Who has had to drag a river boat?

[Fishfighter]

Who here has had to drag a fiberglass river boat over a shoal, gravel bar, etc?

How hard is it with no one in the boat? 

[fishinwrench]

Depends on how heavy it is.  Dragging an aluminum 1642 with a 20hp outboard over a dry gravel bar isn't something you wanna do more than 3 times a day, but it isn't all that bad if you have some help, and it CAN be done solo if you're about half pissed and reasonably sober.

[Old plug]

Depends on what direction you are going up the river or down. I have drug 18 Wooden boats over shoals( No Motor) . going down stream. Would never dare try it going up stream. Used to take about 6 men to put one of those old things things on a truck bed.  

[ollie]

Had a friend with a 16' aluminum john and that was a female doggy to get back upstream. We took it downstream to a fishing spot thinking there would be enough water to run it back up, but man were we wrong. Not an easy job I thought.

[fishinwrench]

9 minutes ago, ollie said:

Had a friend with a 16' aluminum john and that was a female doggy to get back upstream. We took it downstream to a fishing spot thinking there would be enough water to run it back up, but man were we wrong. Not an easy job I thought.

Bet it was a 48".

They don't take to being man handled very well (thicker aluminum, and quite a bit more of it).  

[ollie]

Yea, and I was hung over the next morning when we went back upstream. My head was throbbing after the first skinny water where we had to push!

[Greasy B]

For a couple of decades the brother and I would take our river jon down some pretty small rivers with some skinny flows (200cfs) with full confidence we could bang and drag our way back up to the ramp, we’ve done it may times with overnight gear in the boat.  If it was a gravel riffle we’d run as fast as we could until the pump was just about to suck gravel, I’d kill and lift the motor while Dan would jump out to hold the boat as it came to a halt. If the shoal was rocks and cobbles we’d edge up to it slowly and grind our way through it as far as we could, then jump out and drag the rest of the way up. Doing this got us on a lot of water that other boats were afraid to run and many weekends we had the river to ourselves. Any more we’re not so cock sure or as strong, those days may be over.

[Bushbeater]

How about dragging this one across the gravel bar.

 

[ZigJigman]

I have both up river and down and it’s no fun either way. I was on the Norfork testing some jigs one day, by myself, and they turned the water off. I was in the C&R and stayed too long.About half way down the last shoal above the handicap access one of my fly fishing guide friends and a client were walking in and helped me. Very rough on the bottom of a fiberglass boat! And me!

The other time was in December after Christmas down at Monkey Island. Got in there fine but water was dropping and there wasn’t any other boats around. Again by myself. Not over a gravel bar but pulling it up river in shallow water. Finally got it far enough to jump in and crank the motor. I bought two pair of hip boots after that trip and keep them in my trout boat to this day!!

[bfishn]

Used to have a late '60's Skeeter Hawk (acclaimed as the first 'glass bass boat for those that remember) with a 20HP Merc & stick steering. Took it to the Quachita River a few miles below Lake Catherine to chase walleye early one spring. Got to the ramp just before dark and the river was rolling... must have had some gates open at Remmel Dam. I put in and spent a good portion of the night just trying to navigate the flow & the strainers upstream to a hole I'd been told of. Finally found the hole and some semi-slack water and anchored up and threw out a couple bait rigs. Cold & tired, I dozed off. 

Woke shortly after with a start 'cause one rod was jerkin' in its' holder. Pulled in a decent 'eye, and the other rod started dancin'. 6lber that time. It was just beginning to get a little light by then, and it seemed the river had calmed a lot. Before I could get rebaited I saw the near bank was wet several feet above the current water level... SSHHTT, they closed the gates! Hurriedly, I  pulled the anchors and headed back downstream toward the ramp. Then I learned the true meaning of "the bottom fell out".Had to jerk off the 20HP and dump the bait tank and drag that Skeeter for a couple 25 yard stretches, and in a hurry too. I was young and fit then (and accordingly stupid). I couldn't do it now, nor would I try.