Arriving at the Swimming Pool launch site, we noticed that the rivers level was down from the last time we made this float. Not sure what this would mean we nevertheless pushed off. Quickly we passed the first hurdle, a chute through a man made rock pile. It was one of many that allows the water to be diverted for irrigation.
The water was crystal clear and while the river was swift there was nothing challenging for the first half of the float. This allowed us to watch for wildlife and especially to look for rising trout. There were fish everywhere but we didn't bring our fly rods as this float was mainly a quick run of an unknown distance.
We passed great blue herons and mergansers, along with the occasional duck and osprey. The first real rapids approached and we tried to enter a chute nose first but Val hung up and was swung backwards. I stopped downstream and watched her, Smirking a bit I told her that it was easier going down the river forwards and you can imagine what happened next. Yup, I hit a shallow spot, almost flipped my kayak, and got hung up, before going backwards through the rapids.
Paying more attention to the shallow spots and rapids, easy class two, we both had fun as we entered chute after chute and easily avoided any snags. In one passage we missed spotting a large submerged rock and both took a glancing blow on our starboard sides.
Twice the rapids were large enough that we were splashed in the standing waves and took water over the sides. Not a lot however and while we were wet there wasn't enough in our yaks to present any problem and require us to land and empty the water.
Passing the first bridge we saw that the small covered bridge had been adorned with flowers. Diversions came and went and we had a few tricky runs but nothing that caused any problems. Too soon we passed a second bridge and then the McCoy bridge. The water had been so fast that it had only taken us one hour and twenty minutes!
The river changed quite a bit and after passing one short rapids the stream spread out a bit. The bottom dramatically changed it's characteristics with lots of flat white clay/mud and we stopped seeing any rising fish.
It only took twenty minutes to see George at our take out point. He helped us get unstuck in a shallow spot and didn't have anything good to say about the fishing. He had lost four flies and hadn't had a bite. It was the first time he has been skunked here and he seemed to take offense at the lack of the fishes cooperation.
We both agreed that the float had been one of the best floats we had ever had! It was a fun and quick float that only took one hour and forty minutes, but that because we hadn't stopped to fish. Now if we could just talk Renita into learning how to bof, (a method of using the fast current near large rocks) rocks and run the easy waves, (fat chance). Clear skies
Great post. Looks like a beautiful place.
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