7 Day Solo Smith River Float

I launched May 15th for 7 wonderful days (ok, some days weren’t wonderful) on the Smith. My trip was originally scheduled for May 13th, but I got lucky and was able to reschedule it for two days later (low water and some family issues). Afterwards, I planned to check out the Missouri for a few days but my 10 day MT trip somehow turned into a month and a half trip! I got home about 36 hrs ago - only to re-pack and leave for my next trip tomorrow. I think I will be home in early August. Or maybe not…

My Smith trip wasn’t originally intended to be a solo trip but it ended up that way when people couldn’t go and/or backed out for a variety of reasons: very low water, predicted bad weather, health, work, etc. I knew that one way or another, I was going even if it meant a solo trip. I have floated it before so I knew that it was within my abilities plus I am happy with my own company so I was totally comfortable with it being a solo trip. In the end, I had a great trip with no mishaps and I really enjoyed the solitude.

I launched at 138 cfs (which is really low). I took my 11’ cat with 18” diameter tubes for the added floatation. The weather bumped up the flows to about 240 at the take-out. I packed as light as I could but didn’t skimp on safety equipment and back-ups of critical gear. I hadn’t planned on hauling my boat on the car but @BDD stopped by just when I’d finished rigging it (to make sure I had everything) and he graciously helped me load it. Actually, he basically bench pressed it as I got in the way, lol!



I spent the night at the Helena boat inspection station so that I could get inspected when they opened at 6 am. I got some special swag for being the first one in line!



Since I had a short 4.5 mile float the first day, as suggested by the rangers, I arrived just as the last group was about to shove off. It was a beautiful day about 70 degrees with light W.



I was often joined by wildlife, like these elk at my fist camp, but luckily I was never visited by bears (and I took all the appropriate precautions).



The weather was good for the first half of the trip, with highs in the low 70’s. The caddis hatches were thick and fish were caught. I planned shorter days in the beginning of the trip so I got lots of fishing time in and enjoyed the gorgeous scenery.



I also enjoyed the solitude and especially enjoyed slow starts in the morning. I am a night owl and river trip schedules always seem to get controlled by the early birds. So, I savored being on my own schedule and being able to relax by the river with an unhurried cup of morning coffee. I could fish the camp water before the other boats came through and then load my boat at a pace that ensured that nothing was forgotten and everything was loaded properly. I also kept things simple so setting up and packing up was easy. Here’s my floating “backpacking” style kitchen. I only used dehydrated food (PackIt Gourmet) and enjoyed the simplicity. I filled up with fresh water at springs when I could, using gallon jugs to reduce carry weight, and only had to drip-filter water once.




Most of the campsites were so gorgeous, it was hard to leave in the morning. Here’s my tent hidden/sheltered in the trees at one of my favorite camps:



Because the river was so low, bigger more heavily laden rafts had problems and most found themselves dragging their boats frequently. I only dragged twice, both times when I wasn’t paying attention to the channel. Most of the time, I could avoid dragging by shifting my weight forward and “Fred Flinstoning” it or just getting off the seat and walking inside the frame for a few feet. Often, when I arrived at camp, I found free firewood bundles, off-loaded by a raft that was tired of dragging through the shallows!




to be continued…

 

[Buzzy]

Sue -
Tour will to keep at it is truly amazing (as @Billy says above; we are not worthy!).

 

[Northern]

Dang, Sue! What an awesome start to your retirement
You rock, sister!

 

[skyriver]

Epic. What a great trip! And great report.

I have to ask...I have done 3 & 4 days solo....what day did u start talking (out loud) to yourself?
Or is that just me?

 

[Freestone]

Epic. What a great trip! And great report.

I have to ask...I have done 3 & 4 days solo....what day did u start talking (out loud) to yourself?
Or is that just me?

Too funny! I’ve done much longer solo trips so it wasn’t a problem. I think. If I did talk to myself, I didn’t hear myself - or maybe just ignored myself, lol!

 

[Xoxo]

Wow! I am always amazed how you do solo trips Sue.

 

[Freestone]

So what did you think of the outcast watermaster clone?

It was ok, some good things, some not so good. Overall, as expected, it was a well-made and well-thought out boat. If I were in the market for a frameless boat, I would buy it in a heartbeat.

It rowed about like all these frameless boats do but I thought that the stock oars were too short (and cheap). One good feature is that is uses standard oarlocks, not the pin system, so one could easily upgrade the oars and oarlocks. Like all frameless boats, however, one needs to be mindful of where the weakest link is in the system; I would much rather break a cheap oar or oarlock than rip the oar patch off the boat! The Outcast attachment system looks pretty robust but it is something to keep in mind when upgrading oars/oarlocks.

I really liked that it had a cargo deck in the front and to me, it turned out to be the most useful feature! Even though it was a day trip, I put a dry bag up and a gallon jug of water up there in order to balance the weight in the boat. This accomplished what I hoped it would - when wade fishing standing inside the boat, the bow stayed pointing downstream. In my WM, the heavy stern always swings around to point downstream and the momentum has nearly dragged me downstream several times. With a balanced load, this didn’t happen and I found that it was much easier to wade fish inside the boat (for quick stops). Both cargo decks were fairly wet by design so dry bags were a must. The rear deck was huge and with the addition of the front deck, I could have easily used this boat on my Smith trip! There were tons of cargo attachment loops so strapping down gear bags was easy.

This boat wasn’t equipped with a stripping apron and it sure could have used one as there are so many things on which to catch fly line (like all boats). However, the seat is so high on these boats that one might be better off with a stripping basket as a traditional stripping apron probably wouldn’t work. I added one the first time but the sitting position was just too high for it to work properly. If I bought one of these boats, I would want to figure out something though.

The high seat was good and not so good. I liked the visibility it afforded and it made casting easier. I liked that the seat is on top of an inflatable thwart, giving the boat a third air chamber. What I didn’t like was climbing back on the seat in water in anything more than the shallowest of water. I am only 5’5” and to get back up, I had to be sure that the boat was in very shallow water. If it were my boat, I would have to add a stirrup or step of some sort to help me get back up on the seat. Either that, or only beach the boat on the shore. In heavy whitewater, I am not sure that I would want my center of gravity up that high but hopefully the weight of gear bags would counteract this. The seat was sure comfy though.

The biggest problem I had with the boat would have been the same on any frameless boat and had more to do with the crowds and a downstream wind. In a downstream wind, I often found myself “trapped” between anchored boats as it was often impossible to ferry out and around them. The shape of the hull and lack of leverage of the oars just didn’t give me the ability to power out into and against the current and wind to move outside and around anchored driftboats. If the boats were anchored well off the bank, I would sometimes be able to sneak past them right along the shore. Other times, I knew that no matter how hard I rowed, that the current and wind would push me right through their water. Many many times, I just had to wait for boats to move downstream before I could move. I quickly found that I really had to be mindful of where I stopped in relation to other boats and mostly mindful of when other boats anchored below me. On a less crowded river, it probably would not have been an issue but by the time I left the Mo, it was super crowded even during the week (when I took the boat out).

All in all, I liked the boat and if one were in the market for a frameless boat, I would highly recommend this boat! If you are planning a trip to the Mo and want to try one, CrossCurrents Fly Shop in Craig has just added two of them to their rental fleet.

 

[Freestone]

Wow! I am always amazed how you do solo trips Sue.

It is probably a result of being single for 25+ years, Jojo. Especially when I was working, my schedule was such that it was either don’t go or go solo. I chose solo. Now, I have really come to enjoy the solitude and the ability to make an experience exactly what I want (at least the part of it I can control).

Do I have fear? Sure, I would be crazy not to. But I am careful, have invested in the right training and gear and make decisions that minimize risk. My biggest worries are not 4-legged predators but 2-legged ones. On the first half of the trip, I tried to keep a low profile and not adverse that I was by myself. But when I got to the Heaven on Earth ranch, I found out all my efforts were futile; when I walked into the store, I was greeted with “We’ve been expecting you! We heard that there was a solo woman on the river!”. I asked them if men floated the river solo and if so, did word spread that there was a solo male floating? They said that indeed, it wasn’t uncommon for men to float solo but that actually, they’d never heard about them before they walked in the store. Someday, hopefully it won’t be news when a woman does the same thing a guy does. We just need to get more of us out there doing fun things!

 

[Smalma]

wow -
Now that is retirement - setting a standard that will be hard to match.

Sue you are my new hero

 

[Paige]

wow -
Now that is retirement - setting a standard that will be hard to match.

Sue you are my new hero

Come on PowerBall, I need to live like Sue!

 

[Hobbyranch]

It was ok, some good things, some not so good. Overall, as expected, it was a well-made and well-thought out boat. If I were in the market for a frameless boat, I would buy it in a heartbeat.

It rowed about like all these frameless boats do but I thought that the stock oars were too short (and cheap). One good feature is that is uses standard oarlocks, not the pin system, so one could easily upgrade the oars and oarlocks. Like all frameless boats, however, one needs to be mindful of where the weakest link is in the system; I would much rather break a cheap oar or oarlock than rip the oar patch off the boat! The Outcast attachment system looks pretty robust but it is something to keep in mind when upgrading oars/oarlocks.

I really liked that it had a cargo deck in the front and to me, it turned out to be the most useful feature! Even though it was a day trip, I put a dry bag up and a gallon jug of water up there in order to balance the weight in the boat. This accomplished what I hoped it would - when wade fishing standing inside the boat, the bow stayed pointing downstream. In my WM, the heavy stern always swings around to point downstream and the momentum has nearly dragged me downstream several times. With a balanced load, this didn’t happen and I found that it was much easier to wade fish inside the boat (for quick stops). Both cargo decks were fairly wet by design so dry bags were a must. The rear deck was huge and with the addition of the front deck, I could have easily used this boat on my Smith trip! There were tons of cargo attachment loops so strapping down gear bags was easy.

This boat wasn’t equipped with a stripping apron and it sure could have used one as there are so many things on which to catch fly line (like all boats). However, the seat is so high on these boats that one might be better off with a stripping basket as a traditional stripping apron probably wouldn’t work. I added one the first time but the sitting position was just too high for it to work properly. If I bought one of these boats, I would want to figure out something though.

The high seat was good and not so good. I liked the visibility it afforded and it made casting easier. I liked that the seat is on top of an inflatable thwart, giving the boat a third air chamber. What I didn’t like was climbing back on the seat in water in anything more than the shallowest of water. I am only 5’5” and to get back up, I had to be sure that the boat was in very shallow water. If it were my boat, I would have to add a stirrup or step of some sort to help me get back up on the seat. Either that, or only beach the boat on the shore. In heavy whitewater, I am not sure that I would want my center of gravity up that high but hopefully the weight of gear bags would counteract this. The seat was sure comfy though.

The biggest problem I had with the boat would have been the same on any frameless boat and had more to do with the crowds and a downstream wind. In a downstream wind, I often found myself “trapped” between anchored boats as it was often impossible to ferry out and around them. The shape of the hull and lack of leverage of the oars just didn’t give me the ability to power out into and against the current and wind to move outside and around anchored driftboats. If the boats were anchored well off the bank, I would sometimes be able to sneak past them right along the shore. Other times, I knew that no matter how hard I rowed, that the current and wind would push me right through their water. Many many times, I just had to wait for boats to move downstream before I could move. I quickly found that I really had to be mindful of where I stopped in relation to other boats and mostly mindful of when other boats anchored below me. On a less crowded river, it probably would not have been an issue but by the time I left the Mo, it was super crowded even during the week (when I took the boat out).

All in all, I liked the boat and if one were in the market for a frameless boat, I would highly recommend this boat! If you are planning a trip to the Mo and want to try one, CrossCurrents Fly Shop in Craig has just added two of them to their rental fleet.

Thank you! I am trying to decide on a WM or “something else” and your insight really helps!

 

[c2peak]

Excellent report. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Deansie]

Glad the flows worked out for you and always nice when a fishing trip gets extended by 6 weeks…what an adventure!!!

 

[Freestone]

Come on PowerBall, I need to live like Sue!

Brian, it doesn’t take much to live like a dirtbag trout bum, LOL! Camping was either free or $5/night. I only had a Jetboil with me and no cooler (all I needed on the Smith), so I made do with things that didn’t need refrigeration. (Hint: if one buys those little pods of Half and Half like one finds in restaurants, not only can it be used in coffee, but if you dilute 1 or 2 of them with water, boom - you have milk for cereal! No refrigeration needed and it’s better than powdered milk!) The biggest expense was probably gas but it helped by staying in the same area for so long. Not that I had much of a choice as everything else was blow out much of the time I was there.

 

[Freestone]

Thank you! I am trying to decide on a WM or “something else” and your insight really helps!

You might also consider a Catchercraft Freestone. It has a small frame and if you plan on doing a lot of rivers, the rowing leverage of a frame is hard to beat.

 

[Xoxo]

Thank

It is probably a result of being single for 25+ years, Jojo. Especially when I was working, my schedule was such that it was either don’t go or go solo. I chose solo. Now, I have really come to enjoy the solitude and the ability to make an experience exactly what I want (at least the part of it I can control).

Do I have fear? Sure, I would be crazy not to. But I am careful, have invested in the right training and gear and make decisions that minimize risk. My biggest worries are not 4-legged predators but 2-legged ones. On the first half of the trip, I tried to keep a low profile and not adverse that I was by myself. But when I got to the Heaven on Earth ranch, I found out all my efforts were futile; when I walked into the store, I was greeted with “We’ve been expecting you! We heard that there was a solo woman on the river!”. I asked them if men floated the river solo and if so, did word spread that there was a solo male floating? They said that indeed, it wasn’t uncommon for men to float solo but that actually, they’d never heard about them before they walked in the store. Someday, hopefully it won’t be news when a woman does the same thing a guy does. We just need to get more of us out there doing fun things!

Thanks Sue for replying to my comment!

Honestly, Outdoor magazine should do a story on you and your solo trips! (Though of course you wouldn’t be solo on the trip for the article!…) But not just because you are a woman, though in part, yes. But also to show how you camp in your Honda Element and how you prepare and your fantastic fly fishing life history. They would have to be sure not to say where you are from or fish of course, otherwise you would have people trying to find the woman in the article.

Ha! Besides not having fishing prowess, I also have far too many fears of 2 legged, 4 legged, and no legged ……..(snakes) !

 

[Roper]

Hey Sue, what a trip! Reading this over my morning tea was a great way to start my day. I hope we can get together at the Fall Fling, there’s your invitation. Take care…

 

[Scott Salzer]

Excellent, Sue. I was wondering if there would be a report and, indeed, there was. All good stuff. Glad you ahd a good trip. Did that river back in the late 70's.

Take care.
Scott