Members zthomas Posted March 14, 2011 Members Posted March 14, 2011 Floated from Spring Creek down to the 14 bridge on Saturday. Launched at 1 p.m. Flow was about 1000 cfs, temp about 55. Water had quite a bit of color--maybe two feet of visibility. Weather was absolutely perfect. First smallmouth came five minutes after launching, and they bit steadily until about 4. Biggest was 14" or 15", but vast majority were 8" to 10". All bit olive crazy-dads dragged on the bottom with a sink-tip line. The hardest part was just getting a good presentation with the river up and moving fast and by myself in the boat. Virtually every time I could get the fly down to the bottom and crawl it along for more than a few seconds, I got bit. Got one little longear sunfish, but otherwise it was all smallmouth, 10 or 12 of them total. Pics of the clear stream are Water Creek, a beautiful little feeder stream on river-left that's definitely worth a short hike.
Trout Commander Posted March 14, 2011 Posted March 14, 2011 Very nice pics and report. Thanks for sharing. How do you like your pontoon rig??? I have spent most of my money on fly fishing and beer. The rest I just wasted. The latest Trout Commander blog post: Niangua River Six Pack
Members zthomas Posted March 14, 2011 Author Members Posted March 14, 2011 How do you like your pontoon rig??? I love it. Floats at least as shallow as a canoe, obviously very stable, handles II+ whitewater with no trouble, comfortable to sit in all day, and carries enough gear on the back deck for an overnight if you go light. The material is super-tough, and it fits in a 6'6" pickup bed completely assembled if you just take a little pressure out of the tubes. You can even control it reasonably well with float tube fins in calm water. Only drawback is slow water. Rowing it through the pools, especially into a breeze, is a LOT more work than paddling a canoe or kayak. It's definitely a boat for rivers and streams with a decent current.
Members DaveMac Posted March 14, 2011 Members Posted March 14, 2011 Terrific report. Love the pics. Beautiful river.
Trout Commander Posted March 22, 2011 Posted March 22, 2011 I love it. Floats at least as shallow as a canoe, obviously very stable, handles II+ whitewater with no trouble, comfortable to sit in all day, and carries enough gear on the back deck for an overnight if you go light. The material is super-tough, and it fits in a 6'6" pickup bed completely assembled if you just take a little pressure out of the tubes. You can even control it reasonably well with float tube fins in calm water. Only drawback is slow water. Rowing it through the pools, especially into a breeze, is a LOT more work than paddling a canoe or kayak. It's definitely a boat for rivers and streams with a decent current. Awesome. I am seriously looking at them. What brand is yours? I searched around for Fish Gill, which is what I think I see on yours but didn't come up with anything? I have spent most of my money on fly fishing and beer. The rest I just wasted. The latest Trout Commander blog post: Niangua River Six Pack
flytyer57 Posted March 22, 2011 Posted March 22, 2011 What brand is yours? I searched around for Fish Gill, which is what I think I see on yours but didn't come up with anything? That's because it's a "Fish Cat." You might also want to check out The Creek Company. I have an older ODC 816. There's a fine line between fishing and sitting there looking stupid.
Trout Commander Posted March 22, 2011 Posted March 22, 2011 That's because it's a "Fish Cat." You might also want to check out The Creek Company. I have an older ODC 816. Ahaha, I am blaming the glare on that one... This one is on Amazon for $199.... I have spent most of my money on fly fishing and beer. The rest I just wasted. The latest Trout Commander blog post: Niangua River Six Pack
flytyer57 Posted March 22, 2011 Posted March 22, 2011 Ahaha, I am blaming the glare on that one... This one is on Amazon for $199.... I bought mine for $100 less than the website showed at Cabela's. There's a fine line between fishing and sitting there looking stupid.
Trout Commander Posted March 22, 2011 Posted March 22, 2011 I bought mine for $100 less than the website showed at Cabela's. Awesome! Was it on sale or some sort of special or the regular price? I have spent most of my money on fly fishing and beer. The rest I just wasted. The latest Trout Commander blog post: Niangua River Six Pack
Members zthomas Posted March 22, 2011 Author Members Posted March 22, 2011 I did a fair amount of research and went the way I did (Fish Cat Panther, made by Outcast) mainly because the four-tube models draft less than the regular two-tube models. The paired tubes basically act like a wider, flatter bottom. They also catch less wind because they're not as tall. Drawbacks, as far as I can tell, are that the four-tube boats I've seen cost more (MSRP on mine was $950) and don't do as well in whitewater (although mine has been no problem whatsoever on anything I've encountered on the Mulberry, Ouachita, Frog Bayou, etc). Another thing to look at is frame material. Aluminum frame makes a big difference in weight, but also costs a lot more. And then there are these really cool but super-expensive frameless toons from North Fork/Dave Scadden: http://www.northforkoutdoors.com/2011catalog/page6.html. 28 lbs., 800 lb. capacity, fits in your trunk, and all yours for just $1,600.
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