I have a tip for you guys and I am trying to be helpful here.

I don't mean YOU in particular, but small cat fisherman. You should be weight centered or forward of center in your craft rowing forward, facing down stream. All to often I see them with the frame towards the back of the cat feet out, lounging. When you get to the rapids this will hurt you, you need to get your weight forward.

just sayin'

Oh, and for what it's worth, thats a shitty hole. You guys did good. As for your gear, well its headed to burns. Start with the fishing outfitters at rancho and see who knows what down there in burns. last I heard they had more phones than teeth per capital so odds could be good, I recon'.

 

Hi Bobbuilds: Just saying, trying to be helpful or not, YOU are mostly wrong...

1) The feet forward position on a small cat is designed that way. It is not designed "for lounging." The foot pegs are used for leverage when you row, you can't get any energy into the oars if your feet are dangling.

2) Yes, one should face downstream.

3) No, one should not row forward unless pushing through a hole. Pontoons, like rafts and driftboats, are rowed backwards to navigate the river by using ferry moves across the river, pivoting as needed and rowing backwards.

4) Agreed that it is a shitty hole. What we did well was having safety set below the rapid--including throw bags, scouted the rapid, wore PFDs properly.

5) Actually, if the lost gear is headed toward Burns, someone must have found it and drove it upstream, although the upstream wind was particularly nasty this weekend. Actually, the gear is headed downstream toward Dotsero, not upstream towards Burns or Rancho, 23 miles upstream from Rodeo.

6) No reason to insult the fine folks along the river ("more phones than teeth per capital"--I'm assuming you mean per capita). They have been more helpful than not the past 10+ years I've floated the Colorado.

 

For some reason I thought Burns was below the hole, sorry about that. Not really trying to insult the folks at Burns, just remember passing through there. You're right I did mean per capita, somehow I hit the L. Good luck with your gear search.