I've said it before and I'll say it again:

If you are not 100% confident behind the oars, please do not row the upper Sauk until you go with someone that knows what the hell they are doing. Even after going with a pro, you can get in trouble quick up there. This is the second boat that has eaten it up in this area this year. The flooding caused some major changes and there are some bad spots to watch out for.

The occupants made it out ok, but barely. It's scary to see this happen, especially twice this season in the same area. Don't risk it unless you want to add some structure to the river like the last guys did!

Well ???!!???

i guess our water ski expedition didnt really work HUh? Lonnie.

i guess our water ski expedition didnt really work HUh? Lonnie. :p

OH OUCH!!!!!!! that will ruin your day.

Just got back from the river ten minutes ago and water is up again this morning. Heavy rain overnight and warm enough for some snow melt. High and muddy!

Is it just me, or does that picture not look like a drift boat? And if it's not a drift boat, what was it doing thewre in the first place?

Um, I thought the same thing when we first saw it too. I was thinking "Duh, what the hell is this guy doing in a Lund-looking boat on this river?".

But.....upon closer inspection we can see that it is indeed a drift boat. A Lavro to be exact.

Check it out and remember that when you sink it.....it don't look like a drfiter when it's sunk sideways!


Be safe people, don't row it if you don't wanna blow it, because two is enough for one season up there

K.S.
Thanks for the clarification on that. And a Lund is exactly what I was thinking as well. I've never fished in a drift boat before, but it just didn't look like the drift boats I have seen before. Thanks again for the info!

Where is this located? It looks an awful lot like the mouth of the Sauk.

Not the mouth, KerryS. Upper river.

It's just below Dans Creek.

GO LEFT AT THE STUMP FARM JUST BELOW DANS CREEK!!!

Or, go right and contribute some more "structure" to the river. Oh and no, you won't get your gear back when I find it up there.

Yeah right Parker.

You won't get the chance.

I dumped a sled once in the Rogue 30 years ago. Flipped it with 3 aboard while heading up river through what they call the rattlesnake. Almost killed 1. I learned my leason. I have been taking drift boats, pontoon boats, and sleds up and down rivers for about 35 years now. I don't make stupid mistakes any more.

Something is wrong with this picture. Are you sure that is a Lavro DB? First off the gunnalls are all wrong. Not a bit of sweep to them. Then the back end is too square. Looks more like a LUND type that someone modified for river use. If so, they need to go back to the drawing board.

Either way, thanks for the post with the warning.

What was exactly the situation that led to this? Might be a good idea to share so others can avoid.

Thanks
BWO

That boat is definitely the "African Queen!"


I have seen it in motion pitchers before...no kidding!

Cowlitzfisherman:D

that sure looks alot like a lund to me and i own one

I hear you Sinktip; the sliding mount for the rowers seat is definately Lavro however the front deck doesn't look right even for the fly fishing model but the back storage compartment does. Maybe it's the angle of the picture that takes the "rocker" out of the photo. Looks like it might be the old 18 foot red one that one of the WSC Directors from down south used to own.

Beezer

I went by that area last Thursday with a guide/friend you guys don't like very much. We stopped and checked it out and decided to take the left side of the new channel. Even that wasn't very much fun.
I have no opinion on what kind of boat that is but that is an ugly spot on the upper.
Dave

I'm sorry for the guys this happened to but isn't it obvious that the channel was blocked?
Branches sticking up from the tree they hit kept me from choosing this channel. Left channel requires a bit of tricky rowing or getting out but is not a big obstacle or safety hazard. Advice to beginners? If you're not sure of the way through, get out and look before committing the boat and...walking a bit is better than swimming!
Be safe!

Well it might be just me but I SURE HOPE THAT THEY WERE OK!!!!

Hope that no body got hurt!!! See Ya

Send the picture to Lavro. Ron down there will tell you if it is his boat or not. Certainly does not look like any driftboat I have ever seen. Only been rowing driftboats since about 1975 and using sleds since 1980. Still have an old eastside glass guides model. Looks to me like this may have been a modified driftboat. Have seen a few wooden kits like these but never one in glass. I believe it is www.lavro.com, but you can look it up.

The saying is "There is 2kinds of drift boaters, those that have swamped and those that are going to swamp" It hasn't happened to me yet but it might someday. The duck

That boat doesn't look like a Lavro to me either. It does look very similar, maybe the current is disforming it. I'm glad to here everyone is safe.

Looks like a Lavro to me. The front deck has a plano box on it and that is why it looks funny.
The side reinforcements for the oarsmen seat are defintely Lavro made. Just a bad angle on the picture. The only reason it even resembles
a drift boat at all is because it is a Lavro. Best
damn glass boat made!!

The Sauk is taking more than drift boats. Last Sunday at the old put in across from where the Suiattle River comes into the Sauk there was a trailer attached to a pick up in the river. Pickup was submerged up to about the hood with just the cab out of the river. Hope they were able to get it out before the river came up. That is one steep put in to be backing a truck down anymore.
You all please be carefull so as not to ruin your day fishing.

LT,
Are you talking about the rough launch just above the new launch? What time did you see that pickup in the river and what color was it? We stopped to help a guy pull his truck and trailer back up from the gully, but it hadn't gone in the river. It got wedged after going over when the E brake failed. No one hurt fortunately, and his rig was okay. That was about 11:00 AM, just wondering if it happened again after that.

Steelyman
To answer your question, running that stretch with a guide would help only if it occurred since the last high water. What makes this stretch dangerous is that it changes significantly with every flood. And my point was that rowing skill is really not the most important issue...it's judgement and attitude.
I estimate that 9/10 accidents, close calls, etc are caused by inattention or poor judgement more than rowing errors. All of my close calls have been, and yes I swamped (not sank thank goodness!) my boat once.
Don't be too proud to get out and look and walk the boat if necessary. I did to get past the stump entering the left channel, to avoid where this accident occurred...probably coulda rowed it but why take the chance? It only took a minute or two. And no matter how good you row I don't think you coulda got over the tree that sank them. Don't take the channel if you can't see the way through. We took the left channel because we could...even though it was a little tough to get into and had a coupla sweepers.

Jam session, thanks for the reply!! I never meant to question the judgment behind the use of caution in your post, but...... it sure is funny how there are more people willing to joke about such an accident and discuss what kind of stinkin boat it is than to think that there were people on the boat that had to go through it! SO once again I say I sure hope that no one got hurt, And... (for u JS) that they learned their lesson! There is that old saying nothing risked nothing gained!! Looks like a pretty good spot to pull in and fish behind some of those sweepers.

We learn from our mistakes, and hopefully live through them to learn!!!
Be safe all!!!