Cliff,

There are a lot of factors to consider. How much do you want to spend? What kind of a vehicle do you have? Those are the two big ones. I have no expierence with canoes nor kayaks. I have some friends who own kayaks and they like them. I have a metal framed pontoon boat and a WaterMaster raft. I use both. I like them both. The raft is best when I am going to have to go a ways to get to the water, a friend of mine put two bicycle wheels on an extended shaft and I simply strap the raft to the shaft and take off. The pontoon boat comes with a wheel but it is heavy and I would not want to go any distance trying to keep it level over uneven ground. The pontoon boat will give you a very stable platform to fly fish from and it raises you a foot or two above the water. It is a problem when it is very windy, the pontoons act as sails and can cause you problems. I suspect a canoe would do the same but not the kayak.

They have some very nice pontoon boats now that have no frame, simply blow them up and get to fishing. When I bought my pontoon boat those were not an option, not I think I would go for one of them. They are costly but then so is a good canoe or kayak.

Check around your area where you live and see if there is a place where you can rent a canoe then a kayak and see if you feel comfortable enough in them to operate. If not. go for a pontoon boat and keep your tube for smaller waters.

Larry ---sagefisher---