Bear River Bottoms Float Trip

[Jmorfish]

Anyone here had any experience floating the Morton Conservation Easement section (4 miles) of the Bear River? I did about 10 years ago, and there used to be a small boat/canoe launch near Trenton, but when my wife and I did a scouting trip up there 2 weeks ago, that was removed and all grown back in... anyone know of any area near there to put in/or take out a canoe? Anyone fish it?
[signature]

[wiperhunter2]

Hey Joe, is this the area you are talking about:
http://bearriverlandconservancy.org/our-...r-bottoms/
If so, thats SkunkedAgains stomping ground, maybe he can help you. I've fished the area where the Bear river runs into Cutler but not that far up stream. Also, Tin-can has fished up toward that area but I'm unsure if he went that far up river.
[signature]

[Jmorfish]

Roger that, and tks, I'll try checking with those guys...
[signature]

[Tin-Can]

Joe,
I have been on the Upper Bear from the Ballard Bridge put in ramp, up stream maybe 4 or 5 bends in the river. But I'm not sure if that is anywhere near where you are asking about. I know that the river flow is deceiving, and may look slow and easy, but is strong enough to swing my 14' Lund right around into overhanging trees if it's not anchored up short enough. Now if you want to float with the river current downstream from Ballard it can be a nice float. Have some one that can park your vehicle at the Benson Marina lot after you put in at Ballard. As the crow flies it's about 4 miles, but with all the bends in the river it turns out to be closer to 7 miles.
Yaks and canoes should have no trouble. But the river depth changes every year, there may be dead fall trees and brush just barely sticking out of the water. Recommend you have a good handheld GPS or you may miss a river turn and end up going down a irrigation slew that either shallows out to almost nothing. or dead ends at some farmers water pump.
Have fun, be careful. Leave a float plan with someone. And like WH2 said, that's Skunkedagain's stomping ground, he could give you much better info than I can.
[signature]

[wiperhunter2]

Here you go Forest, attached is a pic with yellow pin marks, that shows where the Bear River bottoms are, with Ballard Bridge launch below, also marked with yellow pins. Looks like a long ways but I really have no idea how far it really is.
[signature]

[SkunkedAgain]

Hey I usually can help on things up here, but that area is a little further north than I usually travel. For me, I run out of Cutler upstream, but the bridge in Amalga is too low and I can't run under with the watercraft or boat plus there are a lot of sand bars and shallows so I haven't played up there much. I have seen lots of deer and game around the edges and hunted geese there in back sloughs but I've never been floating down it. Sorry I can't help much. If you want to know more about the lower river I'd be glad to help. It's a fun float with several different habitats that is like different trips. Fun to hit the tree section and then the marsh. Anyway let me know. Later J
[signature]

[Jmorfish]

tks T-C ...good info on that section, and I may have to give that a try...Morton section actually starts couple miles North of Trenton, and that's the part I've floated several times, but it's been a number of years...I've actually started at Cornish a couple times and floated to the Morton take out point, which is no longer there...great canoe ride...like to do it again...
[signature]

[Jmorfish]

tks -- and P.M. coming...
[signature]

[Tin-Can]

Thanks Curt. I wasn't sure where the Bottoms were, but looks from your map to be quite a bit up river from Ballard.
[signature]

[Tin-Can]

Sorry couldn't help more. Bear River Bottoms (as the map that WH2 posted with the yellow pins) is quite a bit out of my experience level. Was only 2 years ago I learned about the Upper Bear, Cutler, and Benson Marina. Took a BFT Cutler Flotilla from Ballard to Benson, then had fish tacos at Skunkedagain's Muddy Road Outfitters. Great fun, great food, great people. Only caught a few carp, but had a good time. My son took some Go-Pro video in a couple places, but they are too big to attach. So just a few
photos.
[signature]

[Jmorfish]

Good pics -- looks like you guys had a great outing that day...wish I could have been with you, but I didn't know anything about BFT 'til this past January...tks again...
[signature]