# Pearce Ferry Rapid



## dugger

36.12562,-113.98262 - Google Maps
Click on the website & zoom in on the green arrow. It takes you to the new Pearce Ferry road. Follow the river downstream (left) to the rapid. This sat photo is probably a year or more old. Brady said we might run it on left. Didn't look possible. It is nothing to screw around with. Our kayaker from NZ had run rivers all over the world & said PF was insane to try & run.


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## El Flaco

Photos and thread from a year ago: http://www.mountainbuzz.com/forums/f12/pearce-ferry-rapid-lake-mead-29083.html


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## Randaddy

We ran it in May, 2009. We looked at it ten days ago and it is WAY bigger, but still runnable. Maybe not for long though...

For the kayaker it's a pretty easy class IV so your Kiwi is either exaggerating or not too brave.


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## BmfnL

Ran the right slot in '09. Squeezed an 18' Avon through there then went back and duckied it. The rapid is tumbling over silt that is eroding back and changing, so I would give it a look - could be way simpler than people make it out to be.


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## richp

Hi,

It flipped a 36' S-rig in '09, but was definitely runnable if you did it properly. It looked far worse last Fall (9/10) when I was there, and from recent pictures I've seen on the RRFW site, it's even worse now. 

The Google Earth shot makes it look like there is a route on the left. But when you see it in person, you really are glad you've already derigged at the ramp above. 

I'm not hearing of any rafts running it any more. That doesn't mean, of course, that someone won't do it in the future. Kayakers look at these things differently. But rafters -- if they are going to South Cove -- are evidently portaging on the right.


FWIW.

Rich Phillips


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## brandob9

*Don't even think about it if you like breathing.* The pace of change has picked up, and this is easily the least runnable thing I've ever seen. Each one of the five or so holes was much larger than the ledge hole at Lava. 

These photos were from Feb 28th, 2011:


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## Ture

Could be easy, could be death. Highly dependent on flow and elevation of the water below it. A few of those last photos are more on the death side of the equation, as far as I'm concerned.


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## richp

Hi,

I learned a long time ago that there are folks who will do things I'd never dream of trying.

But the pictures posted above only begin to convey the reality that's developed at Pearce. It truly is a high potential killer.

FWIW.

Rich Phillips


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## Canada

Pictures are hard to read water from, but I see three lines that could go? Narrow margins, but come on, un-runnable? looking at it from the first picture, far right sneak, out the tongue in the middle and way left where the two holes connect at the apex with a strong boff. If I can see lines, many others would take it through the heart.


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## BarryDingle

"Baaah,no worries,i played high school football!"

Class V+. Class IV portage.


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## Canada

*the NFWR website is describing it as class VI.*

Someone with a hard shell get down there and report back!! In all honesty work may be taking me down there in the coming weeks and I will make an in person inspection if possible.


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## brandob9

I scouted it in person with a kayaker's and a rafter's perspective (I do both). It wasn't happening. The lines were shifting, and the eddy fences were several feet tall. Additionally, the holes were 10-15' deep and feeding each other. The photos I posted don't do it justice - they just can't capture the enormity of the thing. 

I forgot to mention the sound. It was unlike any other whitewater I've heard. It sounded like a 727 on take-off roll, except the pitch didn't change, and you first heard it a very long ways away.


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## BarryDingle

brandob9 said:


> The photos I posted don't do it justice - they just can't capture the enormity of the thing..



Noo,i think they do....looks eHudge!


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## wildh2onriver

Yeah, go ahead and run it. You might win a Darwin award.

!5-20,000 cfs combined with a succession of ledge holes and surging eddy lines = stupid, waste of life potential. Less competition for permits though.


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## alanbol

*Hold my beer and watch this!*

The video would go viral, for sure. Can't wait to see it on youTube.


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## dugger

To the dude who thinks he can run it in a rubber ducky: Let me know when & I'll drive the 1,000 miles to watch. On 5 March it was real ugly at around 20K. One of the Huali's told us if his tour boat motor conks out before the ramp above the rapid, his plan B is jump in the river & swim agressively to shore.


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## jpbay

Check out durangobill/superimposition rapid. Be shure to look at all the links.durangobill also covers the grand canyon start to finish Great web sites!


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## dograft83

So what is the deal with this rapid? Is it kind of new or has it just changed alot of the last few years into this beast?


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## dugger

In November '06 it was a riffle, but with six rafts tied together we could see it would push us into the wall. Setting aside our beer we rowed away from it, but could imagine if the lake kept dropping it would become an obstacle. Apparently the park service saw too many injuries occuring here & punched the road in above the rapid. Then again maybe they built the road to accomodate the Huali's so they could fuel up their tour boats. Whatever, take a long hard look at it before committing.


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## wildh2onriver

dograft83 said:


> So what is the deal with this rapid? Is it kind of new or has it just changed alot of the last few years into this beast?


It's both: new and has changed a lot in the last few years. The original riverbed filled with sediment while under Lake Mud, the Lake then dropped due to drought and excessive showering in Phoenix, Las Vegas and Irvine (where I currently live after 28 years in the Vail Valley), the river meandered it's way through the soft sediment layers carving a new riverbed on it's way to the Mexican Cartels at the Sea of Cortez. During that carving process to it's new course, it encountered much older and harder sediments that it couldn't cut through so easily, hence, this new rapid evolved to weed out kayakers and other parasitic vermin.  Completely joking, except for the kayaker part.


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## dograft83

haha thanks for filling me in on that. I looked at it on youtube and was nothing like what the pictures show.
YouTube - Dory in Pearce Ferry Susie Too Jan 08 2010.avi


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## wildh2onriver

dograft83 said:


> haha thanks for filling me in on that. I looked at it on youtube and was nothing like what the pictures show.
> YouTube - Dory in Pearce Ferry Susie Too Jan 08 2010.avi



Just shows you how much worse it's deteriorated in a bit over a year. Remember, the Lake has been dropping due to the drought, while the water is cutting into the ledges.


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## Marc

I have video of the Pearce Ferry rapid from 3/25/11--it's mostly unrunnable with the exception of a skinny left line that a kayak might make. Tried posting it here, but error message. Will try to toss it up on you tube shortly. The earlier pics are no indication of the current condition. You'd be either a superstar daredevil or a subnormal dork to run it at this level  I know someone's going to post footage of their old lady running it in a mini me...


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## andrews

*it is big*

I have run 5-10 Diamond Downs a year since 2006 and have watched this rapid grow since before it was anything and the rock island was buried underwater. We would fall asleep and nightfloat through it regularly. 

For a long time while I watched it grow and I considered it all hype - the new road, the "unrunnable waterfall", the fear of the unknown. I thought people were totally being wussies as many GC boaters are. The rapid has always had a clear run until recently. I thought that a new road was ridiculous. If you can row the entire canyon, that rapid should be totally doable. I now aggree with the new takeout and agree that the proponents of it had some great foresight. 

Fall 2010ish is when I first saw it as a "no shit, this is a dangerous rapid". It was when the far left line changed from a bumpy ride to that big upstream u shaped hole that you can see in the above photos. The far left line now looks like the potentially most dangerous part of the rapid. I threw a log in this winter and watched it recirculate until I was bored. The big holes the the left of the island are HUGE. F that. The rapid is now really gnarly. It is totally crazy, and I do not want to row a raft through. 

That said, for a good kayaker, there is totally a line. It is there. It is good to go. I may not be diving in anytime soon, but people are still running way crazier rapids. 

I will be stoked to watch the continual change in the future with the changing Lake Mead levels and the higher flows this year. 

In 2007 we were goofing off and put too many people in a mini me and ran the right line clean, and then flipped in an eddy line. I had a long swim. Check it out:

YouTube - wwf swim

I am not sure how to embed videos. HElp anyone.


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## dograft83

Is this yours Marc?
YouTube - Pearce Ferry Rapids


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## Marc

Here's the vid of Pearce Ferry, 3/25/11:

YouTube - GC, 2011 993


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## Marc

Dograft--I like the one you found--looks like the upriver view of the one I took. They have to be pretty close in time...

Who's up for running this in the mini-me?


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## dograft83

Yes marc I think they may have been. It was posted march 8 or something like that. I am down haha. I just need to go get a million dollar life insurance first


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## jebalicious

I just looked at it yesterday. Demshitz is ugly, looks runnable. Probably get a nice trashing, just be sure to get a full breath just before you drop in


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## Canada

*You must have pplayed high school foot ball and have a milion $ life insurance!*

Seriously, a bunch of party bargers have proclaimed this unrunnable, so it must be!!


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## Marc

I prefer the kayak, myself, but what I'd like to see is your vid hitting the meat, right or left side--your pick. The cheat line exists center left. Good luck! Oh, and post up the vid when yer done.


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## Canada

*I haven't been and won't be in the next two weeks at least*

That said, from the video and pictures, the lines look like sneaks. I'm sure someone could ride those holes, but I am not that guy. I am not a super star boater, but the attitude of the the early posts got under my skin. Punching a hole in a raft and boffing past or over a hole in a hard shell are two very different things. Guys are running huge waterfalls with similar volume of flow. Guys are running gore at 20 K. Guys are running the Payette at huge flows. Is this worse than Gore or Tunnel at those flows? Hell, I'm looking at pictures that don't demonstrate the surge of the holes or the lines. With all of those caveats, I'd be surprised if this thing hasn’t already been run by several boaters that just haven't happened past this thread.


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## swimteam101

*GORE at 20k*

I'm sure Pierce Ferry will be run again. Off the subject I've kayaked and rafted Gore many times and I don't believe it has seen 20 grand in the last decade. I may be wrong. Gore 20 k really ??? I'd love to see video of that.


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## Canada

So now were going to worry about the facts? Your right, divide by 2.5. My point remains the same. There are rapids on the nile that I would call unrunnable standing beside the massive water and power. But click on you tube and you see guys poping through seams, and in some cases right through the meat.


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## carvedog

brandob9 said:


> *Don't even think about it if you like breathing.* The pace of change has picked up, and this is easily the least runnable thing I've ever seen. Each one of the five or so holes was much larger than the ledge hole at Lava.
> 
> These photos were from Feb 28th, 2011:


Looking at this photo side by side with the 2008 youtube vid, makes me pucker up a bit trying to see the line through here. All you kayuckers who have travel fitting your nads in the boat can have it. No bueno for me. 

What really surprised me from the vid was the entry speed. It looked like they were able to bounce off the pillow on the wall on the left and make it look fairly easy. But that won't likely work from I see now. Hmmmm....


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## BAER

so I ran it at 20,000 cfs feb 6th, the line was tight but very runnable in a kayak


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## carvedog

BAER said:


> so I ran it at 20,000 cfs feb 6th, the line was tight but very runnable in a kayak


Center right on what passes for a tongue?


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## BAER

yea, you had to swing out to the left and charge between the Gigantic hole on the left, and the swirly of death just to the left of the island


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## carvedog

BAER said:


> yea, you had to swing out to the left and charge between the Gigantic hole on the left, and the swirly of death just to the left of the island


Nice. I can see it. I know it should go, but you Sir are a better boater than I.


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## wildh2onriver

Canada said:


> So now were going to worry about the facts? Your right, divide by 2.5. My point remains the same. There are rapids on the nile that I would call unrunnable standing beside the massive water and power. But click on you tube and you see guys poping through seams, and in some cases right through the meat.


The only thing runnable here is your mouth Canada, youtube Blue Nile/White Nile whitewater with "guys popping through massive water and power" are some of the best adventurer boaters out there. Until you have run this rapid successfully yourself, should you not take a more humble attitude? 

Maybe you should worry about the facts and then divide by 2.5, subtract your ability to use common sense and humility, click on youtube under 'try to be responsible and worry about the facts" and then try not to sound ridiculous on this thread.


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## restrac2000

Its not shocking to hear of folks, especially kayakers, trying to run this. There is definitely worse out there that people are dropping. That said, most rafters wouldn't dare take their rigs through that beast now. We took out after a scary scout in the winter of 2010. Just not worth the potential carnage to all of our expedition gear; boats are just coming off a 16-28 day trip. You can hear the rapid from way up river. The entire area is odd. Massive sand banks collapse on regular intervals starting 5 miles up river. There aren't many places to land and portage so you have to be on your A game. No really a enjoyable or scenic stretch of river....hell, half the time it feels like a war movie as you are hearing helicopters swooping around for the last 2 days.

I would love to go see the current rapid. Will be interesting to see how the priority to "equalize" the reservoirs will have on its development. The upper green and yampa are being compared to 1983-84 this season. May just be hype but it seems we are at least getting a few good years to challenge the long term drought. 

Phllip


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## bonzola

Check it out
www.whocareswherebaeris!.com


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## DES

Its not too bad; We ran it last year in early March. 3 rafts and myself being the only kayaker. Its one of those boats-easier-then-it-looks-rapid. It was the biggest rapid of the whole trip, but the far left line went pretty smooth for us all. From the photos posted, it looked very similar. Fun rapid.


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## Canada

*Wild H20*

I will not rise to your bait except to say thanks for the lessen in humility.

There are lines, the lines can be boated. The white nile is boated all the time by boaters that are not world class expedition, but just not on film.

Than you for reminding me how far this forum has digressed since we all knew each other and Frenchy kept us in line. Have fun in Cali. Looks like a big year out there.


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## lhowemt

Canada said:


> Than you for reminding me how far this forum has digressed since we all knew each other and Frenchy kept us in line.


Dang, get some boating in. Or how about we just deliver some cheese with that whine? Oh to have the good old days again when I walked 4 miles to school, uphill both days, chest deep snow, and NO ONE but my friends were on the rivers.


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## mania

It looks to me from my armchair that you could float far left almost to the wall then spin your raft right and bust hard through one side of the smiling hole and you'll then be on a tongue of sorts. looks big but definitely not unrunnable (yet).


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## dograft83

Hands down it is unrunnable for me. I will not be trying that anytime soon in my rubber or hard shell.


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## fdon

From where I sit now and back on Jan. 18, I'm still not dropping this one again any time soon. I ran it Jan 17th 2010 cause I had to and one year later, it was a good bit worse. I think in terms of: "If I ran this 10 times, how many times would I be successful"? I don't think the odds are good enough to risk flipping a fully loaded gear boat when there is a perfectly good ramp 1/2 mile upstream. Plus, why would I be risking the safety of my GC compadres just to hit on some machismo thing. On the other hand though, say I'm there just to do it and in the right boat with safety set...then I would say lets go!


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## lhowemt

I think a few of us are going to do laps on it on my little cat next year when we take out. Well, who knows, I don't really care, I just wanted to say that for Canada.


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## sarahkonamojo

*Latest images*

April 29, 2011 video of Pearce Ferry rapid.
River flowing 16,500 cfs.
We took out at the boat ramp above the rapid... yep.
Pearce Ferry Rapid on Vimeo

Sarah


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## jpbay

Dead men floating! wow!


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## wildh2onriver

It's amazing reading some of the armchair bravado! Of course it's runnable, no more than an easy V--until you get there and are drowned out by the roar and the true scale of this thing--what video and pics can not begin to do.

I can see expert kayakers maybe getting down this, but not many rafts will run this successfully, and I doubt many will try.


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## restrac2000

sarahkonamojo said:


> April 29, 2011 video of Pearce Ferry rapid.
> River flowing 16,500 cfs.
> We took out at the boat ramp above the rapid... yep.
> Pearce Ferry Rapid on Vimeo
> 
> Sarah


That has gotten a lot steeper in 14 months. Can't imagine a flip in the left run with 15-20k pouring down on you. Just not worth it with my skill level or that of most of my friends. 

Would be an educational experience to watch experienced kayakers and boaters running it. 

But when I look at runs like that I have to wonder "do I have 5k to replace my rig?" Hell no.

Cheers to the better boaters and the dynamic nature of modern rivers.

Phillip


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## Tom Martin

Here are photos from April 30:

- Home

Happy Boating!

The RRFW Team


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## ptwood

I just got off the GC and had a look on Tuesday at the beast, I have run a bit of WW in my day and this is one of the few rapid that I could not see a line through. Death on a stick mate...


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## amos68

Lake Mead has risen to the level of Pearce Ferry Rapid. It would not be difficult to run this rapid now. Lake Mead is rising a foot about every 5 days. 
http://youtu.be/ZsewQhmRFEM

http://youtu.be/puzTvyLVJis


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## BCJ

Thanks for those posts Amos. Wow, big change. If there is a feet/gauge/level of Mead would be good to make note of it for future reference. Anybody know?


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## jermdog

That sucks


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## amos68

Lake Mead Water Database


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## jpbay

The rapid will be covered and never be seen again,when the water level drops the river wll find a new course. Maybe a new rapid will be created. More water in the lake is a good thing! Pearce Ferry rapid looks like it did when we ran it in 2007.


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## amos68

I think Lake Mead would have to rise another 20-30 feet so it could bury this rapid and channel with mud. The river would also have to cut another path closer to the original channel to the north of where the water is flowing now. The snow pack above Powell is less than 70% of average now. Maybe the recent (Dec 10-20) change in the jet stream will bring more snow to the upper Colorado River Basin. Time will tell! It sure has been interesting to watch!


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## jermdog

I just want the old rapids, seperation, lava dam, etc, cut back out of the sediment already deposited and if the lake keeps rising, that ain't happenin.


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## moetown

A 23 day trip nightfloated on Christmas Eve and the water speed above Pearce is still unaffected. 249m-280m, 11:30pm(surprise canyon) push off time-- 8am Pearce Ferry Arrival. By the time we left the air temperature was 65 degrees and climbing. The water is just starting to spread out a little on the ramp, but the current is still moving pretty good. 

Right now the lake levels are 56% LM and 66% LP. Their current goal is to equalize the lakes.


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## amos68

Moetown, did you go look at PFR? If so, how did it look?


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## moetown

*Pierce Ferry*

Amos,

Pearce Ferry is super mellow. The most exciting thing is the river is back cutting into the sandbank, so the trail walks up the sand directly over the back cut!

When the sand bank gives way it's going to be massive and of course dangerous for whoever is on it. 

Looking back at the old historical data Lake Mead Water Database

Lake Meade will take awhile(50 years?) to go up enough for the river to find a new channel, if that is even possible. 

I would guess for a new channel to be cut naturally the lake would have to go up to 2002 levels where we could takeout at the old Pearce Ferry Ramp High and dry now. Next years of silt would have to fill in the current river channel higher than the current silt level.

Looking at old data avg by year Lake Mead Water Database

the lake was filled to 56%(current approx level) relatively quickly from 1935 to 1940. Generally from that period(1940-2012) on the silt was be transported down and deposited from Sandy Point(300m ish) to Seperation Rapid(240mish). During that time period we artificially accelerated the silt transport by the high flows, and fluctuations associated with peak power demand. As of recently we have associated peak power with peak silt loss! It seems LTMP is trying to reduce silt loss by getting away from these fluctuations and going to a steadier flow. Constant Flows. 

Taking into account that Glen Canyon Dam was finished in the early sixties, and thus silt was greatly decreased it will take longer for silt to fill in relative to past inflows. The silt inflow we now have is LCR and Pariah relatively speaking.

On that day that silt fills the current river channel and rises up enough on the south side to welcome the riverbed to point north, the channel will be able to flow to it's original point 1/4 mile away. The bass are going to love all that tammies habitat!!


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## amos68

Thanks for the picture! I would almost try that in a canoe!


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## GC Guide

Constant Flows!

That is the ticket Brady! I have often thought that the rate of reduction at the dam is to fast and drains the beaches from themselves. Historical pre dam flows rarely changed that quickly in the grand scheme.....


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## amos68

I just took these on Tuesday (1/17/2012). http://youtu.be/1lBJGjAigVQ
http://youtu.be/4HGJbokKa18 http://youtu.be/Woyi1LGDqnY


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## BCJ

Thanks for all this good info and videos. My last trip was 2005. We took out at Cove. We were surprised by a little "bump" here where PFR is now located. Had no idea what it was, but we were rigged together, 5 boats, and just cut the motor and wallowed through. We must have gone over the rocks. Peace


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## amos68

January 16, 2012


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## amos68




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## carvedog

Aye...nothing but a wee riffle now idn't it.


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## Bilge Rat

*New vs old Channel*

I have a question for the more knowledgable G.C. people out there. If I remember correctly from discussions last year, the Pearce Ferry Rapid was formed because the water level in Lake Mead receded and the river adopted a new channel. This caused the river to cut into earth and rock that had different levels of resistance to the river and caused the big drops and holes that we saw in pictures and video last year. What I'd like to know is, where was the original channel in relation to the current channel?


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## Tom Martin

*About 1/2 mile North east*

Good question. the old channel was a little under 1/2 mile to the north east of where the riffle is now.


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## Bilge Rat

Tom Martin said:


> Good question. the old channel was a little under 1/2 mile to the north east of where the riffle is now.


Thanks Tom. I looked at the area on google earth and can kind of imagine it running near the hills to the NE. It's always interesting to see what rivers do and understand why they do it. 
Carl


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## jpbay

Look up Durango Bill's website. Great maps & pics


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