Opinions on drift boat rowing lessons
What are your opinions of taking lessons to learn to row a drift boat? Whether you are thinking of buying a boat, or just to learn to row properly so you will be asked to go on more floats with fishing buddies would you be willing to take formal lessons?
Take them. Nothing is worse than a fishing buddy who can't row too. A few hundred bucks is a lot cheaper than a wrecked drift boat. Even your buddies might be willing to teach you before they give you the helm.
I should have been more specific. I am a guide on the Yellowstone river and a fellow guide and I are thinking of offering rowing lessons. We both see and understand the need for lessons, but we are not too sure that there will be many who would be interested or willing.
Thanks for you input.
If I was going to buy my own boat I might pay for lessons so I wouldn't wreck a new boat first time out. If I was fishing with some buddies who owned a boat, I'd ask them to teach me.
flybop -Originally Posted by flybop
I would certainly encourage you to offer lessons. If you keep the price reasonable, and don't expect too much, you have nothing to lose and perhaps a very good market to gain.
I personally don't fish from boats - I just like to be on my feet and moving so I do all my fishing wading moving water. BUT if I were going to get a drift boat or start going along with folks that have them, I would certainly be interested in taking lessons if they were priced right.
John
The fish are always right.
Thanks for the responses. As many may know, there is a saying that goes, "If you can't row, you can't go". I know many guys with boats that do not invite non-rowing friends to go on floats. Personally I often bring non-rowers and try to teach them.
Every year when we put together a group for the Smith river float the list is always narrowed down to those who know how to row.
Living in sw Montana and not knowing how to row is a disadvantage to anyone who does love to fly fish.
I now own my own boat that used to be my father-in-law's. When he bought it 10 years ago, he bought it direct through Hyde. They took him down a river once when he bought it I guess you could call it a lesson), but I am not sure whether he paid extra for this or not. They also included an instructional video on how to row a drift boat.
Having floating many, many times prior to him buying the boat (both in my uncle's boat, and with guides), and having watched and listened to several different guides, I took the oarsman's seat for the first time in my F-I-L's boat with only the knowledge of how it was supposed to be done.
It seemed like it wasn't too hard to pick up, and as usual, experience is worth way more than just the knowledge.
Personally, I wouldn't pay for lessons unless I had just bought a brand new $8,000+ boat and had never rowed it before. It worked for me, but I also learned on the Green in Utah, which isn't the hardest river to row by a long shot.
I don't see any reason not to offer lessons. There's certainly not much to lose.
"Engineers don't idle well."
Sorry, I misunderstood. I would myself be interested in lessons. I know of guides that offer lessons, but I don't know how much they charge. In today's sport, you could basically charge whatever you want and there will be somebody somewhere that would be willing to pay. Good idea. I hope you do it.
I had a drift boat in MI for several years. Three of us bought it together but I was the only one who could (or would) row it. We got a demo from the dealer and it wasn't hard to pick up. The Pere Marquete is not really that hard of a river to row. No white water or anything. When we had it, hotshotting for steel head was big. With hotshotting, it is really the rower that gets the fish by how he positions the boat. So I didn't mind much being the only rower.
Later, when we started flyfishing only, the boat was more just transportation. I found it was more fun to get a good guide with a boat and save all the trouble of rowing. I found guides that were not only qualified, but were entertaining too. I have never been at the oars since. I did enjoy it though, back when I could still do it. My health won't allow it anymore.
But honestly, I am not sure how someone who wanted to row just couldn't pick it up from his buddies in the boat. If you offered it as part of a guided trip, maybe someone would like that.
Bob
Go for It!
Noting ventured---Nothing gained
Best wishes
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