MISSOULA - A popular hobby in Western Montana is fishing and getting out on the water to balance the heat.
While Montana is filled with rivers, which are fun for water sports, game wardens and outfitters still encourage safe practices.
“With all that water, you really need to be familiar with the area,” said Blackfoot River Outfitters Terri Raugland owner. “So, we try to make sure that we hire the best guides that we can for our customers.”
Raugland this time of year is busy for her fishing guides, local adventurers and tourists, but safety is always top of mind.
“Each person is required to have a life jacket on the vessel,” Raugland said. “The other thing all of our guides have in their boats are these, which are throw bags, so if somebody does go out of a boat, you can throw them a rope and pull them back to safety.”
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) Game Warden Captain Kyle Miller said officials understand accidents can happen, so they are always out making sure everyone is being safe while enjoying Montana’s beautiful landscape.
“Most of the boating fatalities that we have in Montana, about 60-70% each year, they're actually non-motorized watercraft that are causing these fatalities,” Miller said. “The stand-up paddleboards or the raft where someone gets thrown out, hits their head doesn't have a life jacket on, and ends up drowning.
The United States Coast Guard reported 4,040 accidents nationwide in 2022 which involved 636 deaths and 2,222 injuries. Seventy-five percent of those fatal boating accident victims drowned. And of those drowning victims, 85% were not wearing a life jacket.
"Alcohol use is the leading known contributing factor in fatal boating accidents; where the primary cause was known, it was listed as the leading factor in 16% of deaths," the United States Coast Guard reports.
Miller says even though the water may look safe, you never know what's around the corner so it’s always best to be prepared.
“Scouting the river ahead of time and just knowing we have a lot of fly shops around Missoula and those guys are on the water almost every single day so they’re a good resource to check in with,” Miller said.
Raugland says nearly all of her fishing guide trips have been safe - and what’s the most dangerous is possibly coming in contact with wood or a fallen tree in the river. But, You can prevent injuries and enjoy the flow by being prepared.
“Always be looking downriver,” Raugland said. “Call ahead and I would look at stream flows and weather and then make sure you’re on a potion of water that you have the ability to row in.”
