How Not to Treat Pierce Riffle (Rogue River)

[Fishin Geezer]

Not fishing, I drove up to the boat ramp this morning to check things out. I walked up to the boil hole, located at the bottom of the riffle, just in time to see a drift boat with two young guys head out into the current and out of sight around the corner, obviously intending to run up the riffle to Savage Rapids dam.
A local guy with his boat parked on the bank told me didn’t expect the kids to make it up the riffle. The boat driver had said he’d “only been on the river twice but what the h**l, you only live once”. That’s not the correct attitude towards the Rogue, especially with 6000 CFS flowing at Grants Pass. It can kill you!
I noticed a couple of things. No life vests on!! No tiller extension so he was sitting his 250 pounds at the very rear of his small drift boat, dropping his stern and raising his bow so badly he couldn’t possibly see where he was going. Most all of us stand and move as far forward as required to get a reasonable fore-and-aft balance and view of the river ahead.
After a minute or two we heard it! Bang bang, crash, boom, etc. as he bounced thru the rocks and re-appeared, rowing like heck. Except he was doing it exactly wrong! He was in the fastest current and trying to push his way out of it. It wasn’t going to happen so eventually as he approached the boat ramp down river from us he turned the boat and began correctly pulling the boat towards the shore. Only then did we notice that his motor was gone!!
He kept rowing then suddenly he had only one oar!! Somehow (youthful power and adrenalin?) he was able to get the boat to the shore, just above the ramp.
The other boater ran down river, intending to recover the guys oar for him but returned shortly. The oar had broken, not worth recovering, and probably old and rotten.
The motor? Reported by the driver to be chained to the boat!! My G*d! How did that “youthful power” drag that 80 pound motor thru the rocks to the bank with one oar, paddle fashion, at 6000 CFS, without getting stuck and sinking??
I never met the kids but I guess they got on the ramp, loaded the boat, and left.
So, where did he go wrong? No life vests, zero experience, didn’t know the route, very poor boat balance, poor equipment, no rowing skill.
What did he do right? He Prayed!!
(Sorry for the long post but I think its a story worth telling).

[pearl]

First - I'm glad to hear their OK

Second - Maybe they will think twice before their next adventure. Hopefully it was a learning experience

Third - Great story !

[Grantspastor]

35 years ago I was the same. I had launched my boat at Weasku Inn back when you could still do it. I was running Pierce Riffle in high water when my anchor rope popped out of a cam-cleat (not recommended). The anchor stuck on a rock and jerked my boat up tight in heavy water, because I had the tag-end of the rope tied to the boat (not recommended) In the blink of an eye we were full of water. I got the rope cut, and sort of rowed the boat down into the boil hole where it sank out from under us. We didn't have any life jackets on (not recommended). We both got to the south bank and crawled out. Long story-short...I recovered my boat. It was upside down in about 8' of water. I drove my Bronco down the canal access road, and winched it out with my Warn winch. Very humiliating, but thank the Lord we were o.k.

Listen to the voice of experience. Learn how to do these things and boat safely in milder conditions. Just because other boaters are doing it and making it look easy doesn't mean it is.

[Fishstix]

Sounds like this place is not for the novice.

[Fishin Geezer]

Good words, Pastor, good story, and great advice.
I was in a guide's boat above Shady Cove when his anchor came loose in a bad place. We got lucky and retrieved it OK. So I learned the easy way and you learned the hard way, but we both survived! I still hate to see an anchor hanging off the stern of a drift boat in bad places. It's so unnecessary!!
And tying it off to the boat? Ouch, we all learn!!
Its a coincidence that early this week I posted my opinion that my motor will never be chained to my drift boat. Go bye-bye, I said. At my age I could not have moved that boat to the shallows with a 15 HP Merc trailing behind.

[Fishin Geezer]

Actually, Fishstix, if you learn the routes in advance, approach it with caution and good equipment,and have got the b*lls to face death with open eyes, it's do-able (I'm exaggerating). We all start as novices, some of those other guys become experts!!

[Chetco]

I drifted the upper Rogue from the hatchery to Shady Cove yesterday. I was surprised to see so many kids in rubber rafts without life jackets. The river was running at 3,100 cfs at the hatchery, much more below Elk Creek, etc., and it would be easy to tip even a drift boat.
I screwed up and sliced my finger cutting a sardine fillet for a Kwikfish. No first aid kit on board. It took a long time to get the bleeding to stop. Anyway, wear a life jacket and carry a first aid kit. (And stay away from Pierce Riffle if you don't know what you are doing).

[roguesteelheader]

There are very few places on the middle or upper Rogue for novice rowers. Pete

[Fishin Geezer]

Hey Chetco
Did you find any springers up there? Latest count was only about 2000 over Gold Rey Dam, so I've been holding off. 3000 CFS makes much of that water tough to fish. Really hard work to hold the boat in the right places.
Right on about the life vests and first aid kit

[rowmanholiday]

Not to get off track of the original message of safety & knowledge, what is the optimal flow for drift boat fishing between the hatchery & Shady Cove? I have been rowing a drift boat (16' alumaweld)about 9 years on local SW Washington streams and the Olympic Peninsula. I wouldn't say I'm an expert, but I can handler the oars pretty good and I have decent strength.
I have a couple of guys working on a hospital in Medford and would love to treat them to a day or two of fishing. Any other suggestions for drifts on the Rogue are always appreciated. I have fished between Galice and Almeda and find that an easy drift. And by the way, I also agree that if you don't know the river, ask first. Or better yet, take a guided trip to find out and ask a lot of questions from your guide.

[Chetco]

If you drift the upper Rogue, have the people at Pats FLies or the Fishing Hole in Shady Cove point out the bad spots. There is one where you need to get to the left of the island instead of the right, even though going right appears to be the best path.
Lots of boulders and rock patches make for an exciting ride. If you just bought a new boat and are new to drift boat fishing, try somewhere else first.
I think the 3,100 cfs this weekend was a little high. Lots of spots looked good, but it was hard to keep the boat in position for long.

[Fishin Geezer]

I'm not sure about an optimal flow, 2000 CFS is nice. I'm also not sure anyone can tell you about routes, too long and varied. For sure, hire a guide and get a look at it first. Yeah, below Casey Park is the Slide Hole, just below it is the island. Go left and admire the fancy house on your left with all the sculpture, be careful in all that stuff at the bottom. Although at 3000 CFS you can go about anywhere. Just pay attention, read the river, and be careful. You'll be all right up there.
For springers, about the only places the guys fish is the upper river down to TouVelle Park (be careful in Rattlesnake), below Gold Rey Dam, and below Savage Rapids Dam. These fish, I am told, are travelers and are only caught where they keg up below a major obstruction to their up-river progress.
They don't fish springers much below Grants Pass, but yeah, Galice to Almeda is pretty easy. If you continue on down, be ready for Argo Riffle. Enter just left of the big rock at the top, ease over to the right bank as soon as you can, slip over the bedrock outcropping, then pull as hard as you can to the right to avoid the big curl that will get you wet if you're not quick enough! Depending on flow it goes from challenging to easy to dangerous!!
Good Luck and stay dry!!