This week in Small Craft: January 30th, 2026
posted by
Many river lotteries close tomorrow, January 31st at 11:59pm, which means it’s time to hand over your extortion money to Recreation.gov for the privilege of crossing your fingers. In boat news, Hyde Drift Boats has a fresh batch of boats back in stock, while Let ’Em Run Drift Boats has relaunched their website from the depths of the Teton Valley, and their current lineup of three rafts and two drift-boat offerings is VERY innovative and intriguing. On the access front, Placer County Public Works has informed American Whitewater that planned walk-in access to Yankee Jim’s Bridge for paddling the Ponderosa/Shirttail section of the North Fork American will not be available for the 2026 paddling season, or may not open until very late spring - more info at American Whitewater. Lastly, and more somberly, Paddling Magazine reports that Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has released new details about an alligator they killed that was responsible for the death of a 61-year-old canoeist—a stark reminder that not all hazards on the water are man-made.