Very Latest on Hite Conditions?

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Dungee

Dungee

Keeper of San Juan Secrets
The last report I’m going off of is @TYme2Fish one from late February. Water has dropped three feet since then however. Tried calling the store and ranger station yesterday with no answer. Heading down next Friday, would love to just put in up there. Thanks!
 
I just had a guy come in that tried to launch in North Wash. Towed his boat down to the water with a slide in camper in the bed. Road was very rough he said and the damage didn't make him a liar. The boat had hit the camper in several places and done some damage. Worse thing was he got down to the water and there was about 10' drop off at the waters edge. Couldn't even put the boat in the water. That was North Wash though.

I drove past Hite last week for an off road rescue and the water is down (of course silly) but one thing I noticed is the huge sandbar between the launch ramps and the mighty Colorado River where the marina used to sit. Did not go to the waters edge but can't imagine it is very deep anywhere in that area.

A couple weeks back, I did have a group that said they did launch at Hite, but had to back the truck into the water about 150' to get the boat to float.

If I hear more, I'll keep ya'll posted. Sounds like a definite "launch at your own risk" scenario.
 
Wow, didn’t even know there was a road down into North Wash. I am still very intrigued by launching at the raft take out where the old Hite was. Most of those rafts they take out weigh way more than our boat, so there has to be reasonable access to launching and retrieving.
 
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I'm with ya Dungee. I'm not sure where it is on North Wash either. Was told there is a road that heads down to the lake on the south side of the scenic overlook but have not seen it everytime I drive past there. ???
I would love to hear if you can get it in as I have many customers that ask pretty regularly. We have a big pontoon boat for personal use and we know Hite is out of the question for us to launch, which is sad because it's our favorite place on the lake.

Keep us posted please! :)
 
I launched at hite on the 10th, you have to back through the brush but it drops off to about 4ft quickly, boat floated just as my back tires got wet, you don't go out to the sand bar after you get past the tree brush and tire breaker you hug the left side until it deepens to about 8 ft. then find the river channel hugging the cliff. There it's 20 ft deep until you get to farley.
 
Preston, my wife cleaned and put food in the camper today and put her new Christmas fishing lures in the boat and there are coolers, binoculars and an empty propane tank (lol) in the living room, I suspect this means we will be headed to Powell this week...lol

Ideally, I would love to put in at Hite, but its looking like we will stay at Halls Crossing till about Friday then drive around to Stanton on the Bullfrog side for the weekend. Our son and granddaughter plan to come done and join us for the weekend.

When are you coming down? When we drive around Friday afternoon we plan to stop at Hite and give it a look, if its do-able we may stay there and have our son re-route. If it looks too challenging we will just take pictures and head on around to Stanton.

In either case, if you are down maybe we will cross paths in Good Hope!
 
Unless we hear a drastic change we will be trying to put in at Hite. Should be leaving Utah county no later than about ten thirty. Hopefully making our first casts before four. Will probably camp in upper Good Hope.
 
Dave I. said:
I'm with ya Dungee. I'm not sure where it is on North Wash either. Was told there is a road that heads down to the lake on the south side of the scenic overlook but have not seen it everytime I drive past there. ???
I would love to hear if you can get it in as I have many customers that ask pretty regularly. We have a big pontoon boat for personal use and we know Hite is out of the question for us to launch, which is sad because it's our favorite place on the lake.

Keep us posted please! :)
Click to expand...
Back in the 80s I took my truck and boat down a road into North Wash and launched. Same boat I still use today. Water was a lot higher and I was a lot younger and thought I could go anywhere back then. Think the old jeep road is still there but probably in a lot worse condition. I had a friend that took his wheeler down it 10 to 12 years ago (more or less) and fished North Wash and the water was about like it is now with a sand bar blocking the entrance to North wash. He caught some fish but it was not worth it. When he come out the NPS was waiting for him and give him a citation and took his wheeler. It cost him a lot to pay the fine and get his wheeler back.
O how I wish the water would come back up and we could launch off the good concrete ramp at Hite like the good old days.
 
You can see that old road into North Wash on Google earth. You'd have to be stupid to pull your boat with slide-in camper down it. I have no idea how you'd launch once you got to the stream bed.

Nowhere else would you be able to get down there. It's all cliffs.North Wash.jpg
 
Yes he launched where the rafts take out. It might not be doable if it's been raining due to mud. He said its steep kinda like the ramps at clear lake. It drops off to 12 feet right there, he just went slow past the silt island kicked to the left and followed the wall down lake.
 
We stopped at Hite this afternoon before going on the Halls.
The concrete ramp is a long way from the “river” but there is sort of a road down to the water thru the mud and vegetation, appears to be for siteseers and maybe kayaks .

The primitive ramp to the south is a long way away from the dock now and the water is only accessible in the brush ( saplings, up to 2-3” caliper). There is a place you can see people have been launching in about 2-3 feet of water, pretty muddy, but seams to be working, I think could get in and float my bass boat off the trailer, but it would be rough on your boat and motor to fight through the brush, in my opinion. Once past the brush, it’s only about 15-20 feet to the tire break, so as other have said, looks like you would have to hug the cliff to try and stay in the channel. Substantial sand island in mid stream till just down stream of the south boat ramp area. We decided not to try it. Hite store is not open, fuel pumps are on. No cell service anywhere near it.
But my wife found my shoe I lost in the mud bottom last October!! Lol

Beautiful at Halls today, and some of the folks camped nearby say they are doing some good with stripers. Wish us luck for tomorrow!

A few Hite pictures taken this afternoon follow:
 
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Here we go! I hope... Hite South Ramp today
 

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