So there I was yesterday, staring at my fly fishing raft that I had assembled twice and floated on a lake once. I had been awake since 3:30 AM but didn't feel sleepy in the least. Adrenaline and cortisol pulsed through my body. I drove over 3 hours with my buddy Justin to float a short stretch of the Niangua river. I have seen the river a hundred times but for some reason, it looked different. It appeared more powerful.
I grew up having a healthy respect for water. It can kill a person quickly and damage a vessel without much warning. Lakes and streams can be full of unseen hazards and can be unpredictable even if a person is familiar with it. My respect borderlines on fear at times and yesterday there was a healthy amount of fear. The last thing that I wanted to do was to damage or sink my (almost) brand new boat. More importantly, I didn't want Justin or myself to get hurt or drown.
Prior to launching, Justin and I met up with Ryan Walker at the boat ramp. I had contacted Ryan a few days prior to our arrival and as luck would have it, he was going to be floating the Niangua on the same day and at the same time as us. He agreed to take a look at my raft and give me some pointers prior to the first float. It was extremely comforting to have Ryan there. Ryan has floated rafts for years and I was incredibly grateful to have him present for emotional support and his expertise.
Justin was incredibly helpful as well. He helped top off the air chambers with a manual pump which was a chore. He also helped me unload the raft and frame but more importantly he helped me carry the setup down the boat ramp. We knew it was going to be heavy but it was A LOT heavier than we expected. I quickly realized, prior to launch, that this chore would have been nearly impossible if I had been alone with my current setup. However, we eventually approached the water's edge. It was almost game time.
Ryan launched his raft first. I held the boat for Justin to climb into. I double and triple checked locations of gear and equipment. I stepped into my raft and used the oars to ease us into the current. It was at this point that the idea of floating a river is a commitment of sorts. Once you launch a boat into a river, it would be advantageous to actually reach the take out point. The further downstream you go, the more committed you are because at some point, there is a point of no turning back.
Ryan had spotted some trout midging in the river and I decided that if I was going to play the role of guide for Justin, I was going to row upstream a little and give him a good drift past the rising fish with a tandem zebra midge rig. I tried to put him at the right angles and keep the boat at a speed that equaled the drift of the flies. I say I tried because not only did I achieve mediocrity during this stretch, but pretty much the entire float. However, I learned a little and got better.
Getting better and learning were the themes for the day. Justin got better at drifting and swinging flies. I learned how to drop and raise an anchor. I learned that the rowing wasn't as exhausting as I thought it was going to be. Justin and I both did things we had never done before and we both progressed from extreme novices to middle of the road novices.
We ended up floating about a mile and everything went fine. I will gladly admit that I always kept Ryan in sight and shouting distance which gave me a mountain of reassurance. Thankfully nothing broke, nothing got lost, and again and most importantly, nobody got hurt or died. The raft broke down in less time than it took to assemble which was nice. With a little bit of a heavy heart, I said farewell to Ryan and the river. Ryan was floating to NRO campground and a part of me wished that Justin and I were following him the rest of the way. However, the plan that Justin and I hatched involved fishing Bennett Spring State Park.
To say that I can't wait to get back on a river with my raft is an understatement! I loved the adventure of being on a river and being immersed in nature. The feeling of having to work with the river rather than command it made for an engrossing experience. Helping Justin try to catch fish was a lot of fun as well. He was a good student and it was fun teaching him a few tricks. To sum things up, it was a thrilling day of dipping my toe into the water (pun intended) of floating my raft and guiding an angler. I think I want to do both more...a lot more!
Looks like a blast! Glad it all went well.
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