Sand River

[Black_Fly]

Ok, my 2nd ontario river guide says the Sand is a Spring only run. Does that mean it's a rock garden in July? Is it a worthwhile trip? I'm sorta focusing on the Sand and Spanish. If I can do two rivers this summer I'll be happy. Three would be fantastic, but I don't know if I can get that much time off.

 

[yellowcanoe]

yes By August for sure the Sand is a rockpile

 

[Black_Fly]

Thanks partner. How are the skeeters in June? Sounds dumb now that I wrote it.

 

[yellowcanoe]

more of your ilk skeeters start up too

 

[recped]

June is peak time for bugs in that part of the world, in early June your namesakes will be peaking, by the end of June it will be more skeeters. Just keep telling yourself that there are worse places in eastern Canada for bugs.

Seriously, if you are going in June bring some sort of shelter you can hang out in comfortably because otherwise camp may not be a pleasant place (on the water probably not too bad).

 

[Black_Fly]

No nice big lakes with a constant breeze either. I doubt illI get away before July. Just had to verify water level is a no go. Thanks.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Then starting in July the ankle biters
Seriously dont plan outings around bugs
There are many ways to deal with them

 

[Black_Fly]

I got a bug shirt somewhere. Never needed it except a couple three times in may or June. Be nice in a ditch kit, for sure.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Probably need a new thread on how to keep
bugs from wrecking your trip
but here are my hints
Avoid blue or black clothing and tents
Tan and ick green work well as bugs are less attracted
Wear long sleeve clothing and pants and tuck pants into socks
Spray bandana with Deet
Spray hat inside too
Permethrin sonwtines works on clothes for a while but you have to spray or wash in and let dry

Seek the wind in a campsite
Bring a herd of dragonflies ( I wish)

 

[Black_Fly]

Please define ick green.

 

[Pringles]

olive green

 

[Black_Fly]

I have that color in royalex. Love the ugliness.

 

[Pringles]

I used to live in that area... if you’re talking about the Sand River that flows into Lake Superior in Lake Superior Provincial Park. A colleague from symphony had grown up in the area, and he told that an “old timer” had told him about “shelves” or “floors” built into the trees. When the old timers would come down the river in the early part of the summer the river would have flooded, and so they had these platforms, which gave them a place to sleep. I never got down the river—I did hike to the end of the trail once, which was a mile or so above the falls by the lake, so I never saw them. But I always wondered... .

 

[memaquay]

If you are looking for an excellent river run that is usually good during most of the summer, consider the Steel River. It's in the same general area (give or take a few hours of driving). It's usually done as a loop trip, but if you are looking for 4 to five days of river running, it is possible to do just the river. I've got lots of info if you are interested.

 

[Black_Fly]

I checked up on the Steel. The area around Diablo Lake concerns me, at 61 and a winter's belly as a handicap. The access is nice. However, I don't think I want to die on a portage, or in whitewater for that matter. Dying takes all the fun out of the fishing. The Steel looks good on the fishing scale too, and the paddling isn't extreme, that I could tell. One of the trip reports was by a younger guy and his tri-athlete buddy. I'm no tri-athelete, for sure. Extreme ups and downs, mud slogging, and heavily damed beaver streams are on my take it easy list.

 

[memaquay]

I'm talking about just running the river. You would put in at the top end at a lake called Eaglecrest. Then you follow the river down to Santoy lake and get out there. No Diablo, and there are only a few ports. The worst ports are the last stretch, there are four of them around log jams, but they are clear and not that bad. I'm 57 with a dodgy ticker, and I would consider this an easy trip. Even at high water, you won't find a rapid over C2, and if you go later in the year, the rapids are just fast water. If you took five or six days to run the river, you would have a nice leisurely trip. Here's a trip report from my last solo run. http://myccr.com/phpbbforum/viewtopic.php?f=108&t=40282&hilit=steel+river

 

[memaquay]

Of course, If you are really interested in fishing, there is always the Marshall lake to the Kap bridge trip. Lots of info on this site about it. You won't get better fishing.

 

[Black_Fly]

Thanks memaquay. I'll check that route out.