Selected Spot: Buffet, The        Current Flow: ?

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Spot Info: [Refresh Current Flow For All Spots] Last Refreshed: 03-18-2024 10:56:56 PM PDT

Name:   Buffet, The   Current Flow: Please Enter USGS Gage #
River:     Water Temp:
Country:   United States   Turbidity: ?
Region:     PH: ?
State:     Min Flow: 300cfs
City:     Ideal Flow: 1000-1500cfs
Lat, Long:     Max Flow: 3000 +cfs
Gage Name:        
USGS Gage#:        
Gage Url:   https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/wrx/wrx/flows/station.asp?sta=28B080
Predict Url:   http://www.nwrfc.noaa.gov/river/station/flowplot/flowplot.cgi?WASW1

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Directions:

 
Quality: Exploratory Poor Moderate Great Epic

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Journal...

Journal:
NameUserExplore DateExplore FlowQuality
Flood?
Buffet, Thejoeldiesel04-06-2016 12:00 AM550cfs6-7
NotesTim, Kirby, Joel & Ditmars today. Low but decent. deep 15+ers still there for the taking.

NameUserExplore DateExplore FlowQuality
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Buffet, Thejoeldiesel03-26-2016 12:00 AM1400cfs10
Notesbeautiful day and a big crew. Tim, Mike, Kirby, Joel, Will, Taft and Peacher. Taft visiting from TN and capped off his trip with big downtime at the Buffet. Will\s first dips at the spot and Peacher\s first time in a squirt boat! Great level, the unit was just barely covered.

NameUserExplore DateExplore FlowQuality
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Buffet, Theweaver04-27-2014 12:00 AM1600cfs8
NotesPowered up. Ferry hard with hand paddles. Great rides. Booyaa! lower would be slightly better, but still really fun and sublime.

NameUserExplore DateExplore FlowQuality
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Buffet, Themichael11-20-2011 12:00 AM1300cfs10
NotesThe spot is back in very fine form. Lots of gravel movement and a new bowl formed on river right that provides retentive rides on river right, in addition to the normal deep rides down the center and turbulent fun in herky jerky on fiver left. bonus fun in that 10 sec rides available from behind the rock on river left..eddy service easy...40 deg. air temp and sunny...fine pre thanksgiving feast at the buffet!

NameUserExplore DateExplore FlowQuality
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Buffet, Thetim h11-01-2010 12:00 AM0cfs10
NotesExcellent blend of easy and access. Super-clear water. Many early drop retentive rides into grotto, under falls, and surface in the eddy beside herky jerky. Easy ferry back across from there. Set was over when my lungs were tired from the rides that just kept going, and going... All you can take, living up to the name! Sublime.

NameUserExplore DateExplore FlowQuality
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Buffet, Thejoeldiesel05-21-2010 12:00 AM900cfs9.5
NotesTim and Joel had an excellent set today. unit about three inches out of the water. 900cfs on DOE gage. 5.52ft on NOAA gage. Big long rides, easy access, easy eddy. great level, the buffet is getting better and better.

NameUserExplore DateExplore FlowQuality
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Buffet, Thetim h04-14-2010 12:00 AM1300cfs10
NotesOspreys are back today, and one of them took a fish from the outflow end of the side channel pool maybe 25 ft. away. One corner of the unit was breaking the surface. Neck-stretchers, right-down-the-pipe, late drop, enter-with-stick-and-drop-it-to-roam- absolute lungbuster rides from all these charcs. Crystal clear water. Done at 7pm, still sunny and 60 degrees.

NameUserExplore DateExplore FlowQuality
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Buffet, Themichael03-29-2010 12:00 AM1900cfs10++
Notessolo sunday set by Tehan in soft ninja and hand paddles: raining hard and river rising (but still pretty clear); unit 2 in. under water; ...i think this is the best level (I keep saying that at every level). First ride was 20+ sec. Cranked off 15 perfect mysterys..all nice and long...cool whirlpool visuals....caught a peripheral glance of large salmon moving by on two occasions..kinda freaky....3 rides to the dark depths of the grotto..composure..also hit a 5 second ride from the Herky side to make it a sweet 16.....decided to call it a day...was so tranced out it was all I could do to get dressed and back on the road to go home...

NameUserExplore DateExplore FlowQuality
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Buffet, Thejoeldiesel11-18-2009 12:00 AM2300cfs10
Notesexcellent session today by tim & joel. pretty much close to 100% head-under-success with mostly deep rides. the eddy is still good at these levels, tim hand paddled without much issue. 2300 on the DoE gage, 6.65 on the NOAA gage. couldnt really see the unit with the flat light today. buffet has transformed for the better in each of the last four years.

NameUserExplore DateExplore FlowQuality
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Buffet, Theweaver11-11-2009 12:00 AM1700cfs10
NotesTim, Tehan and i had a spooky night session. Totally killer! tip of the night was, keep your right hip dropped as you spin...took me deep and calm everytime. it is noteworthy, that we all decided to elevate the (arbitrary) spot quality setting from moderate to great. It would be epic, if not for the fact that people without float cut boats are gonna have a hard time here with the entry(at certain levels), in my opinion. last night it was 6.20ft on the WASHOUGAL -- AT WASHOUGAL (WASW1) gage, and about 1700cfs on the DOE gage.

NameUserExplore DateExplore FlowQuality
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Buffet, Thetim h11-06-2009 12:00 AM800cfs10
NotesTim & Mike. Unit 8-10 inches out of the water, no cavities visible. Abundant super-smooth entries into full depth, long rides. Easy eddy access. We killed it with hand paddles, bare mittens/gloves, and enter-with-stick and let go of it. Very doable to enter with stick, go long with hands, and spot/grab stick on exit. SO FOR 2009-10, QUALITY ABOVE 500, AND TOTAL QUALITY 700 TO 3000+. SWEET!

NameUserExplore DateExplore FlowQuality
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Buffet, Thetim h11-04-2009 12:00 AM500cfs9
NotesTim & Mike 1st time in Soft Ninja. Unit a foot+ out of the water with cavities visible. Abundant 8-10 second rides from upstream and behind the rock in crystal clear water. Some 15+ rides deep in the bowl, slowly swirling along the bottom with fall foliage suspended in the water, nearly rock-grabbing deep.

NameUserExplore DateExplore FlowQuality
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Buffet, Thetim h11-01-2009 12:00 AM1350cfs10
NotesSolo set. Tiny amount of water coming through the rocks at Herky Jerky, and the unit was just under the surface. Pretty much 100% quality deep long rides in super clear water. Easy eddy access even directly from major rides. Sublime!

NameUserExplore DateExplore FlowQuality
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Buffet, Thetim h10-31-2009 12:00 AM3000cfs9
NotesTim and Jonathan Rugh for his first visit on Halloween. This may have been the highest level I have ever sampled with abundant Mysteries, and reasonable ability to get back to the staging eddy. Did not even consider hand paddles, or letting go of my stick. Got some of the best stick Mysteries Ive had, in murky, brown/green water.

NameUserExplore DateExplore FlowQuality
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Buffet, Theweaver05-24-2009 12:00 AM500cfs7
Notesthe kiddie buffet is open for lunch. seems to have a small window of entry, but if you hit it, you can still get deep with a 10-15 sec ride...although it plays out alot faster than higher levels. Still got alot of fun rides. feels like the first summer oregon day of boating!

NameUserExplore DateExplore FlowQuality
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Buffet, Thejoeldiesel04-23-2009 12:00 AM0cfs10
NotesTim, Dominic & Joel hit it Thursday. Beautiful day, excellent mysteries to be had by all. Dom hadnt been in his boat for over a year and his first two rides were both over 12 seconds. The unit was about an inch out of the water.

NameUserExplore DateExplore FlowQuality
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Buffet, Thejoeldiesel04-21-2009 12:00 AM0cfs10
NotesSweet set Tuesday afternoon. tim & joel both got big long clear water mysteries. buffet is dishin it up! unit was approx. 2 underwater.

NameUserExplore DateExplore FlowQuality
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Buffet, TheSchnelle03-27-2009 12:00 AM0cfs10
NotesMy first venture to the Buffet. Got my head wet by chance early on then could not find the trap door again. Mike, Tim and Joel were all killing it and had some super sweet entrances and long rides. I tried solid for over two hours (the pump up skirt on my old ride still works well) and with Tims expert guidance saw the door crack open a few times (and enough to get my head wet) but I never really got to roam. Still had a great time though and it was enough to wet my appetite seeing what the potential is. Next time I am in there!!! :-)

NameUserExplore DateExplore FlowQuality
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Buffet, Thejoeldiesel03-19-2009 12:00 AM1500cfs10
Notes59 and balmy at the buffet today. tim and i had an excellent session. huge downtime to be had at the buffet! plenty of rides were ended only because we needed air. the buffet has been consistently getting better with every big flood. the eddy service is easy, entry easy. lots of ways to get in. unit was covered by a few inches of water. 1500 on DoE gage, 6.75 on NOAA gage.

NameUserExplore DateExplore FlowQuality
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Buffet, Thejoeldiesel03-18-2009 12:00 AM1600cfs10
NotesTim reported big downtime and a beautiful sunny day.

NameUserExplore DateExplore FlowQuality
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Buffet, Themichael01-19-2009 12:00 AM1500cfs9+
NotesIn honor of the great Dr. MLK, i made a solo trip to the alter. Sunny and 43 deg. water clarity was excellent. Unit was still completely covered with water. Eddy conditions were excellent. easy launching into the pool; eddy service with no effort; could attain back into the eddy between the boil and main current (like old days). pillow was gone, so had to use the hesitation entry charc...ferry over as usual, drop the bow; but hesitate until you were just clear of the main rock, then throw a good spin and drop in right behind the rock (fully visible underwater...) dont be too aggro, or your will hit your bow. use two full turns to get to the bottom...ferry across under shelf to the grotto (it is now filled in with smaller, light-colored gravels). very steerable conditions...cool thing is to peel out of the swirly grotto and lock into the main current, neutrally buoyant, about 8 feet down...hover just above the bottom...look up and see amazing light show with sun and whirlpool action... this is a great level...excellent balance between access, entry and loooong deep rides. amen.

NameUserExplore DateExplore FlowQuality
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Buffet, Themichael01-16-2009 12:00 AM2000cfs10
NotesTim and Michael sneak in friday lunch session. amazing. hit on every drop...long rides. clear water sunny in the 40s. main highlight was the pillow on the main rock...you could drop right on/over the rock and the pillow hydraulics prevented you from hitting the rock...just pure, fast drop...Tim said the hull dimples on the ninja were pillow cases perfect everything

NameUserExplore DateExplore FlowQuality
Flood?
Buffet, Thejoeldiesel01-15-2009 12:00 AM2400cfs9
NotesTim & Joel hit the Buffet today. The eddy changed dramatically in the recent flood event. It is much larger and easier all around. The drop is still sweet and we had big crystal clear rides, some over 20 seconds (see vid for a 21er by Tim). Buffet should be good to go at much higher levels. Still unknown how it will be when the river drops. Today there were only a few inches of water near the shore at the eddy. Level was around 2400cfs on the DoE gage. 6.75 ft. on the NOAA gage.

NameUserExplore DateExplore FlowQuality
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Buffet, Thejoeldiesel12-04-2008 12:00 AM1350cfs9.5
NotesExcellent session today by Tim & Joel. The Buffet has changed significantly in the last few weeks after the Washougal crested at over 20,000cfs. The eddy access was much easier. The river right flow was more significant before. The boil in the eddy was much more mellow. We both hit huge serene rides. Sounds like current conditions are getting back to the classic Buffet of the past. It should be very sweet at higher water with easier eddy access than at similar levels before the high water event. The DoE gage read approximately 1350cfs. The NOAA gage was at 5.44ft. The unit was about two inches out of the water.

NameUserExplore DateExplore FlowQuality
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Buffet, Thejoeldiesel11-11-2008 12:00 AM1850cfs
NotesTim, Tehan & Miles hit it this day. They reported that the water was higher than yesterday and the slalom was more difficult, but downtime was there!

NameUserExplore DateExplore FlowQuality
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Buffet, Thejoeldiesel11-10-2008 12:00 AM1600cfs9
NotesTim and I had a fantastic set today. Tim was hitting 90%, I was hitting a little over 50%, which is not bad for the Buffet. We both had long deep rides, sustained drop under the underwater waterfall. The eddy service was a work out but totally manageable. This is one of the best eddy service/easy drop level combos for the Buffet. Approx. 5.78ft on the NOAA gage.

NameUserExplore DateExplore FlowQuality
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Buffet, Thejoeldiesel06-19-2008 12:00 AM500cfs6-7
Notesa hair lower than yesterday, but still super fun. generally the exact same conditions. i had a more success today. to me it seemed that less downstream flow allowed the eddies to catch up in strength creating slightly better squeezes. maybe lower will be better. DoE gage hovering around 500cfs. NOAA gage averaged 4.34ish. NOAA gage is jumping around a bit, ranging from 4.33 up to 4.40 and back down to 4.28 in the hour we were there. either way it was definitely a bit lower. the big rides were probably in the 6 second range.

NameUserExplore DateExplore FlowQuality
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Buffet, Thejoeldiesel06-18-2008 12:00 AM500cfs6
Notesvery low, not long or easy DT but still tons of fun figuring out what worked. we were getting good 4-8 second rides going regular from behind the rock, and at Herky Jerky. could possibly get better a bit lower. just a hair above 500 on the DoE gage, and 4.40 on the NOAA gage.

NameUserExplore DateExplore FlowQuality
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Buffet, Thejoeldiesel06-13-2008 12:00 AM1000cfs8
Notes1000ish on the DoE gage, 5.25ish on NOAA gage (which doesnt correlate with similar flows last week. Unit was dry on top and maybe 1/2 inch out of water at most. We got quality DT but it wasnt as good as yesterday.

NameUserExplore DateExplore FlowQuality
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Buffet, Thejoeldiesel06-12-2008 12:00 AM1500cfs9
NotesBuffet was super sweet today. Crystal clear water and an elevator to do the deep zone. We were probably averaging 75% success rate with the big rides at 15+ seconds. Plenty of rides were cut short only due to lack of air. The 20-25ers are easily possible. The eddy service was tougher than 1100 but not terrible; probably just a hair too much for hand paddling. WA DoE gage at 1500ish. 5.8ish on NOAA gage. Unit an inch or so underwater.

NameUserExplore DateExplore FlowQuality
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Buffet, Thejoeldiesel06-04-2008 12:00 AM1100cfs8
NotesSuper quality downtime and good eddy service. just low enough for hand paddles, but still some work ferrying. sweet with a stick. two of us both hit fairly consistently, with many rides pushing 15+ and very deep. Possibly the best Buffet level for a downtime/eddy service compromise. 1100ish on the WA DoE gage, 5.2 feet on the NOAA gage. top of the unit dry, water right at the edge.

NameUserExplore DateExplore FlowQuality
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Buffet, Thejoeldiesel06-02-2008 12:00 AM600cfs5
NotesVery low, downtime was there but hard to hit consistently and deep. eddy service was very good though. 4.2 feet on the NOAA gage, approximately 600cfs on the WA DoE gage. Unit was dry and at least six inches showing.

NameUserExplore DateExplore FlowQuality
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Buffet, Theweaver02-06-2008 12:00 AM0cfs8
Notesthe concrete unit had one wet corner... seemed like a good level, the slolam across the river wasnt as bad.

NameUserExplore DateExplore FlowQuality
Flood?
Buffet, Theweaver01-31-2008 12:00 AM0cfs7
Notesok. The slolam across can only be done with a paddle. The concrete unit downstream from the spot was underwater.


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