We momentarily "stuck" in the same spot Friday and it felt like we were going to go straight down. Water came to near the gunnels. 16x54 Thor. Sunday when we came back and floated it again I paid more attention to the spot.

Couple of dogs chased a two point through/across the Alder Hole about a half hour before the incident. Strange morning.

Did you go right? Over the shelf?

We went hard right.

Just below????? Or what used to be called "the bluff hole"?????

As I remember that area//it was Stevens Ck., then the deep hole(high bluff on West side of river), then buzzard drift, then 200-300 yards of xhit water, then into the "bluff hole".....then out of that to the helicopter hole and on down the river.

I remember the 1st time I did the "old chute", got right to it, trying to keep boat lined up, then let it go......looked like it was 10' down but it wasn't. The old chute was more of a challenge.....

Those were the fun days.....lots of fish, not so many other boats!!!!

Be Safe !!!!!!!

Thanks for the heads up and glad it turned out ok. Boils are bitch! Either you sit motionless on top of it, until you push or pull out, or it throws you to the edge, where the current sucks a side down... LEAN hard opposite! Knowing ahead of time is a big advantage. Any more details on setting up would be greatly appreciated. Or, get out and walk it by if possible. Thanks.

Glad you made it out OK !

It's a creepy feeling when you're in one of those swirly suck holes.
A butt-puckering experience to be sure.

If I can get at least part of the boat in downstream current, I go for that.

Confused water in rivers or salt can be hairy.

I was the first boat through it on friday morning. It's the first shoot where the river splits a few hundred yards below the chute. It was my first time floating it this year and I debated on staying left but followed main flow and went right at the split. About 100 feet before you get to the boil you can see its not gonna be a good transition into the opposing flow. I should have stayed further right over on top of the shelf but kept in the main flow and hit the boil head on. The boil really doesnt look that big but its very powerful. It will instantly spin you and try to suck one side of your boat under. Im in a 17x60 willie and I leaned hard right and barely kept water from coming over the side. Pushed out of it and said damn that was way worse than it looked. Just my experience, hope it helps save someone else from flipping. I've been rowing op rivers 20 years and it made me pretty nervous but I did hit it in about the worst spot possible.

Dayam
Sounds like the Mother of All Toilet Bowls !

Is this the spot?

Sickpup:

That is the spot I thought it was, have been told it was "up river", just down a bit from the blue fish symbol.

I haven't been to the Humptulips in 20 years....guess I'll go for a drive and then walk to get a lay of the land and river.

Would have been nice to have had a picture of where it happen....oh well !!!

I have not seen it yet, but it sounds like it's where a steep short half assed clay bank is visible, that runs out to a shelf on the hatchery side, that gets deep on the edge? In years past I have stood on the shelf and bank fished it. It must drop into that deep hole causing the boil. Wonder if the left finger of the split can get around it? You can see it on Google Earth or Maps. Being technically challenged prevents me from posting the aerial view. Many steelhead showing up yet?

the lower the water gets the worse it going to get..

see that little finger just below the blue marker on your map, that's the hairy spot. river pushes up against a clay bank, but there's a shelf just under the surface with fingers carved out of it, causing some weird current.

This is why I don't row and only ho. I can row OK water, but anything like this boil and I would rather turns the oars over to an expert. Everyone on the boat also easily agrees (and quickly too!). I don't care too much about myself per se, but I really don't want to hurt anyone...ever. Glad everyone involved with this one is OK. Also glad you guys are sharing detailed info here to help prevent any future mishaps. Stay safe out there and fish on!

I love those chatty, happy-go-lucky front seaters while the GIB (guy in back) is totally white knuckled and sweating bullets.

You know you're in deep schitt when the front seaters suddenly go quiet and then turn around showing these eyes as big as pie plates !


Fun times.

I went, I saw, I did 10 casts so I could say I fished the Steven Ck area, after about 20 years.

I drove down to where the old train bridge was, boat launch then and still boat launch.....what REALLY surprised me was the amount of rigs parked in that area, I should have counted them.

I got there about 10:30, many people I'm sure had gone home BUT there were still lots of people every where......either lots of people had the day off, were out of work, retired or other reasons but there were people everywhere.

Slow day on the Humptulips....I'll stay with fishing the 3 rivers closer to Central Park...

Yup! Can't count how many times I've been told to sit down and shut up...and I do...well sometimes. If my eyes get really big, better get a good grip on the sticks and row me to the first available casting water hence forth.

LOL

I used to have a river raft and rowing frame and I still wish I hadn't sold it. My Willie is nice but doesn't get used as much where I fish cuz it's a hard boat and dot want to jack hammer rocks with it. Soft boats are underrated IMO among sport fishermen.

DrifterWA, it's a new point of pride for young bums to fish and pretend like they are being productive throughout the week. This same group want to be guides and wouldn't exist without Facebook and cameras. It's an attention thing. They want all the atention.