Fly fishing safely is harder than it sounds, For sure, fishing is no extreme sport. Recently, however, while we were fishing in Yellowstone National Park, two fly fishers were attacked by a grizzly – just a drainage system over from us. Besides bears, there are other risks, of course, such as lightning. In this episode, Dave tells a harrowing story about a friend who was struck by lightning and lived to tell about it. But not before her heart stopped.
Listen now to “Fly Fishing Safely in the Summer”
Great Stuff from Our Listeners. At the end of each episode, we often include a feature called “Great Stuff from Our Listeners.” It’s the last segment of each episode, where Steve reads one of the comments from our listeners or readers. We enjoy hearing from you, and appreciate your advice, wisdom, and fly fishing experiences.
What did we miss? What are other important safety concerns when fly fishing in the summer? Tell us your stories of “close calls”!
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The Fly Fisher’s Book of Lists
We’ve published a book for regular-Joe-and-Jane fly fishers called The Fly Fisher’s Book of Lists: Life is short. Catch more fish.
One person who purchased the book called it “cliffsnotes for fly fishers.”
To switch metaphors, perhaps it’s more like a handful of potato chips. It’s an entire book of lists. The goal is to help you find practical help quickly and in an easily digestible format!
Buy it today on Amazon for only $13.99!
Good stuff guys, the river will always be there, (probably) so play it safe. I do often fish in the mountains alone but leave a message with someone to send out the calvary if I don’t call in a few hours after dark. I subscribe to a relatively inexpensive satellite messenger system (SPOPT) and can “pop smoke” if I get into trouble. Fortunately, I haven’t had to use it. I have some training in wilderness survival and first aid and feel confident I can survive a night in winter or rain if I am laid up from a sprain, broken foot, get lost, etc. I also use a wading staff, and am extremely careful when wading. It’s calculated risk I’m willing to take to enjoy the wild areas trout live! Thanks for the tips and hope to run in2 you guys on a river.
I agree with Eric’s comments on the satellite messenger system.
A few years ago I was walking along the Lamar River a couple miles from the road, about half-mile off the trail. (It was One Fine Day of fishing, but that is another story….) At a place where the ground sloped towards the water I fell and ended up right at the edge of a drop-off. Had I gone over the edge, the fall wouldn’t have been enough to kill me but it could have broke something like a leg (or a fly rod). After getting up and continuing on, I started to wonder how many days it would have been until somebody found me.
On the next solo trip I rented a satellite phone. Subsequently I switched to a satellite communicator. It is lighter and less expensive than a satellite phone.
Having a satellite device is a little bit like carrying bear spray – not a 100% guarantee of a safe day, but it makes you feel more secure out in the woods alone. Reducing spousal worry is another important benefit.