Every year rivers change and when there is a wet year like this past winter rivers can change dramatically.    While up at the club I decided to take a hike down to the Cathedral to check out the trail that Bob Schardt cleared a while back.    I used one of the club boats to get across the lake and around the point and tied up by the path used to get downstream. Please be sure to tie the boat securely as we have lost boats downstream that were not tied securely.

The trail was clear even with the heavy growth we have had this year.     To start with the Gray Eagle side channel has opened up at the top to allow for a greater flow. Fishing both the top and bottom of the side channel should be very good.     There were fish rising in shallow water near the entrance of the side channel.  There were also fish rising farther out by the main channel.  I did not get a chance to get to the main channel where the two deep Gray Eagle pools exist. The rope is still there and lets you know where to cross and also is a marker to get to the Gray Eagle pools.

I then hiked down to the Cathedral and was shocked at how the river has changed. The large pool above now has a wide mouth which creates a wider stream from the pool to the Cathedral Wall. Sorry, I did not bring my camera. There is a side channel that was created on the north side of the river that flows back in just before the wall. The river does not crash into the wall as it has these last few years. It make a gentler turn to the left where it runs along the wall. There are new protected areas along the wall which should hold fish. There is a big eddy that has to hold large fish, but will be a challenge to fish. I hope to try my Switch rod there so I can keep the line off the fast water while fishing the eddy. Below the Cathedral the river has widened and I am hoping it will allow us to wade across and fish downstream.

I will let you know when I will be making my next trip downstream which I intend to do some serious wading to explore access. I hope some of you that are adventurous will be able to join me

Tom