North 40 Fly Shop eMagazine September 2018 | Page 34

SHUTTLES AND ETIQUETTE
Let’s start with shuttles
When using a drift boat, it is important to be
considerate to other anglers and people on the
river. It is equally important to be considerate
to your shuttle driver. I’ll never forget this one
guide trip years ago when a woman and her
husband were with me. When we got to the
take out in the afternoon, the woman had a
bewildered look on her face. I could tell she
had a burning question. I asked, “mam’ is
something wrong?” She looked at me and said
with confusion, “Is this the same place we put in
at this morning?” I was a touch shocked. I had
to remind myself that most folks on guided trips
are out of their normal element. They probably
have never been on a river before. The woman’s
husband interjected before I had a chance to let
her know where we were at. He explained the
situation, that rivers are not typically circular.
So, with that being said, make sure to plan
ahead and know how you will be getting to your
vehicle from put in to take out.
More popular rivers typically will have fly shops
and maybe even a local store that does a shuttle
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service. Bringing extra cash and a second set
of keys is a good thing to do. Be prepared to
leave your keys with the folks doing the shuttle.
Be very specific about your plans and where to
leave the keys. Most shops will have a shuttle
sheet to fill out. They can be specific on times,
where to leave the keys, time off the river etc...
However, if you are doing a float where there are
no shuttle services, you will need to be creative.
You’ll want to bring a bike, a small scooter, an
old Honda trail 90’s, or use a cab service if you
are close to a city. I’ve been using the same cab
service on the lower Clearwater for close to 20
years. The same guy shows up every time and
it is a reliable way to get back to your car. I do
tip him well and this has seemed to do the trick.
He has never missed a beat in all these years!
Now let’s cover etiquette
Etiquette is kind of a touchy subject, as
everybody seems to fish a bit differently or has
a different procedure at the boat launch. Let me
go over a few universal drift boating etiquette
tips.
When getting to the boat launch, get your gear