Do you float alone?

[somuchtolearn]

I have a Scadden that can be configured for two. After many floats I feel that it is much easier to get out of trouble if I was alone. It has less weight therefore more manuverability; the down side is no shuttle, no friend to share fish stories with. I know lots of you have pontoons. How do you do it?

[Dr Magill]

I have a Scadden as well - I had it fitted so you can put another person up on the platform behind the main seat. It works well when my wife wants to go- she weighs a buck ten - but I really don't like the way it handles with 2 people. Just me - the thing is money!! I either get her to shuttle me or go with someone of similar interest and need. I love to float but the shuttle deal kinda bites!
Magill

[cuponoodle breakfast]

I've floated alone several times.
Moped, ride from a friend/family member, bicycle, hitch hike. I've never done the hitch hike thing. I have picked up other anglers who needed a ride after floating solo though. Out of the few times I used a bike, I only rode it to the truck once. Other anglers gave me rides the other times. There are shuttle services on many popular rivers. I've thought about it and might use one in the future.

[Christian Brewer]

I float alone quite a bit...mostly because it is hard to coordinate someone else to float with. I'm with Cupo, as I ride my bike for a turn around. Many times I have been picked up by other anglers (Thanks again Charles Sullivan).

Whether I ride the bike before or after I float depends on if I'm floating early or late in the day (I don't like ride on the side of the highway in the dark). I usually strap my bike on to the back of my pontoon and start floating when I'm done I'll lock my pontoon up to a tree and ride back to my truck. I have a 9' bucks bags pontoon and I'm 250lbs so the added weight of my bike does cause it to ride slightly different and then of course the bike ride always sucks because it is always up hill...Damn it...Gravity...:beathead:

Anyways there are many turn around services you can use also, try giving Matte Burke a PM, he offers turn around services for most rivers here in the Puget Sound area. Also I was eating up at the Index Cafe the other day and picked up a card of a guy that offers taxi service up and down highway 2 from (Monroe to Skykomish), I'll post his info tonight after work.

Christian

[Matt Burke]

Yes, anyway I can get a ride.

[tomc]

I float alone and love it. My wife on the other hand is very against me running a river alone. I have come to the conclusion that it is a risk that I need to be very consrvative in my approach with the river and use the same tactics running a river alone as hiking alone. I had one "problem" on the river while floating alone and the jet sled that had been annoying me was there in a hurry to help me out. I realized people help out if they can. If you have ALL of your s*#! together and the river isn't blown all to hell, there is very little undo risk. I am more apprehensive about floating a low river than a high river, but with my 'toon, I can get around about anything (so far).
Tom C.

[fatguide]

I float alone alot, mainly because no one I know want's to fish as much as I do. I'm a former guide, most of my fishing buddies still are guiding, so they are working most of the time. My wife does go with me sometimes (once a month maybe). We use Watermasters when we float so we don't need a trailer. When it's the two of us we leave one rig at the take out and just drive back to the put in and pickup the other when were done.

When I float alone I either use a shuttle, or if I'm floating close to home I use my cell phone and call the wife five min. before I get to the take-out and she picks me up.

Be very carefull floating alone, but then you should be carefull when wading alone also.

[Salmo_g]

I float alone more often than with someone else, same as with walk and wade fishing. The thing I've always liked about going solo is that he who goes alone, goes when he damn well pleases. It's nice not having to plan and coordinate with someone else. I've never found that I get in more trouble alone than if I'm with someone else, or vice versa. I don't know why I'd expect there to be any correlation. If I thought floating was dangerous, I might take up a safer activity, like watching TV. Everything in life that's interesting and worth doing has a little bit of risk involved. I think that's part of what makes life worth living.

The shuttle isn't a worry. I used to hitch hike all the time, but in recent years have found it harder to get a ride. Maybe I look uglier. No problem; I use my mountain bike. I leave it locked to a tree or something at or near my take out; ditch my raft and gear in the brush somewhere, and ride back to my car. Uphill really doesn't bother me. I'm a cyclist and often ride 50 or 60 miles just for training and exercise, so a 6 mile shuttle is barely enough to break a sweat.

Sg

[Dr Magill]

I'm with you on the fish alone gig. I don't consider myself a loner, but I can go when I want, where I want, as long as I want, leave when I want, go to a new spot, whatever - I catch a hell of a lot more fish when I fish on my own!
My 2 cents-
My deal on the float is that it's way easier to float with 2 rigs.
Magill