Bob Marshall South Fork Hiking / Fishing

I always carry bear spray in Glacier and the Bob. Some here may say that bears in the Bob are less conditioned to humans and that it's not necessary (I'm not sure how much Dave C carries it these days), but that's not a risk I'm willing to take for the small investment in ounces.

As for bear hanging, I'm not a fan of the PCT method. I prefer bringing two 50' lengths so that I can suspend my food between any two trees that I want. It takes a little longer to set up (barely a few minutes), but I don't have to spend any time looking for a good hanging tree. It ends up being a lot faster.

Snow is high still, and you can search for stream flows on the USGS website. I would guess that mosquitoes wouldn't be a problem then, but my trip to the Bob this week got delayed due to taking care of things at home, so I can't say for sure where they're at now.

Thanks for the USGS site.. looks like the flows are relatively high for this time of the year.. Right now its in the 80th percentile for average flows over the past 47 years.. im not sure the many factors specific to this river that would give a safe wading flow though.. can anyone give an estimate of safe flow to wade in? I would imagine it will get down to at least 2000cfs by August, which would kill you on the rivers im used to fishing here in Texas. Thanks

"We (3) plan to hang our food using the PCT method but dont plan to carry bear mace or anything, wondering if it would be a good idea to"

I was in the South Fork area of The Bob last August and there was quite a lot of bear activity – scat and scratchings all over, plus several areas were closed due to aggressive grizzlys chasing people and their dogs away from carcasses. Despite traveling in a group of 4 and making lots of noise, we still encountered a juvenile grizzly cub on the trail. The cub didn't seem the least bit scared of us and actually continued approaching as we talked to it & backed away. Luckily, momma bear was nowhere to be seen! Also, we awoke several mornings to find fresh bear prints either directly in or very near to our camp, though we did usually stay in 'established' campsites near water where bears are supposedly more frequent.

So, if I was going to carry bear spray anywhere in the lower 48, this would be it, especially if I'd be spending lots of time in the valleys and along the rivers where the bears tend to congregate.

On the upside, the scenery was wonderful and the fishing was fantastic – even for a noob like myself!

Agree. The only places I do carry bear spray are in the Bob and Alaska.

We spent a month in the summer every year just outside the Bob visiting family and do as many nights backpacking in the area possible in that time. Reports from family right now are that the water is running very high right now.

To spray or not is a personal decision. I never carry it anymore. There's a case to be made for it, but too many people roll in here, buy spray, and assume they're good to go. Cultivating a calm head and knowledge of bear behavior is far more important.

In a few weeks I reckon you'll have higher than normal flows, but not massively so. 2500 cfs is a perfectly fishable and wadeable flow on the South Fork provided you don't do anything silly. Even at 900 cfs you can find places where you'll get swept off your feet.

Whether or not you carry bear spray (I think it is fine not to, but my family insists when I go solo in the area), if you are going into real bear country I would recommend watching this video. Most info available on bears in the backcountry is not evidence-based. But this video from NOLS is the best self-contained guidance on the issue I have found.

Thank you for all the feedback and links, I appreciate it!

"We (3) plan to hang our food using the PCT method but dont plan to carry bear mace or anything, wondering if it would be a good idea to. Most of the time will be spent along the river valley fishing "

Bears just LOVE fish… and fishermen that smell like fish from having handled fish :)

Billy

I would imagine so, obviously we wont be cooking in camp either.. should probably remember to wash hands/face after handling/eating fish.

Does one really need to change into clothes that werent used while cooking also or is that a bit extreme?

Aaron,

I am no bear expert. But they obviously can smell very small trace amounts at some distance.

My conjectures are:
I doubt you will cook far enough away from camp to make much of a difference.
If the cooking draws them into your area, I doubt they will have any problem finding your camp once they find the cooking area.
And they can come while you are cooking.
Changing cloths would help reduce some risk, not sure how much, but that smell will also be on hands, face, hair, and other exposed skin… as well as everything you touch.
Bear canisters and techniques shown in the NOLS video make sense.
But the bears can come in the middle of the night too, not just when you are prepared for them.

As a solo hiker I just don't fish at all in bear country.
Obviously that is a personal choice

Billy

"Does one really need to change into clothes that werent used while cooking also or is that a bit extreme?"

If your clothes smell like food, I would change. A bear has no way of telling whether the food smell coming from inside your tent is from actual food or your dirty clothes – until it rips open the tent to look. Even then, how's it to know that trout smell coming from your pants isn't from a trout on your pocket? :P

In all seriousness, I change/wash very well if I've spilled food or smell like fish!

"Does one really need to change into clothes that werent used while cooking also or is that a bit extreme?"

In my book it is indeed extreme, and I've cooked and eaten a lot of fish in the Bob.

I worry more about camping in a place where previous residents inculcated bad habits. Along the South Fork this entails a bit of a contradiction, because while camping in a not-already disturbed spot above the high water line in bad form, doing so does put you at risk (especially at sites used by horsepackers).

Word is that it was a pretty wet spring there, anyone have any insight into how bad bugs will be in a couple weeks?

Just got out and bugs were bad at times but manageable with some DEET and long sleaves.