A 44-year old Montana man drowned on the Smith on Monday, reportedly pinned beneath an overturned drift boat only 8 miles from the Eden Bridge takeout on the Smith.
Read accounts in local news here and from FWP here.
I have no idea of the specific circumstances that led to Monday’s catastrophe (and would never presume to conjecture), but have learned this the hard way – those of us who spend a lot of time on and about rivers occasionally, when distracted by fishing or any number of things in the river environ, make a seemingly minuscule mistake that leads to horrific consequences during the high-flow runoff season.
Over the years I’ve been one of the first on scene to two boat capsize and pins in heavy current, one a raft and one a hardside, and the forces involved are shockingly massive and at times incredibly destructive.
Always respect the river and let’s be careful out there.
