Float With Caution This Summer

For the “Favorite Fly Shops” series, I was planning on writing about some of the great shops in Montana when I stumbled across this sad news: David Dedmon, owner of the Montana Flywater Company in Hamilton, Montana, died last week when his raft flipped while scouting a run on the East Fork of the Bitterroot River.

The Missoulian points out the accident is a grim reminder of how hazardous rivers can be in the early summer when they swell from snowmelt.

I’ve fished the Bitterroot on a couple of occasions in the early to mid fall during extremely dry years, and it was very tricky to navigate back then.

Today the paper calls the Bitterroot “one of the most perilous in the state, primarily because of the number of log jams and sweepers on the river.”

Authorities recommend fishermen check in with local shops to find out about the river’s many hazards and to always use PFDs and bring along patch kits, an extra oar, first-aid kit, rope, carabiners and a throw bag.

More information on Dedmon, including some moving comments in the aftermath of his death, can be found at the Montana Flywater Company Web site.