I am considering the purchase of a watercraft for fly fishing of mainly lakes, ponds or slow streams. I have a float tube, but with that much of my body in the water in early spring, I can’t last too long in the cold water. I am looking at pontoon boats, prams or any other such floating vessel that fits the need of a fly fisherman. So I would like to know what fits your needs and what model and key features you find important.
Thanks in advance.
Dr Bob
Simple answer for me…PONTOON. Hands free at all times, rowing capability if legs get tired or you want to get somewhere fast, out of the water for the most part, and you can add a motor if you choose.
They can be broke down to fit in small cars, and the ones with no frame or Aluminum frame are light weight enough one person can handle them.
For me there is only one craft and that is a NuCanoe and they are a sponsor here on FAOL. Check out their web site. I have the 10’ model and love it! Glides along just like a kayak with the double bladed paddle, weighs 60 pounds, very stable, you are not sitting in water while using and just a whole lot of fun using. I installed a swivel seat in mine and can fish off either side or spin around and fish from the back if you wanted to. I feel it would be impossible to turn one over. Unlike a kayak, I can sit in it just like sitting in a chair without your legs straight out in front of you. Very comfortable fishing machine.
Go to their web site and check them out.
Just looked at your location and I think the NuCanoe company is located in your home state and if they are, you could pay them a visit and check them out. Maybe get a great deal on a “seconds” or something. Sure would save you shipping.
I would suggest looking at kayaks too. I have a Hobie Revolution. The main reason I chose it was I can pedal and fly cast at the same time and it’s speed as I regularly fish a lake over 300 acres in size. A kayak also handles the wind better than other watercraft which sit higher than they do and you can maneuver them through pretty thick emergent weed beds. Their main disadvantage is they aren’t as roomy as canoes and, in the case of my Hobie, there’s lots of projections to hang fly line on. There are plenty of other fine kayaks out there but the Hobie is the one for me.
Completely depends on type of water you are fishing, and your ability to transport your watercraft. Larger water demands a larger craft, for the most part. Pontoons are fine but you’ll still need at least hippers, and part of your body is still in the water. Easy to transport, pontoons are a real pain to set up and take down for a short trip. While some here like kayaks, the ease as which they move through the water is also their liability. Hard to hold a kayak in position, especially in the wind, and they are not particularly easy to stand in. Personally, I think a pram is the best solution, but you have to be willing to tow a trailer, unless you get a small enough one to fit in the back of a pickup. Depending on where you fish, either a fiberglass (e.g. Springcreek Prams) or an aluminum pram (e.g. Koffler) would work, anywhere from 8-10’.
This is one of those sorts of questions that you are going to get a lot of idiosyncratic answers, because it is akin to asking “what is the best boat?”
I have pram but I’m not so hot on it anymore since I fell out in an icy lake. Standing up in it to cast always seemed like a bad idea and it finally caught up to me. Got out OK but could have turned out differently.
Now I have a pontoon boat of sorts.
I would suggest maybe checking out some of Dave Scadden’s pontoon boats. I’m sure there a lots of different makers. Maybe even check out Craig’s list for your area. The inflatable aspect can be kind of nice and makes transportation easy – down side is that you have inflate it.
I’ll throw another vote out there for the Nucanoe. It’s made for the type of water you’re describing. I have the 12 footer and like it quite a bit. Very stable boat - I take my two boys, ages 3 and 7, out in it all the time with no worries even though they’re leaning over the side, bouncing around, etc. Easy enough to paddle, but you can also throw an electric motor on the back if you wish. There are also a lot of great accessories available, so you can customize it into a serious fishing rig.
The only downside is that Nucanoes are a bit heavy. Mine weighs 80+ lbs. I built a dolly to wheel it around, but car-topping it can be a challenge. It’s worth a look though.
Orthoman, those new U shaped Scadden’s are unbelievable. They track truer than any dual pontoon. I had a chance to try one last year and when canoe’s, Kayaks and pontoons want to turn in the wind, these will not.
Plus the new Valve is cool as heck. One push opens, two push closes. Add an LVM pump and on the water in minutes. I timed the full inflation on an Outlaw with the LVM and topping off with a K pump. Took 1 minute 48 seconds. Add the fact that a whole new line of frameless in all sizes and WOW! Plus each has two bladderless air chambers per side, plus the floor.
And still made in the USA 
I’ve got an ODC Classic from Creek company and I love it. I want to mount a trolling motor to it, cause I’m lazy and don’t want to row. 
Other than that, I really like it and it is very stable. I think Jack has one for sale if you’re interested.
hope that helps,
hNt
Get something that you will feel safe and comfortable in no matter what any of us say about our favorite type of watercraft. If you don’t think you will feel comfrotable in a small water craft then by all means buy something larger even if it means trailering it. If I had it to do over again I would not have anything to do with any craft that says canoe, kayak or inflatable in it’s title. I have to take into consideration my infirmities as should all of us when buying a watercraft. Since I hav bad knees, very bad back, suffer from vertigo and also am diabetic I will not be in the small craft any longer. I am thinking of trading in the canoe on a 12 or 14 foot Jon Boat or even a nice little crappie boat with trailer.
we use a PortaBot and love it. folds up to go in/on most any vehicle. takes a small outboard or trolling motor. cannot be sunk. easy to get back into if you fall out. it’s rather like standing on a water bed when you stand up to cast, but you’re dry. you’ll never puncture it with a big hook. we set ours up on its wheels in the parking lot and then trundle it down to the water with all the gear in it. we have the middle-sized model and it holds two of us nicely, one at each end. are they a sponsor here? they should be!
As you can tell, you’re going to get almost as many different recommendations as there are kinds of fishing craft. I’ve used a few of the different kinds mentioned, but once I tried a Hobie Outback, I knew that I had found the best one for me. Relatively easy to transport (weighs around 56lbs), but the removable wheel system makes it surper easy to wheel down to a pond, lake etc. if you can’t drive right to the waterline. Super quiet, very stable and you can fish in it all day without lower back ache. The peddle system is terrific since it keeps your hands free to fish and allows you to travel across open water very quiuckly and with ease. If you have the opportunity, I suggest you try one of the Hobie Outback kayaks out with the Mirage peddle system and I think you will see what I’m talking about. Simply put, they are great little fishing boats that were designed with the help of fishermen for fishing.
Jim Smith
Can you go backwards in them with the pedals or just forward?
8’ Hopper II - “Lite”
The Mokai looks like it would fit your needs. It is a one man jet powered vessel. I have never used one, but I am considering one for the lakes, streams and rivers I fish. Here the link. http://www.mokai.com/index.html
Dr. Bob,
I note that you say nothing in your post about either cost or portability issues. These are usually deciding concerns for many fly anglers. Given an open budget and ability to move it around, your options are many and varied.
But the seminal information you seem to want was:
“any other such floating vessel that fits the need of a fly fisherman. So I would like to know what fits your needs and what model and key features you find important.”
In cold water I want to be dry and comfortable. On small lakes or ponds, I want the ability to carry my gear, comfort items like food and drink, and maybe a friend to fish with. I don’t wnat to have to row or kick a craft any distance. I want reasonable stability. I’d prefer to dress for the weather, not for the craft.
For the vast majority of my fishing that involves floating on the water, that means a boat. I use a 15 foot aluminum jon boat that I’ve had for thirty years. It has bass type pedestal seats, carpeted decks, some minimal storage, a small gas engine as well as an electric positioning motor, good anchors and quality electronics. It lives on a trailer and can be launched from the lake shore or boat ramp in about two minutes, ready to fish. You can stand up in it to cast, but I seldom do so as the seats are high and comfortable. Since the boat moves, if I need to cast farther I can just move closer.
One nice thing about such a rig, if you keep the gear in it, except for the rods and such you’d add just before fishing, you can launch it, step into it, and be fishing really quickly. No assembly, inflatiing, puttting on waders and fins, etc… Loads just as fast, which is nice if the weather turns or you just want to go get lunch or make a quick trip to the facilities. And, you can pull it onto the shore whenever you want without damage.
For areas where you can’t get such a boat to the water, and it is too heavy to carry, I have an inflatable 8’ pontoon. Takes longer to get ready and launch, but it’s a stable craft for smaller waters and slow streams where there isn’t launching access for a small trailer. Fits, assembled and ready to launch, in the back of my pickup. Only room for one, though, and I can only reasonable carry one extra rod as well. I can either row it about or use an electric motor on it.
You can buy ‘ready to fish’ boat packages at lots of places, including Cabela’s and Bass Pro. Almost any boat retailer will have small aluminum jon or row boats that make ideal fly fishing platforms. Some can be cartopped or carried in the back of a truck. A trialer is easier, though, if you can get it to the water.
I like the two rig approach, always trying to use the trailered boat where possible but willing to settle for the inflatible rather than not fish.
I’ve always felt, though, that having some kind of floatable fishing platform is better than having none. You can always adapt it to your needs.
Buddy
I’d also say if you were considering a Scadden craft that the frameless would be worth considering, if for no other reason than the less than stellar experiences I’ve had with his frames – as I recall his (not so professional) instructions say something like “the assembly time can range anywhere from 1 hour to 1 day”, which is probably the gospel truth! And, don’t be afraid to bend things a bit on his frames if they don’t fit together the first time. Honestly, I’m a bit surprised to hear that Scadden’s stuff is made in the USA – they are definitely “made in the USA high prices”, but his frames are not made by particularly skilled craftsmen.
Nonetheless, even after making these comments, I would still consider a Scadden boat - I just wish I had a chance to Demo one of his new U Shaped ones before springing for a purchase this spring. (I guess I just got spoiled by real Made in the USA quality when I bought a Kingfisher cataraft made by Ray Pelland a number of years ago when he was still living in Idaho .)
John
I would suggest the Outcast PAC series of pontoon boats.
I have been extremely pleased with each one I’ve owned, plus excellent customer service.
Fly Goddess,
If there is one thing that I think is lacking in the Hobie Outback is the fact that you can only peddle forward. That being said, if you put the peddles in backwards which they will fit just fine, you will only peddle backwards. Please don’t ask me how I know that! It is possible that the newest model has a reverse mode, but the older model that I have does not. I keep my kayak paddle bungeed to the side of the boat and just use it to paddle backwards or to puch myself away from the bank or any tree etc. that I’ve gotten to close to. Even with this limitation, this is the best personal fishing craft I ahve ever used.
Jim Smith
I have both a canoe, and a kayak. I love them both.
My canoe is a 14’ Mad River Adventure 14. My Kayak is a WIlderness Systems Victory Blast 9’ SIK.