rancilio Report post Posted March 31, 2015 Great photos. Thanks for sharing them. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
naturegirl Report post Posted March 31, 2015 that looks like an awesome trip/ Ive seen eagles from my kayak on the salt and on canyon lake. (Woods canyon has a G&F viewing of the nest every year). Ive drifted and watched the eagles perched and hunting from my floating kayak. Something that may never happen, but on my bucket list is too kayak/float down the Verde. Doable from November to April. 60 miles (from the edge of Camp Verde-or 70 if you include CV). only one access point about Childes area, 18 miles down stream. and then next point of contact would be bartlet lake. I've heard that the verde has many spots where you must carry your boat for quite a ways. Is that true during the winter months you mention above? The woman I mentored at the javi camp said she sees it all the time where people are carrying their boats on the verde. It's been years since I've been to sheeps bridge. Beautiful trip especially this time of the year with the flowers blooming. JimmyC - No pics of the flathead, but cooked in butter it tasted like lobster tail. Succulent was the word I repeatedly used to describe each and every bite...SUCCULENT! .....The best fish I've ever had! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
murfys69law Report post Posted March 31, 2015 I still marvel that I frequently see Bald Eagles around our beautiful state of Arizona. I've lived in Arizona since 1979 and the sightings for me were zero back then, but over the years the eagles are making a comeback and are on their way to being a success story. The two biggest things we can do is take all fishing string out with you and leave no lead weights behind. When my older kids were little we played a game to see who could collect the most fishing string to take out with us. It worked well 000_IMG_6303x.jpg 000_IMG_5871x.jpg This is the life 000_IMG_5902x.jpg 000IMG_5928x.jpg Bands on both legs 000IMG_5948x.jpg 000IMG_5958x.jpg 000IMG_5980x.jpg 000IMG_5997x.jpg 000IMG_6046x.jpg 000_IMG_6117x.jpg 000IMG_6120x.jpg Anyone know what kind of flower this is? It only grows right at the waters edge and only in limited areas. 000IMG_6243x.jpg 000IMG_6318x.jpg Soaking up the rays 000_IMG_6374x.jpg She is getting the hang of it! It's the perfect size catfish 000_IMG_6432x.jpg That flower I tried to look up for ya. It looks like it may be Texas Sage. Go online and type in purple AZ flower..It shows a bunch of em' Good luck Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesWhitetail Report post Posted March 31, 2015 Thanks for the pics...what a great day! The flower is Owl's Clover. It's actually not restricted to wet areas, you can see it in a lot of dry places too. It's one of my favorite signs of spring! here is one I photographed the other day in the desert. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mrs125coues Report post Posted March 31, 2015 Awesome pictures, thanks for sharing 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PelaPapas Report post Posted March 31, 2015 Wow great pics Naturegirl! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mbiewer Report post Posted March 31, 2015 I've heard that the verde has many spots where you must carry your boat for quite a ways. Is that true during the winter months you mention above? The woman I mentored at the javi camp said she sees it all the time where people are carrying their boats on the verde. It's been years since I've been to sheeps bridge. Beautiful trip especially this time of the year with the flowers blooming. I haven't been brave enough or found the time to ever do the trip myself. SwivelHead sent me a pm about the trips he's done on it. He may be able to chime in with some information. I did a lot of research on it before, but never got the chance to go. There is definitely a target CFM to look for. To slow, and it will be a lot of walking. Too fast and it will be white knockled all the way down (from what ive read). Prescott NF has a pdf guidebook that's really informative with distances, camp locations, and closed areas. http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fswdev3_009800.pdf 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mbiewer Report post Posted March 31, 2015 Sorry... hit post way too soon. What I meant to add after the pdf: There's two reasons to portage the boat. Low flow, or high flow. I've "'yak'd on the salt" (as my brother in law dubbed it) before. Early may the flow was so low, we had to get out and walk a few different sand bars. The verde has some Class III areas that I would probably walk through as well at times. Maybe we can organize a CWT kayak adventure down the verde. As SwivelHead told me, the fishing is pretty decent all the way down. Saves on packing bulky things like spaghetti o's.... just hope we catch something or we might starve Matty 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
naturegirl Report post Posted April 1, 2015 Sorry... hit post way too soon. What I meant to add after the pdf: There's two reasons to portage the boat. Low flow, or high flow. I've "'yak'd on the salt" (as my brother in law dubbed it) before. Early may the flow was so low, we had to get out and walk a few different sand bars. The verde has some Class III areas that I would probably walk through as well at times. Maybe we can organize a CWT kayak adventure down the verde. As SwivelHead told me, the fishing is pretty decent all the way down. Saves on packing bulky things like spaghetti o's.... just hope we catch something or we might starve Matty Last year I got a fishing kayak so plan up the CWT excursion and let the rest of us know where & when I used to have a boat with a motor that could only go on large lakes and I do NOT miss it at all. I'm thrilled with the experiences from my kayak or this past canoe trip, which was my first river trip on a canoe. I only have a couple small war wounds (i.e. scratches) to show for it from trees and trying to keep them off my girl. Once I realized I should help out & maneuver the front some (not just sit there taking photos), it sure seemed to help a lot. I still kinda laugh at that one, but the pictures were everywhere! I wonder how many people here on CWT kayak or canoe......... (That's a very good link you posted with info on the verde!) PS - One thing I like about the longer fishing kayak is it has storage. I stayed a weekend at the lake with sleeping bag, tent, cooler, fishing pole, etc., just fine. I'd use more of my lightweight small packable/backpack stuff if I was going on an overnight river trip to keep overall weight down though. All of my different hunting trips have taught me well how to pack small & light, which I now can use with kayaking. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Swivelhead Report post Posted April 1, 2015 Thank for posting the pictures and telling us about your trip. Brings back fond memories. Floating the Verde is a great time. I've floated the river 15-20 times in my life but have not done it for 15 years. Searching the internet and contacting Forest Service should give anyone considering a float trip all the info necessary to have a safe, enjoyable trip. Floated the river in open canoes up to 1000 cfs with no issues other than an occasional swamping. Most trips were at less than 500 cfs (Tangle Creek gauging station). 1000 cfs at Camp Verde is a whole different story. Beasley Flats to Childs would be a bad choice for an open canoe at 1000 cfs. Seems there is a lot less water down the river these days. That makes for a slower more physical trip. Generally, we used 15' - 16' boats. One person per boat to keep from drawing too much water. It is amazing what you can float over in a 16' plastic canoe. We always joked "anybody can paddle in water" because at low flow you would bump rocks in literally every rapid. Rock hits have a way of adjusting your path in a bad way. Usually just an inconvenience. Keeping it light is a must for a low water float. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
