[Annie Rutherford]

My husband and I are thinking of floating the river from the white bridge to Crossover Bridge. Looks like a good float for a couple of noobies. Just wondering if any one would share any dangers we may encounter or a better option.
Cheers everyone.

 

[Jim Wallace]

Haven't been down that stretch since we did Whitebridge (place that used to have a white bridge, but no bridge there now) to Black Creek this last winter. Can't remember any hazards then. Its usually a short and easy float. Low water, or maybe launching and pulling out, might be your biggest concerns. For summer steel there, you probably want to fish either very early, or very late in the day, if you can. First and last hour of light. In between, its a waste of time there any more.

You'd probably have better luck running into fish floating the Bogy from the fish hatchery down to its confluence with the Quill. There's supposed to be some searun cutts in there right now, as well as a lot more summer steel right now than the Wynoochee ever gets any more. Other than that, I don't know anything.

Disclaimer: I have developed a bad attitude toward the "Nooch" in recent years, though. I only fish it on rare occassions, any more.

Another idea, considering the flows are nicely down to where I like 'em, is the Cowlitz below Mayfield dam. The Blue Creek to Mission run is pretty easy, and reports are that there's some summer runs in the river.

 

[Salmo_g]

The Wynoochee is really low now, so it depends what you're floating in. If it's an aluminum driftboat, you'll be dragging it most of the way. That's a very short drift BTW, altho about as safe as it gets when it comes to river floating.

Sg

 

[Mike Lee]

Today the 'nooch id at 295 cfs above Blk Crk. Don't really know what the "stage" means, but if you do it's at 3.14'.

 

[Jim Wallace]

That sounds pretty low for floating it. Good levels for wading, though!

I think i'm just going to go paddle up a nearby local creek with the tide and check for cutts.

 

[Annie Rutherford]

Thanks gents.
Jim I have herd a lot of the same comments that you speak of about the nooch . I might as well just pick a river on the OP .

 

[Steelheader69]

I NEVER EVER float the Nooch during the summer months. You'll be doing a TON of dragging (even in a pontoon). I wet wade it. I've homebased at our property on the Nooch (just above the spillway/diversion dam) and have walked almost up to crossover as a kid with barely going waste deep zig zagging up the river (and have walked down to the Hwy 8/12 bridge to boot). Only times I've ever really "floated" it during the summer was on rain spikes (which were rare), and back then you didn't have toons, so we would float it in an innertube (and we still float fish it in them most of the time). And when I do my yearly "cleanup" float I'll take my inflatable. But the toon isn't for riding, it's for tossing garbage in. So don't need my fatass in it to do it. LOL. But this time of year, your best luck is fishing downriver, not that far up.

 

[Jim Wallace]

A few years back, around this time of summer, I waded up from the 7400 line bridge with a friend's kid, and we found a pool with some Whitefish which took soft hackles and nymphs fished along the bottom. No sign of any other fish! Nice hike,though!

 

[Annie Rutherford]

Thanks Jrerry, I know some spots to wade/bank fish, so we will give that a try.

 

[Mike Lee]

So I take it summer fishing on the 'nooch just a bad idea? I have a camping trip there in August with a bunch of friends.

 

[Steelheader69]

No its not bad. Just better to wade then float. I love summerrun fishing the Nooch in August.

 

[Mike Lee]

Right on. Thanks Jerry, much appreciated.