River Fishing

I've been thinking a lot about this lately.  I got a Trident 11 coming that I'm going to rig for the rivers, but ... you may think this blasphemous ... I'm not convinced a kayak is a good river fishing craft for the types of waters we have here in WA.  Perhaps it would do well in the lower stretches of some of the rivers.

So I've been thinking about pontoon boats, rafts, or driftboats ... with a driftboat bubbling up in preference.

Thoughts?  Suggestions?

-Allen

what rivers are you thinking about? I'd agree with you, most of our sit-on-tops are designed more for flatwater use. Rafts & catarafts would work for most whitewater rivers, and are easy to rig up for fishing. Pontoon boats (mini-catarafts) have always caught my attention, though more for messing about in whitewater than to actually fish off of. Anyway, I've seen nice, durably stuff for whitewater, and stuff that was much more flatwater oriented. Driftboats....I've rowed whitewater dories, and they were a blast, a really magical feeling. However, they typically work better for deeper, non-rocky rivers. Driftboats from what I've seen are similar. There was the remains of a drift boat on the rocks in Whitehorse on the Deschutes last time I went through. So, what will work best is really going to depend on what rivers you're looking at. And the fleet expands...

How portable do you want this craft to be?  If you do not want to hassle with a trailer I would shy away from the drift boat.  I know quite a few guys who use their pontoons for the rivers and love it.  You already have the right clothing for it... 

River boats are something I know a little bit a bout...

The main problem with a kayak for river fishing in fast moving water is the inability to safely anchor.  I've admired the drift anchor rigs various folks have tried to make, but IMO none of them are safe for anything above slow, class I current.  Kayaks as fishing vessels in rivers are better suited as transportation from hole A to hole B, where you land them then get out and wade fish, before hopping in and moving on to the next hole.  They work great for this.

The drift boat is the sports car of river fishing craft, very agile, dry, with a design refined over 100 years of fishing experience.  They are also super versatile (with a small kicker motor they fish tidewater and lakes well, with dry bags and good rigging they can be used as multi-day river running platforms.)  It does have it's downsides though.  (1) they are expensive (for a good, late model boat).  (2) they require at least a semi-improved ramp to be  launched and landed (yah, I've helped do the boat slide thing with a trailer winch, it is not much fun).  (3) they are hard for a solo person to fish (generally require 1 person to row for 1 or more other people to fish, unless you anchor up, but then your screwed if you hook a big chinook and need to raise anchor to chase it down stream,) and finally (4) they are not very forgiving (take a rock broadside and you are going to have a bad day).

Whitewater rafts and catarafts are more like Toyota Landcruisers.  Can handle much more weight, much larger whitewater, and can be launched in a larger variety of places (people fly them in to remote rivers in Alaska on float planes).  They are also much more forgiving than drift boats (hit a rock in anything below Class III whitewater and the worst thing thats going to happen is you drop your beverage and bounce off).  With a nice rowing frame, you can anchor them just like a drift boat.  Unfortunately, like Landcruisers, they handle much more sluggishly, and you can't really "hover" in them to pull plugs and such.  They also require a little more upkeep than drift boats (cool, dry storage, keep them clean and out of the sun, dry them out properly so they do not mildew, coat them a couple times a year with 303 protectant, etc...

The 1 person rowing pontoon (really a mini cataraft) is the best of both worlds.  More agile than a raft, more forgiving than a drift boat, and much easier for one person to handle.  Good for rapids up to Class III, can be launched anywhere.  The issue to watch for with these guys is the quality of the boat.  There are cheap, crappy $200-400 boats that look good and begin to degrade to the point of needing new air bladders within a year.  There are also expensive (Dave Scadden comes to mind) boats that run $2000+ that cost as much as a used drift boat and don't offer all that much more in the way of performance.  Downside is they are too small to fish more than 1 person, and hard to pack enough gear on to really do enjoyable multi-day trips.

All the different boats have their pluses and minuses.  I've often lusted after a 16' Clackacraft drifter with a kicker motor as an all around fly fishing-tidewater fishing-crabbing craft.  But I've also been able to do all the same things now with my kayak and 13' raft.

I've talked a little about this w/ pole and agree. I think the answer for me is the Hobie Float Cat. It's a sweet little rig that's packable and lightweight. I don't think it's perfect for serious whitewater or anything but should handle river conditions better than a kayak.

Z

Hobie Float Cat 75
Length: 75"
Width: 46 1/4"
Weight: 43 lbs.
Capacity: 350 lbs.

What.. no peddles?  Bah... you sure it's a Hobie Z?

That actually looks like a decent option.  Although a drift boat would certainly be nice.  I think for now I'll be using my Caper to jump from hole to hole in class I water.  I think the occasional short stretch of class II shouldn't be a problem.

that's a sweet little pontoon boat, Z, didn't know Hobie offered that. First hardshell I've seen since the old Perception Revolution. like the backpack setup as well.

that's a sweet little pontoon boat, Z, didn't know Hobie offered that. First hardshell I've seen since the old Perception Revolution. like the backpack setup as well.

Hah!  I'll just take a couple Trident 11's and put a cat frame on them.   

So here has been my thought process.  I first though Pontoon, and not the cheapo ones either.  I have a healthy respect (fear?) of moving water having whitewater kayaked for years.  I once lost half an eyebrow for a year and a half.  I thought it was gone for good and miraculously it grew back one day.  I could probably be very happy on a Pontoon if I knew others who did it.  It's hard to do a shuttle when it's only you.

Then I thought I could size up to a small cat that could hold 2 people if needed.

Then I started thinking about a driftboat.

Then I went full circle and tilted back to a pontoon. 

So I thought I'd open it up to you all.   Nice feedback here so far.  Anyone in the Seattle area want to get a Pontoon as well ... so at least I know one person to go with.

-Allen

that's a sweet little pontoon boat, Z, didn't know Hobie offered that. First hardshell I've seen since the old Perception Revolution. like the backpack setup as well.

Hah!  I'll just take a couple Trident 11's and put a cat frame on them.   

Good luck on that one... 

What.. no peddles?  Bah... you sure it's a Hobie Z?

No kidding huh? Actually Hobie makes 7 paddle only models. The Quest has actually gotten some good reviews from some real yak fishermen. SCWAfish, of NCKA fame, actually mentioned he thought the rotating footrests are some of the best in the industry.



Z

Allen- Check out WashingtonLakes.com if you are looking for some local folk to do it with or find out more about it...

... you may think this blasphemous ...

NO Kayak!?! Blasphemy, Blasphemy! Burn him, burn him!
(sorry, medieval moment)

Actually, pontoon boats for when your going down hill make waaaay more sense. Drift boats are lovely, but have you ever drug one up the Wilson 2 miles? Not fun (don't ask)  
 My only pause with the hobie is the hard shell toons. They look like less than fun to walk through the woods with. Inflatables toons look like the ticket assuming they hold air.
My inflatable kayak should actually be good for river (if it held air). Plus, it travels well. But don't ask me, I've never done whitewater that was not at the beach.

Or you could do this:

http://www.outcastboats.com/outcastboats/pacspecialty.shtml

My note of caution on the Hobie toon is the frame.  In terms of sinking on the river, I don't worry so much about pontoon material (it's all pretty tough).  But I have seen cheap toons get their frames trashed when pinned on a rock.  You want a beefy steel (or aluminum) frame with solid welds at the joints.  The cheap pontoon material is a factor when it comes to longevity and holding air once it is 3 or 4 years old. 

The Hobie frame may be rock solid, I dunno.  Just examine it carefully.

IMO the best bang for the buck would be a Fish Cat product.  They are the fishing pontoons made by the company Aire, who make very nice whitewater rafts and catarafts.  Their 10' model is a nice river boat with a big enough deck behind the seat to hold some gear.  The 13' is a nice tandem option.  For whitewater you will want a boat 10' long or longer.

http://www.outcastboats.com/outcastboats/fishcatpontoons.shtml

For a shuttle, consider strapping a bicycle to the rear deck of whatever you buy.  I've done this a few times rafting and it works great (assuming you have a buddy who can stay with your boats/gear while you run shuttle.)

The shuttle aspect is the biggest problem about drifting, for me. Where (and why) I wanted to do most of my floating would drive my decision. My local rivers get too low for a driftboat, in the fall. Heck, even a raft or big 'toon has trouble. But if I mostly was on the Skagit, I'd prefer a hard bottom. Now, if it was an investment for guiding, I'd probably pick the raft so that I could pull the frame and paddle WW with the family and friends.

I've seen guys in these kind of little rafts- they swear by them. One guy claimed his weighed all of 9#!

http://www.wildernessaccess.com/inflatable-fishing-boats.htm

Great points you made there ThreeWeight.

I have a solo driftboat, a 9' 6" Don Hill mini-drifter, and I must confess that I hardly use it to float rivers anymore as I don't have a buddy with a solo craft to do shuttles with, and the cost of a hired shuttle has gone up a bit. I do some floats with a friend in his 16' Willie, and we often hire a shuttle service just to save time, but then we can split the cost up.

The mini-drifter is a great pram in lakes, with a Minnkota 30# thrust on it, and I sometimes use the electric to head upstream from a boat ramp.

I've read that pontoon craft with pontoons at least 8' long are needed to safely run whitewater rivers, and 9' or 10' is even better. Those short Hobie 'toons look cool and packable, but I have no idea how well such short pontoons would work in whitewater.

Just my $.02

Yup.  The shuttles play a lot into my thinking.  I used to kayak the rivers and just stash a bicycle at the takeout (locked to a tree) then ride back to the put-in.  I don't mind that so much and I used to do it when others where doing the run with me so they could watch the gear at the takeout.  It's nice to have someone with you which is why I started thinking about vessels that can take more than myself, unlike a single person pontoon.

The most likely water I'd drift are the local rivers like the Sky, Snoqualmie, or upper Green.  I don't have time until the winter, and until then I'll still be busy with kayak fishing, so I have time to figure this out.

I still kind of like the idea of pontoon boats ... something about being solo on your own craft.  Now I just need to talk someone else (Zee, charles, Tom!!!) to get in on this.

-Allen