Here we go to 9K! Plus a Safety Conversation

Here we go to 9K! Plus a  Safety Conversation

SWE is still blue on the map above. Warm weather all week long. Will it start coming off? The snow? We’ll witness it here on the ground and report back to you the daily Headhunters blog reader. And thanks for reading. We appreciate you the Missouri River addict. Stop by upon entering the fly fishing epi-center in Craig and say hello.

The Skinny in Craig Tuesday April 24th

The Mo flows at 9000 cfs to get the week going!

Heed yesterdays advice and go to high(er) water fishing styles.

Get those lifejackets at the ready. A good time of the year to make sure all of your safety gear is up to date.

In the last high water periods the Missouri River had several craft go down. So it is very real this safety issue associated with flows that not all are familiar or even comfortable with. At that 15K mark, it does become more than some are prepared to handle. So we offer up a suggestion that you do yourself a favor and just spend ten minutes looking at a few things associated with water safety.

---

Spring 2018 Boat Safety Checklist

Take this seriously. Be prepared. Boy Scout rules. People die on the Missouri River. Be Safe.

Oars. Spare oar. Find it. Know where it is at. Losing an oar at 4K is a much different animal than losing one at 9K. That water is moving out there and things happen way too fast when we are in crisis situations! So find that spare oar, and oar lock. They should be within reach.

Oar Lock. See above.

Life Jackets. Find them. Check them out. Make sure they are in working order. Translation: Ready to save you life if needed. That would be considered woking order. Have them at hands reach too. New life jackets are cheap. Real life costs way more man.

Throw Rope. I have one now after engaging in some safety discussions with other guides. I have them in both boats. Why not have the right safety gear when fishing in conditions that are rapidly changing.

Throwable Floaty. Some have the throwable floaty device too. Check out the NRS site. Amazon too.

First Aid Kit. If you fish in the winter, the summer, the spring, or the fall you know that accidents can happen. They just do. Check out your first aid kit. What, you don’t have one?!?!? All watercraft should carry at leas the bare minimums. That threshold is different for everyone. As a fishing guide we are required to carry one. Mine gets better every year. I blame it on getting older and safer. You can do the right thing right now by going through your first aid kit and making sure the Band Aids are fresh, eye irrigant is fresh, Advil, splints, Ace bandage, on and on. If you don’t have one, pick it up at your local retailer. Get one for the car too while you are at it.

Flask. If you do get stranded on an island at least you’ll have something to pass around.

Now another high(er) water conversation

So here we go to 9K. High water fishing techniques apply from here on out. Get ’em deep and keep ’em there. If you are doing it right you will lose lots of flies in the brush, on the bottom, bouncing off the side of the boat, in your buddy’s new down vest. A fly shop owners dream. High water. Remember that if you run out of flies we have more. Come in and we’ll help you fill that cup.

We have split shot too. Lots.

Will the water get higher than this? Oh yeah. When? No idea. Before June 21st for sure. How much higher? Projected high flows in June are about 12K. That as of the first of the month. Lots of time has passed since those numbers were released. The May update will come in the first week and we will of course pass that on as the DNRC disseminates its projection for the months ahead.

The Headhunters Spring Special is entering its last week. Thanks to all you visited this spring so far and advance thanks to those we will see int he next week. A great month to kick the fishing season off fishing the Missouri River with Headhunters of Craig. May is around the corner.

Thanks again folks. Have a great Tuesday wherever you may be today. Spend a little time outside everyday not doin’ nothin’. Staring at the sky. Closing your eyes, just listening. Walking. Breathing. Outside. It’s where it’s at man.