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Post Info TOPIC: Is Putah Raftable from RV Park to Solano


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Is Putah Raftable from RV Park to Solano
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Picked up a new one man fishing raft for a trip down the E. Fork Carson. The trip got postponed and the raft still needs a maiden voyage.

Was wondering if anyone here has ever rafted Putah, what the flows were and were there any significant obstructions or concerns to be wary of. 



-- Edited by Frenchie at 20:02, 2008-06-03

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Jeff French


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I have floated from the RV park to just before lake Solano.  There were about 5 of us, some on innertubes, and some on small rubber rafts (like the cheap blow up kind).  I dont actually know what the exact flows were, but it was exactly this time of year, so I am assuming the flows were more than likely the same.  All I can say is there were some pretty crazy spots.  Some actually suprising rapids that I didnt expect.  The hardest part is there is a lot of low hanging branches over the creek.  Some of the flows actually tend to push you into spots where these low hanging trees are, and it can be pretty darn tough to get around or duck under.  We were pretty stupid about it as we had no life jackets, the only floatation device we had apart from the rafts and tubes was a trashbag full of cans (if you get my drift).  Would personally never do it again, but it is floatable.  Because of the low hanging limbs im not sure you want to take your raft there though, i think we ended up popping almost all of ours and I fell in numerous times (it was freezing).  All I can say if you do it is, good luck and lay off the sauce. 

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Before attempting potential suicide, go to http://cacreeks.com/putah2.htm. Its a kayaking site that tells the story of lower Putah at summer flows.

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I've seen plenty of kayakers and rafters doing it in the last month or so, So I assume its doable. Of course there would also be sections were you'd have to take it out and possibly walk down a bit.

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Master Fly Fishing Guide

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I was told by a very good source that Putah creek is a class 5 during the summer flows,that means that it is almost non navigable.Not so much because of the small rapids that Putah has this time of year but mainly because of the sweeps and low hanging branches.I have been involved in a rescue and a near drowning near access #5 a few years back,and every year I hear about people either having very close calls,needing to be rescued or actually losing thier life.Just take a walk down the banks of the creek during the Fall when the flows drop and you will see numerous rubber rafts,canoes and maybe even a kyak, all wrapped around and tangled in the bushes and trees...not a good sign! Bottom line is DON'T DO IT!



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Greg Bonovich
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Thanks for the info guys. Having side armed many cast under the trees at access 3 the strainers were my biggest concern. The pictures in the link confirmed those risk. 

I have seen people float by in all kinds of water craft while fishing Putah and figured it was worth checking into.

Way too many hazards to make it worth the risk and dying would really cut into my time spent fishing.

-- Edited by Frenchie at 22:15, 2008-06-04

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Jeff French


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Just stick to some of the slower sections, I haven't had any problems from my float tube.

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