A note from Charlie Schmidt (@cutthroatdj):

About a month ago, Cutthroat Anglers guide Charlie Schmidt set sail to Idaho Falls to pick up his brand-new, completely decked-out drift boat from Clackacraft. About 1,170 miles later, Charlie was rear ended by a drunk driver half a mile from home. Luckily, Charlie was ok; however, heartbroken that his brand new drift boat was smashed from a Nissan Versa. Here’s what Charlie had to say about the incident:

“This is the first new boat I’ve ever had. I drove from Silverthorne, CO to Idaho Falls, ID and back to pick it up. It was an 1,170 mile road trip in total. I was 1/2 mile from home when I was violently rear ended at a stop light in Silverthorne by a Nissan Versa.The driver of the Nissan was not the owner of the vehicle, did not speak English, and the Silverthorne PD arrested him at scene for allegedly being intoxicated and not willing to comply. I had not insured the boat and trailer yet because I was still shopping around prices. The Silverthorne PD refused to give me any information on the driver at fault because it became a DUI investigation. The trailer took most of the damage, the boat itself had a small manageable crack in the interior. My vehicle took minor damage to the bumper and rear hatch. I was basically left holding a $4500 bill which didn’t include any of the damage to my car. Clackacraft was extremely generous to get me another trailer ordered at cost, but I still had to haul the old trailer back to Idaho Falls on a flatbed, and bring the new one home. The silver lining to my story is no one was injured, had they been driving a different vehicle, or I hadn’t been towing a trailer, this could have been much worse. Thanks to “Go Fund Me” and the generous people who donated, most of my costs were covered. I’m happy to report the boat floats, the new trailer rocks, and I’ve been able to get back to work on the river.” 

Support Charlie through his GoFundMe, by donating HERE. Big thanks to Charlie Schmidt for the story. 

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Nelson Oxley
I’m originally from Tabernash, Colorado, and my passion for fishing started early, influenced by my grandfather, who managed Nelson’s Fly Shop. As soon as I got my driver’s license, I began guiding, and now I’m in my seventh year of doing so. I am a Account Manager at Flylords. I work with various brands in the industry to grow their digital marketing presence and run campaigns to increase their product and brand visibility. One thing I love about Flylords is the passion that goes into our work; everyone is deeply involved in what we strive to create. My favorite types of fishing are casting dry flies from a drift boat and stalking flats species from a skiff!

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