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Dear Gray Ghost,
I have a Waterskeeter Daytripper float tube and I love it.
I use it to fish warmwater lakes and I like the fact that I get wet when I sit in it without waders. It's the perfect way for me to access the lakes in my area during the hot summer weather.
I seriously considered a pontoon boat before I got the Waterskeeter and I will probably get one eventually if I don't get a SOT kayak. For me a pontoon boat would be overkill for the lakes I fish. If I really have to stay high and dry in a lake I have a real aluminum hard boat to use. I see pontoon boats as more of a moving water boat and once you decide to float rivers you need a partner or a shuttle service.
That is why I am considering a kayak. You can put in and paddle upstream and float back down to the starting point. The river I fish most frequently is a mile wide and you can paddle upstream a ways and drift back down and just keep moving across the river as you go. You really can't row very far upstream with a pontoon.
There is no such thing as a perfect boat for all situations. Anybody that has owned any type of watercraft for fishing will tell you exactly that.
Best Wishes,
Avalon :D
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Avalon,
Makes some good points. As a canoe/kayak kind of guy I am not at all impressed with the way a pontoon handles. They row too much like a rubber dinghy when you are used to the paddle response from a canoe or kayak. Their strength is in floating rivers with a partner and two cars. You would never make headway in a "toon" rowing upstream in order to float back. It is quite possible, as Avalon states, to do that in a kayak.
I have canoes and kayaks but I love flyfishing from my Outcast Fat Cat. It is total hands free fishing. You can not get that in any other vessel. I haven't yet encountered a wind that pushed me around to the point I would get off the water. With a good set of fins it moves out pretty well. It is definitely the best fishing platform I have ever used.
A lot of people who use pontoon boats eventually equip them with electric motors. I think that tells something about their inefficiency as a rowing platform. To me if you go so far as to equip your vessel with an electric motor you might as well have a boat. Hope you can make good sense of this. I have had my Fat Cat for 6 years now and have not had any problems whatsoever. My friend bought a Fish Cat 4 which is also made by Outcast. It is a decent tube and is considerably less expensive than the Fat Cat or Super Fat Cat. Creek Co. has copied the design of the Outcast tubes and offers the ODC 420 for a reasonable price (pretty much the same price as the Fish Cat 4.)
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I own and use a Hobie Cat 75. Before purchasing it, I did a lot of research and watched others use their crafts to see the pros and cons on the river. I decided on the Hobie Cat 75 for the following reasons:
It has polyethelene (sp) pontoons which means I never have to inflate them, never have to carry an air pump with me, never have to constantly check the bladder to see if I need to let some air out due to higher temperatures or add air due to lower temperatures, never have to worry about a bladder bursting due to over inflation or altitude changes, it stores easily, it disassembles easily, it weighs 33 pounds, it sits higher in the water and rows very easily ( it rows so easily that I usually put it the river and row upstream against the current and then float my way back to the truck), etc.
It fits my needs very well.
They have the Hobie Cat 75 and Hobie Cat 60. I chose the 75 for the longer pontoons and will carry a larger load.
You can look at them here: www.hobiecat.com Just look under "fishing" on their web page.
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Gray Ghost,
Check out this posting by trout-seeker on the "Things for Sale" forum.
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/v...ic.php?t=11630
He has a Wood River Glide Rider for sale for a reasonable price. I bought one of these from a friend a couple of years after I got my Fat Cat. I bought it because I got an excellent price and it folds down very compactly for stuffing in a backpack. My Fat Cat has foam block seat and backrest so is not as convenient for packing. This tube is very efficient. You sit a little lower than in the Outcast tubes but you are still largely up and out of the water. For what he's asking you can't go wrong. That's basically the same price that made me jump when I saw the GlideRider offered for sale by my friend.
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I purchased a WaterSkeeter Rebellion 8ft toon lasy July....since my first trip in it I have never used oars....I wet-kik with flippers in summer,...and add breathable waders for fall spring trips....you have way more control over the toon when kikin' as opposed to oarin'...how would I know you ask...seein' as I posted I never used my oars...simple...watch the other guy who is oarin'...no where near the control....as well...kikin' forces you to slow down...which is usually best when fishin' stillwaters for trout...mind you...the lakes I fish are small mountain lakes....don' think I'd take it out on big lakes...cos they do catch in the wind....I also like the fact ya don't get wet above your knees...good thing in spring and fall...and in the heat of summer...your legs keep your blood cool so is no overheatin' to deal with....of course..your milage could vary...;)))
mojo anyone want to buy a pair of new never used oars????
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I have a Trout Unlimited madison that Ive used about 3 times... Has 8 1/2 ft pontoons and weight is about 45lbs. I like it but I don't use anything in the rivers. I prefer to wade. I'm selling the pontoon boat, kickboat with a small trailer! If anybody is interested... i added a small anchor to the boat and the trailer is a drop down hitch trailer for a jet ski and works wonderful!
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I bought my pontoon for the same reason as everyone else. You sit out of the water, which means I can wear hip waders. Rowing I can fly across a lake. Agreed that trying to row up river could be a chore, although I have never tried, but have been able to master some very nasty winds and waves.
I have put a platform on mine that is 5' X 4', which allows me to take my dog, a large battery, three flush mount scotty rod holders, a waterproof bag with my rain gear, a lunch box and still have room for my dog to walk around and the boat still weighs under 75lbs. I can pick it up, but at 11 1/2 feet long a bit clumbsy.
Another reason I like pontton is I do have a motor (minn kota) that I can use.
I bought an Echo last year which is also a potoon with metal frame and padded plastic seat. But it has 4' by 12" diameter (same as my Cardiac Canyon) pontoons that are dura bladders (self sealing). Bought it for the same reasons
The Kayak with the paddles is a great idea. I just like more room for my all day-ers