Skagit Wildlife Area

[Evoac05]

I'm thinking about trying the Skagit Wildlife Area, but I'm not sure how strong the current is. We are going to take my buddies 12' aluminum boat and he has a small electric trolling motor. Is the current pretty strong in that area? Will my buddies setup work over there?

[singleshot12]

you don't want to mess around with the skagit. get your self a 5 horse kicker

[dreamunelk]

you don't want to mess around with the skagit. get your self a 5 horse kicker

  is good advice!   

Also watch the tides or things will get real interesting.  Grew up duck hunting out there and amazed I survived.  A couple of teenagers in a 12' boat with a 4hp kicker can find lots mistakes to make.

[Kola16]

Ya, what others have said 

There are parts that you only need a trolling motor. I am a little reluctant to say exactly where because everyone and their brother would show up there from now on though 

[Special T]

The skagit is the kind of area that is best first hunted on a calm day so you can get the lay of the land. River running high, wind and tide make it pretty interesting. I wouldn't even bother with an electric motor i'd only use a kicker... I have hunted out of a canoe before and had such a hard time bucking the wind i thought i'd never get back to the truck. A couple of our archery club members have some EPIC stories about hunts that went wrong out there.

[upwind]

Are you talking about the ponds by the head quarters ? If you are talking about the river no way .

[Evoac05]

Thanks everyone for the info, he only has a trolling motor or a little 2hp. Guess I'll go to my regular spot and check out the Skagit another day.

[h2ofowlr]

Rivers high due to all the rain.  I would only do a 12' boat if you had a little 8-6 hp motor on it.  That trolling motor will get you to the mouth, but not back up against the current.  Their is also a fair amount of logs floating in it as of about 10:00 am this morning. 

[johnsc6]

Unless you are a master of the tides do not, i repeat do not, go down the skagit with and electric trilling motor !

[Skagit_Hunter]

you will be another duck hunter that wasn't to bright and died on the river if you try it in that combo. Electrics are for lakes.
How are you going to get out of the way of the amounts of logs coming down the river right now. stupid people die.
Is a bird worth you life

[Hi-Liter]

Don't mess with the skagit, get a good motor/boat, you will up sh** creek or bay without one. 

[Highcountry360]

 I like how people are being blunt you you! Don't do it, a bird isn't worth your life.

[Hi-Liter]

I like how people are being blunt you you! Don't do it, a bird isn't worth your life.

What, are you crazy! I think the person asked for an opinion. Yeah your right a bird isn't worth my life! No one said don't do it, we were saying have a good boat or motor. Skagit river is no river to mess around in and especially in the dark or with some weak ass motor! Many people have died in that river and bay with stupid stuff not working. The coast guard a few years ago rescued some people from the bay when their boat motor left them stranded and the people were told to leave their labs and gear with the boat. Those people never found their boat or dogs again. I don't think anyone was saying don't do it, but maybe be careful

[Skagit_Hunter]

I like how people are being blunt you you! Don't do it, a bird isn't worth your life.

blunt is a matter of life and death. death is a perm oopsie. Death can be avoided by not being stupid.
Just trying to help someone that wants to become a statistic with a stupid move.

[Special T]

I once stopped an had a beer with an old fart that had a duck cabin near the big dich complex. his place over looked the S most forks in the skagit river delta. He told me that he had saved the life of at least one person each year he had hunted up there... something like 30. Night would come tides would be high and river running strong and there have been MANY guys standing on top of stumps with thier dog until he cam out and pulled thier ass out. If you want an EPIC adventure WALK out there and see how long you can hunt!  the problem with the bay is that there are SO many channels that fill up before you realize you should be leaving. Its REALLY hard to swim across a channels 10 Ft deep and 15 ft across in waders, and not much fun to boot! I know of several people that have near drowning experiences out there, Including ME!

[bear hunter]

I helped a man and his nephew out many year ago. It was thanksgiving day and I hunted all day. The tide was low so you couldn't go out in the bay. You could go up the little channel and hit the river then down to the next river then up to milltown boat ramp. Well the man powered by heading to the bay. I know he would be back. 20 mins later he powered by again and stopped. He asked how do you get back? I said go up and turn right than down to the next river then left up to the ramp. He said there was a log blocking. I told him to drag his boat around it. Well he didn't do that. I found him and the kid with a suck boat and he lost the tanks and a shotgun. The man tried to push the boat over the log and the river sucked it under. Crazy he should of went around. I was the only guy left out there and he was lucky. I pulled my boat around and towed him back. It was very late by the time I arrived at the boat ramp. His boat was a 14' with a 15hp and I had a 12' with a 5hp motor with 2 people in each boat. The 5hp motor was working its ass off that day. That night a big storm hit and the one channel  that I hunted one the day before was blocked by many many big logs. I tried to get in there to find the mans shotgun but it was a loss. It could of been bad if I was not there. I spent many late nights in the bay because of the tides. I always have a axe and fire starters with me. drift wood and stumps burn good in a pinch.

[Evoac05]

Thanks everyone for the info, he only has a trolling motor or a little 2hp. Guess I'll go to my regular spot and check out the Skagit another day.

Maybe I didn't make myself clear in my response. I DON'T plan on going to the skagit unless I have a boat with an adequate motor like previous posts suggested. I like how how everyone is assuming I am stupid and that I am going to go in a place I shouldn't. The whole reason I posted on here was to ask others that have been in the skagit area (since I haven't) what it was like. I don't think a bird is worth my life and that is why I went to seek advice from people that have been to the skagit.

[h2ofowlr]

Thanks everyone for the info, he only has a trolling motor or a little 2hp. Guess I'll go to my regular spot and check out the Skagit another day.

Maybe I didn't make myself clear in my response. I DON'T plan on going to the skagit unless I have a boat with an adequate motor like previous posts suggested. I like how how everyone is assuming I am stupid and that I am going to go in a place I shouldn't. The whole reason I posted on here was to ask others that have been in the skagit area (since I haven't) what it was like. I don't think a bird is worth my life and that is why I went to seek advice from people that have been to the skagit.

You received the responses you see due to your question that started this topic.  If you would have phrased it differently, you may have received different responses.