[captkirk]

I am heading over there in three weeks and cant decide if I should bring my Clack. It is high sided. I have rowed lots of rivers and am comfortable in class 3. I keep hearing stories of it being really tough. Are these stories true or is a bunch of worry warts? Thanks for your help. PS we are camping at oxbow. Is there a drift someone could recommend on the Duk or the Bogey?

 

[nb1000]

i was there a couple weeks back, that area of river looked tough to me... there is a nasty like "falls" part around there... from what ive heard its one heck of a hard river to float.. not that people dont... either way, be careful bro..

 

[SeaRanger21]

http://www.gamefishin.com/wa/features/oprivers.htm

 

[captkirk]

thanks ranger! I have never seen that page. Just what I was looking for.

 

[SeaRanger21]

Take your boat, if your not comfortable with the Solduc float the Bogey or Hoh and hope for some rain between now and then.

 

[fishnbear]

the middle drift is the easiest,still tough to a point, upper drift can pucker you up. lower drift is no easy drift either. right now all the drifts are tough dew to very low water, not alot of manovering in the bolder feilds, and rock gardens, thers rocks the size of VWs, the hohs fishing the best right now more water, but its also at all time low water, we flat out need rain. good luck Tdown:

 

[fishfiend]

I was there last November. I'm no expert but it didn't look impossible, and that was after big rains. Watch out in the"Rock Garden" those boulders are BIG. We had an excellent guide that day and we got some nice fish.

 

[Steelhead59]

I have floated all the drifts on the Solduc, right now the water is too low for any of the drifts in a drift boat, lots of rocks. At any level you will bang a few. Lower run is the easiest one of all but still has a pucker factor. My guess is, if you cant spell it ,dont float it!!!

 

[Mr56Jeep]

I have floated all the drifts on the Solduc, right now the water is too low for any of the drifts in a drift boat, lots of rocks. At any level you will bang a few. Lower run is the easiest one of all but still has a pucker factor. My guess is, if you cant spell it ,dont float it!!!

clown: conf: :lol:

 

[fish vacuum]

There are spots where it would really help to know the right "path" to take. Like has been said above, the low water right now makes it harder.

My guess is, if you cant spell it ,dont float it!!!

:lol:

 

[BERG]

I would hire a guide your first time down any of the drifts, in spring flows. (Or summer flows, like now...) Money well spent, if you go with the right one.

 

[Mr56Jeep]

I would hire a guide your first time down any of the drifts, in spring flows. (Or summer flows, like now...) Money well spent, if you go with the right one.

Thats what I did. Twice....

 

[LINGCOD TODD]

I have floated the Sol Duc from the hatchery to rainer and floated the lower end with a guide this weekend.( I know people that float the whole thing)
No one is floating the Sol Doc in a drift boat at this level! ( rafts only and you better be the best of the best if you try.)

At a normal flow say above 5 boards (1000 cfs) the only float you can do without seeing it first is maxfilds to witcome demel you have one big rapid and the rest is not to bad (if you are good on the sticks.)

The rest of the river is bad! only the best of the best do the floats above the hatchery (even at good flows!) most in rafts.

The hatchery drift is a must see before you run it! ( but if you are very good you can run it your self after seeing it)

witcome demel to rainer is about the same as the hatchery run ( but you need to know the path)

The lower end is bad! people run it at 5 board but I am good on the sticks and did not like what i saw this weekend!
about 4 bad spots the dinner hole is scary! and it looks like it will just get worse as the water goes up! i am not one to back down from a little white water but i just did it, and I only think I have a 50/50 chance of making when the water goes up and i know the path!
my Guide said two boat went down in this drift last week, and thats saying somthing becaues there wasn't any drift boats on it at all on sunday!

Stick to the Bogey or Hoh or get a guide! I am tell you this for your own safty ( i wish you would fish the sol duc in stead of the boggey or Hoh like me because the last thing i want to see is any more people on those two rivers but i would rather see you on the boggey then here about you dieing on the Sol duc.)

 

[rawhide67]

Your first time down the duc should be at no lower than 5 boards. The easiest drift is from maxfields to whitcom dimmel but the shuwa rapid gets very tricky below 5 boards in a drift boat. I have a buddy who hit 3 today from 101 to hachery on the bog. He fished the lower hoh on fri and hit 4.

 

[gone fishin]

My guess is, if you cant spell it ,dont float it!!!

That's some funny crap!!!!!! Gotta agree with most of these gents with common sense. Been running the sticks for about 7 seasons now and still don't feel comfortable going down the Duc. Gone with guides several times. Beautiful and productive river, but not worth becomming a statistic. Most rivers only have several hazard spots to negotiate. The Duc is the opposite. There are only several spots were you can relax and enjoy the scenery.

 

[thepoth]

The last time I went out with any guide was on the Sol Duc about 8-9 years ago. Water was quite high so he opted for the upper drift. I ended up with about 20 gallons of the Duc landing in my lap, I thought we were going in when the bow dug in and we took about 5 inches of river over the side and into me - fortunately we bounced out and it was just a good gush and a bad experience. He offered to give me a free trip the next time. I did'nt take him up on it. I will not name names but this was someone who supposedly had drifted it plenty of times before.

 

[Anonymous]

its no walk in the park. know the path or good chance of donating a boat, even if you know the path in certine spots one missed oar and you could end up donating one. gatta be on your A game. and it needs water. i have been hahcery down. never above hachery