Looking For Wading Streams

[ozark trout fisher]

I have had a coleman canoe for about a decade, and it works great... Mostly I float in a jon-boat that an older relative of mine found floating in the Meramec after a flood about 25 years ago... It's 14', beat up as hell, and works great. I really like Jon-boats for float fishing. They just seem to do a better job than canoes in my opinion.

Aluminum canoes are the worst. I would rather just wade fish than use one of those crappy things.

[Chief Grey Bear]

Looks like I posted some bogus information.

The 147 I spoke of is not $380 but $480. And it doesn't have have the 3rd seat either.

But I can tell you that Dlylan, Buzz and I have floated many times in a 12 ft. jon and a 15 ft. canoe without any problems. You just have to watch your casting a little. But you will have to do that anyway.

[eric1978]

I really like Jon-boats for float fishing. They just seem to do a better job than canoes in my opinion.

OTF, I gotta disagree with you on this one. Aside from more weight and cargo capacity and stability, I can't think of another benefit using a jon boat over a canoe. That is unless you wanna put a trolling motor on one on a wide, lazy stream.

[Buzz]

But I can tell you that Dylan, Buzz and I have floated many times in a 12 ft. jon and a 15 ft. canoe without any problems. You just have to watch your casting a little. But you will have to do that anyway.

We have taken several trips in that old jon-boat of Chief's and always did well. Especially when we needed to go back upstream, just crank on the old trolling motor.

My old fiberglass canoe was on the water before any of these fancy plastic boats got popular. I bought it off of a buddy for $100.00 back in 2000 and have no good reason to change now. A little fiberglass work every once in a while as needed. This summer we patched a couple of worn spots and I changed the color from red to hunter green. Looks pretty dang good too. Just one advantage over plastic and aluminum.

[Al Agnew]

I would avoid the 147 Guide, I can't see 3 fishing out of it. A 160 would be alright, but both are slow. A used Discovery would work also, while both are slow and heavy, the Discovery a little faster, they are bulletproof.

Al do you think there is that much difference in comparing glass to the Penobscot?

The Penobscot is the best-tracking Royalex canoe that I know of...it has the narrowest, sharpest ends. Royalex, because it is formed on a mold and can't be too thin and too sharp of a curve, makes for blunt-ended canoes. Fiberglass can be formed into VERY sharp entry and exit lines (ends). I had a Sawyer fiberglass canoe for a few years that was MUCH better tracking and faster than the Penobscot...but that thing was a real bear to get to turn.

Thing is, for float fishing on Ozark streams, you don't need a REALLY maneuverable canoe, but you sure don't need one that's really fast and that tracks extremely well. I like a compromise that leans very slightly toward tracking at the expense of maneuverability for a tandem canoe, and the Penobscot fits the bill the best for me.

[ozark trout fisher]

OTF, I gotta disagree with you on this one. Aside from more weight and cargo capacity and stability, I can't think of another benefit using a jon boat over a canoe. That is unless you wanna put a trolling motor on one on a wide, lazy stream.

Honestly, the cargo capacity and stability are my main reasons for liking it. Especially for multi-day trips, it just seems easier to load up a jon-boat. Plus I can put a real chair into it, which keeps the back from getting to sore by the end of a long float. But I'll admit that part of my reasoning is that I simply love that little jon-boat. I've been using it since I can't remember when. I've had it stolen three times, but I've always managed to get it back, although in worst condition each time. But I digress.

It is a bit more difficult to drag through riffles (and it is anything BUT easily maneuverable), but I just think it's easier to fish out of than I canoe or kayak. Also Ozark float fishing and jon boats just go together like baseball and hotdogs in my mind.

[Wayne SW/MO]

Also Ozark float fishing and jon boats just go together like baseball and hotdogs in my mind. biggrin.gif

The old river jons have little resemblance to the jons of today.. The Paddle jons are an exception, but the others simply don't. Today's were never intended to be paddled or to take on shoals and rapids. While I'll admit there are a few places in the SW that they can be used its very few. Been there and done that.

If you're going to limit yourself to one or two rivers then you can be very selective, but if not you need to compromise. The only option for fishing any stream with 2 or more people is a canoe, and the compromise is how much to spend.

[ozark trout fisher]

The old river jons have little resemblance to the jons of today.. The Paddle jons are an exception, but the others simply don't. Today's were never intended to be paddled or to take on shoals and rapids. While I'll admit there are a few places in the SW that they can be used its very few. Been there and done that.

If you're going to limit yourself to one or two rivers then you can be very selective, but if not you need to compromise. The only option for fishing any stream with 2 or more people is a canoe, and the compromise is how much to spend.

This jonboat isn't anything new, it's at least 25 years old, maybe older... It's an Arkansas traveler... According to what I've read, it was built for stream floating.

It seems to work quite well for all the streams I've floated in it, from the tiny, shallow, to the slow upper Bourbeuse and the Eleven Point, as well as quite a few Rocky Mountain streams. It's not terribly maneuverable, but it seems to work well up to Class low Class 3 rapids. I wouldn't use it on any heavier water than that though.

[eric1978]

The debate on which vessel is the "best" for float-fishing will continue to go on into eternity. People (including myself) can be very picky and can think themselves into paralysis over specifics like material, weight, length, width, etc. and even tiny details like raising a seat half an inch or moving a thwart or where to mount rod holders...I personally enjoy that stuff.

But I sometimes have to remind myself that all that really matters is what you like. If you are used to going down a stream in a jon boat, and you find it comfortable and convenient for fishing, it's golden. Is it possible that another watercraft may be "better," or more aptly put, "more efficient?" Probably. But who cares? If you spend all your time on the river worrying about what you could be using, you'll only be wasting precious time enjoying what you are using.

The only thing that truly matters is that you get out on a stream and take a deep breath of fresh air and soak in nature and catch a decent fish.

[Al Agnew]

I agree, Eric...and the fact is that there is NO one perfect river craft. All have advantages and disadvantages. My first four or five years of serious float fishing were in a cheap 12 ft. aluminum jonboat, and it worked quite well for teenagers with lots of energy. I bought my first canoe (15 ft. Grumman) my senior year of high school, and the jonboat never saw the river again.It was probably 15 years before I bought another, more "performance" canoe, and the Grumman served me very well all that time and saw most of the rivers of the Ozarks, but although the Grumman still lives (I sold it to my brother-in-law), I never paddled it again.

I have floated in aluminum, polylink, Royalex, fiberglass, and whatever that Coleman material is canoes. I've floated in a "rubber" folding canoe. I've floated in SOT and SINK kayaks, and inflatable kayaks. I've floated in 'toons. Driftboats. Rafts. Jetboats. Paddle johns. I even made a "boat" out of two inner tubes and a sheet of plywood and used it for a couple years when I was a kid. And I've caught fish from every one of them!