Floating a New Section of a River

Jeff Murray Boat Smallmouth Bass Fly Fishing Murray's Fly Shop VA
A little higher water level could have caused Jeff Murray a serious problem. To prevent these and other problems talk to someone who has floated the river recently.

The most dependable way to get good information on what you might encounter on a new float trip is to talk to someone who has floated that area recently, then follow their advice. Two years ago a friend in Montana did not follow this advice and he flipped his boat and drowned. Recently two friends did not ask me about floating a smallmouth bass river and I believe they relied only on a guide book.  The float trip they had planned should have taken six hours. As it turned out it took them seventeen hours. They had to cross three large dams and they finally got out of the river at three in the morning, naturally in the dark. The next time they asked me where to float!