Why The Smith River in Montana Closed in late May 2011

An entire tree (quite large by-the-way) -rootball and all -floating dangerously down the Smith River on 5/21/11. The river jumped over 1000 cfs in one night sending tons of debris downstream! Needless to say the fishing plummeted equally as dramatic. We had fun on the float despite the hazards. We also offer our condolences to the family who lost a loved one just a few days before our trip. The Smith River can be dangerous. It's one of the most beautiful floats in the world but you have to be careful, especially in early season.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Smith River
• CrossCurrents
• dangerous floats
• fly fishing
• montana

[needs2dance]

Amazing footage! Looks like you were floating at, approximately, 1,800 CFS on May 21st. Currently, the river is running at 3,120 CFS; our Smith River launch is scheduled for June 23rd and if the water is racing this fast, we may be at our first campsite within a couple hours of our launch.

[flyfysher]

The Montana FWP Commission closed the river just before we were to leave for our Smith River float for the Memorial Day weekend.