Hello to all and I hope the spring is bringing you plenty of water and waves. Up here on the North Platte we are hurtin' for certain. Our flows this morning are 700csf and don't look to rise much if any. Chances are we are going to lose water form here on. If you are planning on floating the Gate (northgate) or 6-mile please be aware that it is thin. I just got done talking to another local outfitter here in town and today will probably the last day he fish's the upper water. Too clear and tooo thin. One good side is that you can see the rocks before you hit them. One bad side is that you can see the rocks before you hit them. I realize for floaters clearity isn't a big deal but for fishing you don't want it clear or even close. Fish see pretty good.
There has been some recent posts about our river up here and I feel like I have some concrete info since I've been guiding this river for the past 8 years. If you have questions just ask. Just realize that if you are looking for a white-water adventure look elswhere because we have no white-water. On a normal water year we have 9 miles with a handful of class 3 and 4 drops but once you get to 6-mile the water is no longer considered white by any strecth. We use low-profile drift-boats from 6-mile down if that tells you anything... even at higher water levels. But it's still a great, peaceful, float if you don't mind pushing a few rocks.
There is still a fair amount of snow up in the range but not enough to raise the river. Even the Encampment season is about over... for the yakers. As a rule of thumb North-Gate is not floated below 1200 csf for white-water. Now you can float it down to 350 csf or so if you have a canoe or small (portable) raft but just realize that you will spend more time out of the boat than in and the nine miles to 6-mile will take all day. I've floated 6-mile at 250csf and it's pretty much the same. There are two flats above Dug Crick that require a major push. Just don't load your boat down. The thing that gets me is that these rafts get all loaded up for the handful of drops in the first 9 miles then have to push the raft another 26 miles to Bennett Peak loaded with more gear than needed. Consider attacking this river alpine style... light and fast. A 16ft. boat at 700csf is a pig on the upper river. Then add a tent, firewood, coolers, people... a lot of weight there.
Another option is to leave a rig at 6-mile so you can unload some gear there then continue on with trip to Bennett then we'll shuttle your vehicle from 6-mile to Bennett so it'll be there waiting. We are the only shuttle service in the valley that will work with you to make sure your trip is the best. Feel free to call and just talk to us. Things move pretty slow here in Saratoga so we don't mind taking time to answer questions and giving you the correct and current updates.
The biggest obstacle when floating the upper at lower water is Millie's riffles just above Bennett Canyon. This is a 3 mile riffle that is hard to navigate if you've never seen it. You will be a pinball in a few areas at the mercy of the current because you can't get a good dig on the oars. No major hazzards other than the Sangers (land-owners) just don't walk on their banks. Stay in the river and they won't bother you.
Possible campsites from the Gate to Bennett will be all along the first 18 miles, both sides, then you'll hit private water for 8 miles. The next campsites are Big Creek, river right, which has an outhouse facility... if you can find it. The public section of Big Creek is less than a mile but has some great spots. The next 6 miles belong to the Sangers and I swear they have cameras on rocks and trees. I'll be in the most obscure back eddy for just a second before we hear the sound of the four-wheeler. DO NOT PISS THESE FOLKS OFF. BE NICE. Once you're off Sangers, the next 4 miles is mostly all public to Bennett, except a small private piece just above Corral Creek but isn't really marked. There will be a huge boulder in the middle of the river and the water just above and below this rock is private. There really isn't a good campsite around here anyway.
I hope this info helps some folks out. Again feel free to call my cell or shop. 307-326-5326 is the shop... 307-710-2203 is my mobile.
A local outfitter training guides wrapped the boat. The second boat they've wrapped in three years. Just goes to show the power of water and the importance of going with a qualified, competent, skiled outfitter. Lwet me know if I can do anything for ya's.
It helps to get the BLM series 1-100,000 scale map (yellow cover), which shows land ownership. The Saratoga map shows all but the put-in and first couple miles of Northgate Canyon. There are color-coded signs on the banks to mark the boundaries of public and private land.
I've been floating Northgate to Saratoga for years and have never had a confrontation with a landowner, (despite the fact that I can be abrasive, and think that some of them are psychotic landgrabbers who deserve to lick the hind parts of dogs for ten thousand years).
In any event, I've never had the chance to piss them off. I stay afloat and keep off their sacred propitty, and they leave me alone. Brilliant.
A commercial drift boat with dudes standing up and fishing, that pulls over for every eddy, is a a hell of a lot more conspicuous than a small raft or cat, floating through.
Out of the upper 35 miles of river only 12 is private so it really shouldn't be an issue. The markers mentioned are not always viewable or present for that matter. Weather and people take'em out. As far as the Sangers property goes they just sold to some Colorado developers so now the psycotic landgrabbers are psycotic moneygrabbers. 29mil is what the ranch sold for. So now instead of dealing with the psyco's you'll get the pleasure of floating through one of those neighborhoods off I-25 where all the houses look the same and they are less than a foot a part. And I forgot about the golf course. We'll have the pleasure of ducking when we hear FOUR. But atleast they aren't guns huh? What kills me is that this 5th or 6th generation homesteader who cared so much about the land and water sold out to some folks who are going to build and build and build and build. But hey, atleast the folks won't have to go to Bennett anymore. They can just tie up or take out at the docks in front of their house. Plus I'm sure there will be a resturant and pub that will sell fat tires... heck they may even have the beer cart deliver to boats. Talking about folks who deserve to lick the hind parts of dogs.
I'm not aginst folks from CO shoot 65% of our towns enconomy comes from the front range. The overall attitude around here has changed over the past few years and problems just don't occur that often. Most the town realizes the importance of the front range and even the ranchers are coming around. I'll even say that some guys down there have embellished a few stories just to keep his neighbor away.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chip
It helps to get the BLM series 1-100,000 scale map (yellow cover), which shows land ownership. The Saratoga map shows all but the put-in and first couple miles of Northgate Canyon. There are color-coded signs on the banks to mark the boundaries of public and private land.
I've been floating Northgate to Saratoga for years and have never had a confrontation with a landowner, (despite the fact that I can be abrasive, and think that some of them are psychotic landgrabbers who deserve to lick the hind parts of dogs for ten thousand years).
In any event, I've never had the chance to piss them off. I stay afloat and keep off their sacred propitty, and they leave me alone. Brilliant.
A commercial drift boat with dudes standing up and fishing, that pulls over for every eddy, is a a hell of a lot more conspicuous than a small raft or cat, floating through.
Amen— The combination of developer greed and the Wyoming phobia about land-use regs and zoning can be pretty deadly.
When development takes place, it's a good time to push for public access easements or habitat designations.
Our lot (c. late 1970s) on the Big Laramie has river frontage that's designated for public walking and fishing access, with the easement held by the Game & Fish Dept. Our fence is set back from the bank, and there's a path. The feeling is pretty different to what it is on the North Platte, with all the signs and hostility.
In New Zealand, the ocean shoreline is publicly accessible for a certain distance (called the Queen's Chain) above the high-tide mark. People are liable if they do damage or break the law, but not for simply being there.
That is, there are better ways to work this stuff out.
yrs, Chip
p.s. Below the big dude ranch (A Bar A?) there are actually golf balls mixed in with the stream cobbles. (I picked up a Titleist 4, from Commerce Bank.)
I'm not aginst folks from CO shoot 65% of our towns enconomy comes from the front range. The overall attitude around here has changed over the past few years and problems just don't occur that often. Most the town realizes the importance of the front range and even the ranchers are coming around. I'll even say that some guys down there have embellished a few stories just to keep his neighbor away.
That's an interesting perspective you put on folks from CO floating the upper river. Whenever I've floated it, regardless of how the fishing was, it is always just OK to others because I don't want some jackass that halfway knows how to row going up there with his 2 best friends and catching a few fish, then posting the pics on the net and telling 20 million people about it, sort of like we're doing in this thread......
last time i was in the wolf and i mentioned to someone that i was a greenie, their expression changed completely when the word "colorado" came out of my mouth. i don't volunteer that info anymore....
my 2 cents on public access on the upper river - more fishing pressure will hurt the quality of the water and will alter the experience of fishing the river as well. flame away.
I'm writing a book entitled just because you have a boat doesn't mean you know how to row it. It is a fragile river and more pressure means trouble but the amount of traffic i've seen this spring compared to the past eight tells me the word is out and it's no longer the secret gem. I was one who told people to stay for the longest time but it's time to face the facts and the river will just see more traffic as more folks take up the sport of rafting. There are only a few commercial permits allowed for this area and there are no more available. Now they are studying to see if permits need to be issued like the smith river in MT. from mid-April to July... not a bad idea. [
quote=the_dude;69770]That's an interesting perspective you put on folks from CO floating the upper river. Whenever I've floated it, regardless of how the fishing was, it is always just OK to others because I don't want some jackass that halfway knows how to row going up there with his 2 best friends and catching a few fish, then posting the pics on the net and telling 20 million people about it, sort of like we're doing in this thread......
last time i was in the wolf and i mentioned to someone that i was a greenie, their expression changed completely when the word "colorado" came out of my mouth. i don't volunteer that info anymore....
my 2 cents on public access on the upper river - more fishing pressure will hurt the quality of the water and will alter the experience of fishing the river as well. flame away.[/quote]
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