73 second jet from scumliner media on Vimeo.
This video and a recent post on the Headhunters’ blog apparently drew the ire of one experienced Missouri River guide, who unfortunately chose to pen an anonymous letter to the Headhunters team, suggesting they were guilty of disrespecting the integrity of the Missouri River fishery.
Kudos to John and Mark for their direct, well-mannered and specific response, provided in its entirety for matter of record here.
And for today’s ‘who gives a shit file’, here’s at least one observer who’s been fishing the Mo off and on since 1985 and seen jet boats on the water every year since that time. Hell, we used to have a guy who’s trailer house we ‘borrowed’ now and again who ran a jet between Cascade and Craig routinely; he did it with care and respect for other fishers and was never shot at once, though he did carry a loaded 12 gauge in his boat year round just in case.
The anonymous author’s letter….
July 10, 2012
I have been a professional fly fishing guide for 43 years. I run both (sic) jet sleds, drift boats and rafts. I have been a regular on the missouri for the past 27 years.
Your recent announcement that you will begin running guided fishing from jet powered boats was distressing at best.
This is a lid to a Pandora’s box that once you open it…it will be difficult if not impossible to replace. Feature every yahoo from 5 western states and 2 provinces bringing their power boat to the Mo’.
I shifted my patronage to your Headhunters Fly SHop when you opened.You seem like a group of sincere, hard working business people that could not resist turning a passion into a business. Fine.
Your recent decision is self serving and self centered.
You have lost my business and all of my referrals.
AND…the first time Mr. McCourtney runs his sled through a pod of fish I have spent twenty minutes stalking…it will not be pretty…and it is doubtful Lloyds of London will insure his boat in the future.
I don’t want to sound like a member of the Monkey Wrench Gang, but it’s time to take a stand.
Yes I know powered boats are allowed on the Missouri.
The ONLY hope…you are running BELOW Cascade ONLY!
Mark and John responded thusly in their newsletter….
I hope the author misinterpreted our announcement. We ARE NOT offering guided jet boat trips on the Missouri between Holter Dam and Cascade. These trips take place on sections of the river that are not accessible by drift boat or would require overnight floats. And yes, below Cascade is one of those sections.
Guided jet boat trips have been run on these sections for over 10 years, and both sections have a long history of power boat use.
The fact is, we have always offered this trip through area outfitters like Josh Steinmetz, Gary Fritz, Mike Agee, Jason Newmack, Dan Troupe, Dan Kelly, Greg Metzner, Joe Bloomquist and others. These guides all are licensed USCG Captains, a requirement for commercial operation on Federally Navigable Waterways. These guys have been guiding with sleds for years, and are so busy that when customer interest in these trips is expressed during peak seasons, they are usually booked. When Ryan approached Mark and I we jumped at the chance to have an angler as experienced as Ryan McCourtney who holds a USCG license on our team. And like the above mentioned outfitters and guides, Ryan also works a drift boat below Holter Dam.
Mark and I would never allow any of our guides to run a power boat on the Craig section, and Ryan McCourtney – a dry fly stalker himself – would never consider running his boat through your pod of risers.
While Headhunters usually leads the way, we are literally the last ones in the game on this one. So, I hope we have clarified our position to the unknown author, and more importantly, any silent readers who may have misinterpreted our announcement or intentions. We also hope that if you have any comments or complaints you will call or email Mark or John directly. We’ll be happy to talk about it with you, and love to hear feedback on everything we do, whether positive or negative. No need to waste a stamp on an anonymous letter….
Thanks, John and Mark, Headhunters
