New Drift Boat

[Troutbum_kelly]

Picked me up a 2016 Hyde High side this past weekend. Anyone with rowing experience who would be willing to share some pointers/tips would be greatly appreciated. I will be picking up the boat on the 25th and my plan is to put it in a lake and get used to the oars before I take it on the river. I have floated the Green on a pontoon boat but I have no experience rowing a drift.

Thanks in advance,

T.B.
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[remo_5_0]

Congrats! Sorry no tips for ya, I never bought a drift boat because I figured I would always end up rowing, screw that!!
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[kandersonSLC]

Lucky!!!

There are good videos on YouTube about rowing a drift boat and good information on the internet as to specific rivers.

I love rowing -- almost as much as fishing and it's great exercise to boot.
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[mousehatch]

Congrats again on the purchase! I'm looking to snag my first one this spring. I don't have a ton of experience rowing a drift boat(few hours on a mellow river) but like you I've done quite a bit of pontoon floating through hairy waters. My big suggestion to you would be forget the lake head up to the upper green below the fontenelle and lean to row there. It's super wide and slow with no real rapids, a great place to start I've been told. If you ever need a shuttle car(i've got a hitch) I'm always down to take a float and share the rowing!

PS: I know the green up there quite well
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[Troutbum_kelly]

Cool man, Thanks for the advice! I will definitely keep you in mind.

T.B.
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[Troutbum_kelly]

Anyone know anything about the first stretch of the South Fork below Palies? The guy @ Hyde told me it was a good flat section he wouldn't be afraid to send anyone to. Looks pretty mellow. Would this be a good place to learn?

Thanks,

T.B.
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[cje04]

Congrats on the purchase. Best advice I can give is spend some time on the water with those who know how to row, watch, and learn. PM me. I'll give some pointers.
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[Tarponjim]

South Fork below Palies is wide and flat. It does move fast when the flows are up, but no rapids. The Green is much more gentle, and has some obstacles here and there for you to practice avoiding. If you can get to the SF before it ramps up to 9000, or 12,000, or higher, it would be a great place. Fishing's good too!
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[kochanut]

[quote Troutbum_kelly]Picked me up a 2016 Hyde High side this past weekend. Anyone with rowing experience who would be willing to share some pointers/tips would be greatly appreciated. I will be picking up the boat on the 25th and my plan is to put it in a lake and get used to the oars before I take it on the river. I have floated the Green on a pontoon boat but I have no experience rowing a drift.

Thanks in advance,

T.B.[/quote]

do you live near a populated county that has rivers in it?

i ask because there are two avenues you could take.

first, go in and talk with a fly shop that offers guided trips. tell them you don't want to fish, you want a guide to go with you down the river to teach you how to read lines, and row rivers. I suggest this more than anything because these guides usually have first hand knowledge that is indispensable and I bet are willing to work with you.

second, and probably the most difficult, go to your local sheriff. Ask if they have a swift water rescue program. SOMETIMES you can get in on there classes for little or no cost and they teach not only swift water rescue, but basic boat safety and techniques

Source: I did this in California on the North Fork of the American river many moons ago. The program offered by the Sheriff was free if they had room. Got CPR, swift water rescue, and boat certified.
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[flygoddess]

Zak, waitin for you to get back. We bought the North Fork Outdoors 3 man drifter a couple years ago.
Trying to get schedules together with KAnderson to float the green.
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[Lfc-onthefly]

Iwas a guide on the south fork for many years i do have a drift boat an would be glad to show you how to use it pm me when you get a chance
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[DrewT]

From Palies down to Husky (well, actually to below Irwin) is referred to as the ditch because it is very channelized. As Jim stated, summer flows on that river are serious - and seemingly every year someone dies somewhere there (generally lower on the river). There are some spots w/ rollers but you can actually avoid them all together.

Below Husky, where Palies Creek comes in, there is a pretty good gradient drop that isn't really an issue but will probably make the inexperienced pucker a bit.

Below Irwin, the ditch ends and the river becomes very braided so it helps to know what a channel does before attempting to float one. If in doubt, stay in the main channel.

If you are in the furthest left channel immediately below the falls, there is on hydraulic that will make you pucker going through when the river is >= 15K cfs. There are three other channels you can take before the falls to avoid it though.

Below Spring Creek (bridge) takeout, you need to be very careful of which channel you take. If you stay far right, you will end up floating past the Conant takeout and there isn't another ramp until Cottonwood - in the bottom half of the canyon.

The canyon and lower sections often have a lot of sweepers and the lower river has a lot of diversions so I would recommend some experience and homework before doing them just to be safe.

Having said all of that, the temps on the SF are in the 30s right now.

The Hyde guys are big on the SF - however, I would recommend the lower Henry's Fork first. Do a float such as Chester to Fun Farm as there isn't really anything to get you into trouble there at all and its a short float. The fun farm is a backwater so you can spend a lot of time there just rowing around.

After you are comfortable with that float, do a Warm River to Ashton float - its longer and has one spot that will make you work. Be warned that just about the Highway 20 bridge - at the islands, you will have to drag your boat for about 30 yards at the current flows.

Or as Jim said, the Green is much gentler than the SF.

A few notes on rowing:

1. Since you bought a high-side, for most waves, rollers, or rapids, point the nose into the and put in your backstrokes. The big bow will plow through.

2. To avoid an obstacle, point the bow at it and backstroke away from it.

3. High-sides are good and stable boats but are a bit like a sail. They are not as easy as skiffs, low-pros, rafts in the wind.

4. Going through rough water, try to keep your bow pointed downstream - the trouble comes if you hit something broadside or a wave comes over the side.

5. Finally, always look ahead and plan your route before you get to it.
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[Troutbum_kelly]

Awesome! Thanks for the feedback. Great advice. I originally wanted a low pro but opted for the high side. I considered the wind aspect but felt the versatility of the high side out weighed the cons. The guys @Hyde were great to work with and I would recommend them all day long.

Thanks T.B

Here is the new boat!
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[DrewT]

That thing needs some scratches. It's too pretty.

A couple of other useful items:

Julie's Shuttle Service (South Fork): 208-483-2903

Julie's is very dependable and VERY cheap - if not a little odd (like $12 or $16 shuttles).

South Fork Outfitters also has someone that they use to run shuttles but the fly shop is hit or miss right now - it really does cater to a different clientele since Natural Retreats took over.

Idaho Irresistibles (Formerly Linda B's Shuttle Service - Henry's Fork): 208-7009-7773

Linda B and Kenny were awesome but moved to Costa Rica full time last year. Ken (I.I.) is an awesome dude.

C&D (they didn't deliver our truck once)
Big Spring Outdoors
Three Rivers Ranch
Yellow Sally

All shuttle the Henry's and are all based out of Ashton but I really like I.I./Linda B's.

Flaming Gorge Lodge (Green Shuttle - of course): 435-889-3773
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[Troutbum_kelly]

Sweet! Thanks Drew, I really appreciate all the help.

T.B
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[fro801]

Nice pic of the boat, looks good. I was in the same situation you were in last year. I called Flaming Gorge resort and talked with their Guide Manager. He set me up with one of his guides for the same cost as a trip. The guide was awesome he sat in the back and taught me as much as he could in a day about rowing(plus he didnt seem to mind cause he got to fish and thats a real plus for a guide). It helped a bunch. Why not spend the money to learn to row so you dont sink your boat, thats kinda how i feel about it. I know the Spinner Fall guide service also has a similar program. And I would imagine Trout Creek would be the same. The guide I was with taught me a bunch of safety stuff and how to avoid obstacles and a lot about how to row with different level of anglers and different number of anglers. 1 vs 2. Also a lot about extending the anglers drift by how you row. To me its worth the money to learn because it could be your life or the life of someone your know or your boat. If you have any other questions feel free to ask.
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[cje04]

Great point. There is a big difference between rowing to get down the river and rowing to put anglers in position to fish effectively. The latter can be fun and quite engaging, especially on new water. Either way, safety must come first as things can happen quickly on the water.
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[Bmarsh]

[quote DrewT]From Palies down to Husky (well, actually to below Irwin) is referred to as the ditch because it is very channelized. As Jim stated, summer flows on that river are serious - and seemingly every year someone dies somewhere there (generally lower on the river). There are some spots w/ rollers but you can actually avoid them all together.

Below Husky, where Palies Creek comes in, there is a pretty good gradient drop that isn't really an issue but will probably make the inexperienced pucker a bit.
[#ff0000] When the water is high the sweeper here can get rollers 3-5' high but its doable in a canoe so a drift boat should handle it fine. [/#ff0000]
Below Irwin, the ditch ends and the river becomes very braided so it helps to know what a channel does before attempting to float one. If in doubt, stay in the main channel.
[#ff0000] Great advice, are their big fish in there? Yes! but also there are usually some log jams and down trees that can cause major problems. [/#ff0000]
If you are in the furthest left channel immediately below the falls, there is on hydraulic that will make you pucker going through when the river is >= 15K cfs. There are three other channels you can take before the falls to avoid it though.
[#ff0000]If you hit this stretch, this spot is no joke. The eddy directly below the falls is flat out nasty if the river is above 4k cfs. Been flipped there in a boat and it can eat you for lunch if you don't know what you're doing and feel comfortable on the oars. Im not even a fan of going in and out of the falls with the jet that I have over 1500 hours in just because the currents there are so screwy. [/#ff0000]

Below Spring Creek (bridge) takeout, you need to be very careful of which channel you take. If you stay far right, you will end up floating past the Conant takeout and there isn't another ramp until Cottonwood - in the bottom half of the canyon.

The canyon and lower sections often have a lot of sweepers and the lower river has a lot of diversions so I would recommend some experience and homework before doing them just to be safe. [#ff0000]The canyon is very easy for a first timer as long as a couple of things are remembered. 1. Stay in the main channel. There are some good side channels but most have either a bad low hanging tree, a bad entrance, or a bad exit. 2500cfs-5000cfs are a beginners best friend. High enough to eliminate the bad low water hazards and low enough to not be too fast and be washing out banks and putting trees in the river. 3. Don't go below Byington Boat Access. Lower section is for experienced folks only. River completely changes below Byington, higher gradient, lots of downed trees, and diversions that are a handful for even experienced people. [/#ff0000]

Having said all of that, the temps on the SF are in the 30s right now.

The Hyde guys are big on the SF - however, I would recommend the lower Henry's Fork first. Do a float such as Chester to Fun Farm as there isn't really anything to get you into trouble there at all and its a short float. The fun farm is a backwater so you can spend a lot of time there just rowing around.

After you are comfortable with that float, do a Warm River to Ashton float - its longer and has one spot that will make you work. Be warned that just about the Highway 20 bridge - at the islands, you will have to drag your boat for about 30 yards at the current flows.

Or as Jim said, the Green is much gentler than the SF.

A few notes on rowing:

1. Since you bought a high-side, for most waves, rollers, or rapids, point the nose into the and put in your backstrokes. The big bow will plow through.

2. To avoid an obstacle, point the bow at it and backstroke away from it.

3. High-sides are good and stable boats but are a bit like a sail. They are not as easy as skiffs, low-pros, rafts in the wind.

4. Going through rough water, try to keep your bow pointed downstream - the trouble comes if you hit something broadside or a wave comes over the side.

5. Finally, always look ahead and plan your route before you get to it.[/quote]
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[Troutbum_kelly]

Took the boat out for the first float over the weekend. Stopped in to the South Fork Lodge and talked to them for a bit about the river. They recommended the Irwin to Spring creek float. We picked up a river map, arranged a shuttle for $20 and headed to Irwin. The dirt put-in is a little ripped up and with the winter flows you have to slide your boat a little ways to get to the water but it wasn't bad. The float was great. Just enough gradient and obstacles to get some practice on the oars. Saw some amazing fish but the trip was more focused on rowing as opposed to fishing. It was very difficult to see those monster fish and not try casting to them but there will be time for that. Even got the wife some time on the oars. All in all it was a great float. The boat performed perfectly and the river was amazing. Cant wait to get back up and concentrate a little more on the fish. Thanks everyone for your input and advice!

T.B
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[DrewT]

Strong work! Its actually easier to put in at Irwin right now than at summer flows. When flows are up, the water is ripping along that bank so you leave your boat dry but once ready to go, hop in and get on the sticks. I would imagine there was some dragging at spring creek as well.

We floated the Henry's Form all weekend. Excellent weather.
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