as to the situation. How sad that something like this could have been avoided.

Thank you for sharing the rest of the story, Steve. I wondered how and where the body was recovered. I hope all is well with the two young men and that they got back home to Tacoma ok. I also wish the best for the drowned man's family in their time of sorrow. Very sad.

Steve:

Thanks for filling in "gaps" in the sad happenings on the Satsop. I'm glad that your drift boat was available.

I am wondering why the sheriff's big jetboat wasn't used???? Could have been launched at West Fork and run to the Cook Ck. area "quickly".


Its this time of the year that wading and boat fishermen need to take special care....change in river bottom, complete change in river course, and trees/logs that block sections of the river.


Be safe......