BUZZBAIT
AFTER ESCAPING THE FLOODING CANYON, BERT RODRIGUEZ (LEFT)
AND RYAN DENNEHY WATCH THE RIVER WASH AWAY THEIR GEAR. PHOTO: DANIEL RODRIGUEZ
LOST GEAR, RAGING RAPIDS AND AN EPIC FLOOD TEST THE SKILLS OF THIS GROUP OF EXPERIENCED PADDLE ANGLERS
MIRACLE ON THE PECOS
Bert Rodriguez, his son Daniel, and two other expe- rienced kayak anglers had set out on a five-day fish- ing adventure on Texas' wild Pecos River. For four days, the group suffered gear-eating rapids and vi- cious portages through dense cane and thick mud. Then the rain started. Hours later the river surged 31 feet, washing away the group's boats and gear. The ad- venture climaxed with a historic flood and a helicop- ter rescue. We caught up with Daniel Rodriguez for a
deeper look into this fish story turned survival story. RIC BURNLEY
Kayak Angler: Your story sounds like a real- ity survival show, how did you guys come to agree- ments and work together during the ordeal? Daniel Rodriguez: I can’t think of a significant disagree- ment during the trip, including the egress. We had dis- cussed emergency scenarios before the trip and when it started to rain we moved our gear to a high ledge on the canyon wall, tied our boats to a tree, packed bug- out bags with essential gear and mapped out two escape routes to the rim. No one could have predicted a 50-year flood. Even though things went wrong, our experience and preparation allowed us to get out of the canyon and get rescued.
KA: When did you realize that the fishing trip was over? DR: On the first day of the trip, in the first rapid, we lost the GPS with locations of campsites and water sources. The area was experiencing a record rainfall and, even
18…KAYAK ANGLER
though we had paddled the river before, we underesti- mated the effect high water would have on the rapids. We'd come to the Pecos River for a challenge, so it was just part of the adventure. Even when it began to rain we felt confident that we were prepared. But when water started cascading over the canyon walls and the river turned brown, it was time to pull the plug.
KA: A lot went wrong on this trip. What went right? DR: Despite the set-backs, we saw wild horses, found cave paintings and witnesed a part of the world few people visit. When the river started to flood, we were lucky to find a secondary escape route after a waterfall cut off the first path out of the canyon. Once we made it to the top of the canyon, we called emergency services with a satellite phone. Then we saw a hunter’s cabin that gave rescuers a landmark to find us. If we hadn’t been picked up by the helicopter, we would have had to walk 60 miles through the desert. Two months after the flood, a fisherman found my Pelican camera case 50 miles from where we left the river. He tracked us down through Google and returned $6,000 worth of cameras with photos from the trip.
KA: So, will you go again? DR: Absolutely, we are planning Pecos 2015. We can’t admit defeat, and the fishing is great.
DIGITAL EXTRA: Click here to read the full story and check out a photo gallery.
AS THE RAIN STARTS TO FALL, THE GROUP WATCHES THE RIVER AND
SETS THEIR PLAN IN MOTION. PHOTO: DANIEL RODRIGUEZ
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