General Watercraft Recommendations For Ozark Rivers/streams

[Tom Tricamo]

Hey all,

Hope your Friday is coming together nicely. I have a question with regard to navigating Ozark Rivers/Streams. I'm making my first move into Ozark Stream fishing this year. I'm wondering if any of the gurus on the forum would have thoughts as to a universal watercraft to use on the popular Trout and Smallie waters? I do intend to wade fish but I'd like to be able get down the stream via the water if need be.

I'm looking for something I can fish most SMAs and Blue/White Ribbon trout areas with. Think Big River or Eleven Point all the way down to Tan Vat access and below on the Current. Ideally, this watercraft would be able to hold two people and some gear. Am I completely off base in thinking a large canoe would do the trick?

An even more stupid question: Once I've floated this water, how do I get my gear, my boat, and my self back to where I put in? Is it as simple as paddling back up stream?

Simple questions for some, mind-boggling for myself.

Thanks,

Tom Tricamo

[eric1978]

Hey Tom, do a little digging through the archives on this forum. There are plenty of old posts that hash out your questions in painful detail.

But to quickly answer:

Two people and some gear? Yes, a tandem canoe. A jon will work, too, but if you're wanting to float water as skinny as Tan Vat, you'll need to go canoe. Canoes are the most versatile watercraft for most of the miles of Ozark streams (to avoid argument I'll add IMO, even though it's a fact). How do you get back to your car? Hire someone to shuttle you or take two vehicles and shuttle yourself...obviously you need a floating buddy for the latter.

[FishinCricket]

Hey Tom, do a little digging through the archives on this forum. There are plenty of old posts that hash out your questions in painful detail.

But to quickly answer:

Two people and some gear? Yes, a tandem canoe. A jon will work, too, but if you're wanting to float water as skinny as Tan Vat, you'll need to go canoe. Canoes are the most versatile watercraft for most of the miles of Ozark streams (to avoid argument I'll add IMO, even though it's a fact). How do you get back to your car? Hire someone to shuttle you or take two vehicles and shuttle yourself...obviously you need a floating buddy for the latter.

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[kevthebassman]

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X3

A good canoe is about as good as it gets on the water we're talking about. And for sure a shuttle is necessary.

[Gavin]

Tom, a 16-17' tandem canoe will do everything you require. It will carry two and enough gear for a couple days on the river. Look for a royalex or polylink boat with a flat bottom, minimal rocker, and no keel. My 17' Wenonah Spirit II has served me well, but there are lots of good boats out there. The other things you'll need...a quality rack from Yakima or Thule to transport your boat to and from, paddles, life jackets, dry bags to keep your gear dry, and some shuttle partners. Check craigslist for used boats a couple times a week, and I'm sure that you will find a nice one. Have fun!

[Wayne SW/MO]

Like others have said a tandem canoe is the only reasonable choice. The make and hull design is a whole other story, given the fact you indicate no experience the field can be narrowed. My suggestion would be to find a good used Old Town Discovery 158 or 169, an Old town Guide 160 would work also. These are easy to sell if you decide you want something lighter and quicker later. Those two atributes come with some quirks that might make you uncomfortable if you're just starting out.

[drew03cmc]

A Guide 160? I haven't seen one of them, I don't think.

[Fishslayer88]

Canoe gets my vote as well, old town makes great canoes i have put a lot of miles in on a old town 168 they are wide, good seats, and a nice snap in third seat if you have kids to take with you, they are also one of the better tracking boats, other good boats to look at are Buffalo and Osage.

You may check Silverhill canoe rental they use buffalo canoes and usually retire a few boats every year, The ones we have got off them weren't in that bad of shape and it may save you a couple of bucks.

http://silverhillcanoe.com/Home_Page.php

[Al Agnew]

Yep, the choices for solo fishing craft are many, but for two people the canoe is the only really good choice.

A lot depends upon how much you want to spend. Royalex is the best material due to the reasonably light weight, durability, quiet, and ability to slither over rocks and logs rather than sticking to them, but it's also expensive. The poly plastic of the Old Town Discovery series is heavier, cheaper, otherwise similar to Royalex. Good quality fiberglass is seldom used on Ozark streams but is actually a pretty decent material, comparable in weight to Royalex, almost as durable (and easier to repair), but it's noisier. Aluminum is noisy, sticks to gravel, rocks, and logs, but it's pretty much indestructible.

Hull design is the major concern once you get past the material. Most canoe companies sell what they market as "fisherman" or "sportsman" canoes. These are short, wide, flattish bottomed, and touted as being stable fishing platforms. You can still tip one if you do something stupid, but they feel more stable. The trade-off is that they are barges to paddle. A general recreation canoe from Old Town, Wenonah, Mohawk, or a bunch of lesser known canoe companies is a better choice, in my opinion. These canoes are compromises between tracking ability and maneuverability, with some leaning more toward being a straight tracking canoe, while others lean toward more maneuverability. In my opinion, you can learn to make a tracking canoe turn when you want it to, and it's handy to have one that's easy to keep going straight, but a highly maneuverable canoe will never be easy to make it go straight over a decent distance--you'll work at it.

Old Town Penobscot leans toward tracking. Mohawk Nova 16 leans slightly toward tracking, as does the Old Town Saranac 160. Wenonah Spirit II is right in the middle. So are the Old Town Discovery models. Old Town Camper leans toward maneuverability, as does the Buffalo tandems.

A few other considerations...I don't like canoes with high ends, like the Old Town Camper and the Buffalo models. High ends catch more wind, and get in the way of sidearm casts. If the canoe has a molded in keel, it won't help in tracking and it's only there to keep the bottom of the canoe stiffer so that it won't flex from end to end as much, which is a problem with lightweight plastic canoes. A keel isn't a deal breaker, but it's better to have a canoe without one.