gheenoe and gators

[cucuy]

Does anyone have any experience with a Gheenoe? I am a little older and larger and think this might work for me in the skinny water at the coast and lakes.

We have gators here. I have fished the banks with them around and no problems. How about in a small craft? Thanks

[SteveGibson]

Does anyone have any experience with a Gheenoe? I am a little older and larger and think this might work for me in the skinny water at the coast and lakes.

We have gators here. I have fished the banks with them around and no problems. How about in a small craft? Thanks

I live in Florida and fish out of a kayak. I fish around alligators quite often. I've never had a problem, but I still keep and eye out for them.

[bspitt]

I fished around many gators in small john boats. Never a problem. Most of them kept their distance if you get too close. However night fishing or frog gigging, gators would often flank the small john boat on both sides...just checking us out, but never gave us any problems (unlike the wasp & snakes).

The Geeneoe is a great little craft when rigged with a trooling motor and/or small gas motor. They are not very good for paddeling and would be real bad for solo paddleing in my opinion. For solo, I would rig it up with a trolling motor with and extention arm to allow sitting closer to the middle of the craft. They are very stable.

Brannon

[Uncle Jesse]

I have a friend with a gheenone type boat he loves, fly fishes for bream in the Cashier NC area in a lake up there. They remind me of the 1960's and before version of the Skeeter bass boats. Very stable, too heavy for traditional canoe type task I believe.

The only time I have every heard of alligators being a problem with someone in a boat is when they bring along the family dog. Gators are reported to really like the taste of a wet dog.

[Tom Cat]

I have a Gheenoe High Sider which is the middle size and I weigh 200 lbs. and a senior. I started with a six hp gas engine on the back but switched to a 40 lb thrust electric with two batteries. With the gas engine, I would paddle quite a bit in shallow water to position the boat for fishing but found the electric gave me far better control of boat position and gives me more fishing time rather than paddling time. A High Sider is easy to paddle if you don't want to go long distances.

They are stable, rather heavy, (need a light trailer) and are pushed around by the wind quite a bit like a canoe. Boat wakes can be a problem. Let me know if you would like to hear more. Tom

[cucuy]

Folks, I appreciate your comments so much. I am new to this site but love it. Getting some honest feedback can save you a lot of money and heart burn. I am new to tying also. Spent about one hundred at a craft store today and another hundred at Bass Pro for materials. Bought a tying kit last week. At what point do you break even on the cost of flys you are loosing? HeeHeeHee.

[Uncle Jesse]

Two things a fisherman should never do is figure the cost of the fish he is eating, unless you bought it at a market, or how much money you are saving tying your own flies.

You will like acquire a new appreciation for road kill however. "Wonder how long that fox has been lying there?"

[LadyFisher]

Wish you had read Al Campbell's Beginning Fly Tying on here before you sprang for the tying kit. Before you buy tying stuff again give it a read:
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/beginners/ It will save you a ton of money and time too.
Welcome to FAOL!
LadyFisher

[hungNtree]

My wife is from south GA and I have fished around gators in small craft before. Never had a gheenoe, but I fished in a little plastic boat that would fit in the back of a pick up with no problem. I never had any problems, but I kept a close eye on them. I tried night fishing a couple of times, still didn't have any problems, but they would get pretty close, too close for me, I gave up night fishing. I don't know if its true or not, but I heard of a guy that got into some trouble in a jon boat around gators, but he was using a fishing stringer and had the fish hanging over the side.

hNt