Is the float from Rockport to Concrete on the Skagit in a DB and is there anything to look out for? Also, where's the best place to take out? I have 4WD.

I've done Marblemount to Rockport and Govt. bridge to Faber's many times, but I've never floated this stretch.

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

The float from Rockport to Concrete is 11.3 miles in the stream catalog, but it feels like 10. There are no significant navigation hazards besides the usual deceptively swift current and a tree here and there, with plenty of room to dodge them. Take out at the mouth of the Baker River, upstream side. It's an unimproved lauch and retrieval site. Although it's a sand, silt, gravel site, it's suitable for drift boats and sleds, not to mention rafts, canoes, and 'toons.

Have a good drift and enjoy the fishing.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

4Salt,

You going up tomorrow (Saturday)? My buddy and I are banking it in the same area. I'm bringing my slingshot in case you try to drift over our water.

Maybe I'll see you up there.

Fish on...

Todd

Hey Todd,
Forget the slingshot, get yerself a tater gun like Bob's got.

Good call, Mooch!

Todd,

Titanium Cranium, my neighbor and I will be drifting in that same stretch of water tomorrow...I don't know the exact areas as I'm hitching the ride with T.C., and its my first time actually drifting the river instead of banking it.

I'll keep an eye out for your mug along the bank...but no spud gun here...:-(

Mike

Oh no he is in my boat There goes my gel coat. Oh wait it is a Lavro no worries.....now if it were a Hyde I would be concerned. :p

Any Reports?

Mike B. Caught a 9-10 lb bright nate buck. Gave good fight too. I caught many of everything in the river besides steelhead, and his neigbor musta had a banana in the boat LOL. It was a good day to be on the water but maybe a little to bright for the fish. Still rather be fishin though. Didn't see anybody else with fish or any reports either.

Skagit many - fishermen 1 (so far).

Thanks! I'll listen for Phil's report on Tuesday.

Gotta see if he caught a half dozen by then.

I'll listen for Phil's report on Tuesday.

Gotta see if he caught a half dozen by then.

LOL! Ya know, you do hear some rather tall tales from Ol Phil...but I can tell you that "most" of them are true...slightly embellished perhaps...but true.

Here is that nice nate brough to the beach (with the help of some great coaching by Mark)



In Phil's defense he did spend quite a bit of time on the oars, as did Mark. Since I was the rookie (and still healing from pneunomia) they just let me fish...great fishing partners, both.

Phil and I fish together quite a bit, him being my neighbor, but this was my first trip with Mark and I can tell you that you won't find a more pleasant and patient guy to fish with. Thanks Mark...I enjoyed every minute of it!

Mike

Todd,
If you fish my water, I'll ----- ---- --- -------- !

Oyea try that oldnew side channel!
That's right you guys have to work during the week!
All the GOOD FISHERMAN DON"T FISH WEEK-END'S!

Thanks for all the help guys! We ended up doing Marblemount to Rockport instead, only because I know the holes better.

Two drive-by's on Dr. Death Tadpollies in the Rocky creek area but neither one stuck. Way less dollies (bulls) around than I expected. River flow was about 4500cfs which is alot lower than I usually like, but made pulling the plugs a little easier in spots.

We ended up catching a few nice dollies near Barnaby slough.

A resounding thanks to Lead Thrower for loaning me his driftboat for the day!

4salt
You didn't do any thing to Todd?
He was a no show? (I know he wasn't fishing with you)

Hey 4Salt,

I don't do that area in a DB but a sled instead. (my mom said something about a poet...) However I can tell you that if you get the chance to use the DB again, do the Rockport to Concrete drift. The water is slightly bigger, past the sauk, which is adding a little color - bonus. There is a lot os good structure to fish especially if you're pulling plugs. The distance is about the same and I would imagine the water speed slightly faster since there a little more water. The only place I think you might have to look out for is past the Sauk at the head of Sauk bar. The water get ultra skinny there. There are two paths you can choose the first will pull you over naturally but be aware that the current wants to send you to the bank and there are lots of down trees at the edge of the bank on the South side, the other is to fight the current pull and continue heading down toward the beach, hugging the North side. At the headend of the Sauk bar there is a narrow channel the will pull you through very close to the beach and then send you across river. The rest is pretty easy to judge. Would of posted this before but hadn't gone down through Jackman yet this year until this past weekend. Good luck nextime.

Thanks TC! I may do that float this weekend.

I probably should have done it last Sat. instead, but it was the whole "Go with what you know" kinda thing.

Hey 4 Salt, Did you do the Skagit float last weekend or are you going up there tomorrow?

Summer Run,

We did Rockport to Concrete last Sat. in the RAIN. It was supposed to clear up but it pissed on us all day.

Between 2 boats we had 1 steelhead and about 7 or 8 dollies. I was in the boat with only 1 dolly, but it was a big one!

I don't like that float all that much, IMO it's better geared toward fishing from a sled. Once we got below Faber's there wasn't much holding water and the Sauk had the vis down to about 2 feet.

Next time we'll probably do Sutter creek to Faber's if we fish the Skagit again.

Awesome! 4 Salt.
Are you, Leadthrower, and CraigO heading up to the Skagit tomorrow? I'm heading up there on next Saturday the 10th.

Hold on there... There is some absolutely excellent holding water below Faber's. You just have to know where to look and which side of the river to be on when going through.

Even with reduced visibility we caught 4 fish on Sunday. Three of them came from below Faber's.

Immediately below Fabers on the South side there are root wads with 2' deep channels that form behind them. Drift fish those. A half mile down switch sides to the North side right at the Howard Miller hole. Good plugging water there or get away from the bank about 50' feet and fish midway between the bank and the boat. You may not see them but there are very large rocks there for about 1/4 mile. Then switch sides again and fish the South side. You want to cast ultra close to the bank and battle with loosing gear in limbs and such but sometimes the good outways the bad (18 1/2 lb there on Sunday). At first this run is sandy but soon turns to gravel/rocks. This run continues past the point the plunkers use, although it's a sand pit right past the point it again changes to gravel and continues most of the way down to the Dutchman. That's only half way from Fabers to Concrete. Let me know if you want more info. We caught two more fish below that on Sunday.