It seems that every time I write about a passionate and controversial subject I start out with qualifying statements and semi apologies. Let me say then, before I go any further, that I have owned both types of craft and have likes and dislikes about both.

Anglers tend to specialize in their fishing, therefore, their water craft should reflect their waters and style of fishing. Some fishers spend the day in their boat; others like myself use the boat only for transportation - wading each pool to fish. Some generally fish by themselves, others with a buddy or two; some fish on lakes with occasional river use and others the flip-flop.

The point is that what might be the perfect craft for one simply doesn’t fit the fishing parameters for another. Here then, is my review of the various water craft available to fresh water anglers.

Drift Boats
Aluminum
The advantages - Low maintenance, strength, they row well and have lots of storage.

The disadvantages - Cold, noisy and unless you coat the bottom, sticky. If I were guiding on the Deschutes, I would fish a Willie 16′. The basalt rock eats wood and fiberglass.

Fiberglass
The advantages - Warm, quiet and slick (will slide over rocks). Great fly fishing models allow anglers to fish from the boat.

The disadvantages - Higher maintenance, tippier and won’t tract as well as the metal boat. If I were to spend my year fishing the Yakima, I would buy a Lavro 16′ in the fly fishing model.

Wooden
The advantages - Beautiful, elegant, warm and quiet. When I see a well built wooden go by on the river I want to say thank you.

The disadvantages - High maintenance costs and weight. Owning a wooden drift boat is a bit like owning a log home - you have to really want one.

Rafts
There is a great influx of rafts on the market today. The traditional is the 12 through 16-foot models, built for rowing frames. However, there is currently a firestorm of little boats (one person models) that are taking over the float tube market. These pontoon boats can travel safely through moderate waters like the larger boats and have the versatility to fish lakes like a float tube.

Whitewater rafts
Rafts have a unique function unduplicated by the ridged, hard bottom boats. Their flexible floor allows them to contour with the roll of the river, literally creating suction that holds the boat to the river. Whereas the hard-bottoms only row well when cargo and passengers are stable and well balanced, rafts are much more user friendly for bouncing off rocks and going into drops sideways. There is a much greater margin for error. This is why they rent whitewater rafts and not whitewater dories. “But don’t hard bottoms go through whitewater drops?” you may ask. All the time…when handled by experts that really know their boat.

Self-bailers versus not

Some rafts have a sown-in inflatable floor, which rides above the waterline. These are really nice if you run water above a class two. The disadvantage is you loose floor cargo space, which is at a premium anyway. Even with coolers and storage compartments built into the rowing frame seats, they simply don’t compare with the dories for holding gear. Dry sacks are a must in a raft because without the high sides of a drift boat, your gear will get wet. The non self bailers have more leg room and floor storage area, but bailing water from say, a day of northwest rains, gets to be a real pain.

Enter the pontoon boat
These are generally catamaran style crafts for one or two persons built on a rowing frame. They are light, fast and incredibly maneuverable. The rider sits above the waterline so he doesn’t get crouch hypothermia, as is the case with float tubes and U-boats. They are lighter than rafts or dories and heavier than float tubes.

I can’t tell you the number of times when, finishing up a day, I will ask the client what did they think about the day and they respond “Well, the fishing was pretty good…but those boats are great!” I now own a flotilla of them.

Guys like rowing their own boat. Will I put a brand new novice in one to run the river? You bet. Every day. Now I should tell you that, when booking the trip, I always ask people if they are willing to give the pontoon a try. Some people say no. That’s cool, but most do and, after what I call the two minutes of shear terror, they really enjoy the trip. I always lead the way, and I pick the river section I know the novice can handle.

One of the reasons I tend to use rafts over Dories and one man boats over larger rafts is the flexibility in put ins and take outs. River access on several of the rivers I fish is very limited, and I have literally carried these boats down trails to get to the river. I also box them up and fly them around the world, not exactly doable with your river dory.

The disadvantage of the pontoon boat is that, unless you get into the bigger whitewater models, you are limited to fairly moderate class one and two drops. I have run mine down the class 5 narrows on the Grande Ronde, but I wouldn’t recommend it.

Also, despite the inroads they’re making, these boats are so bare bones (that’s what makes them so light and maneuverable) that they are pretty much storage poor and restricted to day trips. You can get ingenious, but be careful because you only have X amount of carrying capacity, which is below the other crafts mentioned.

So that’s it. Consider the waters you fish, and the style you like to fish them. Shop around and talk to guys who own the boat you are looking at. Now, did I mention boat storage and trailers?

A native of the Pacific Northwest, Dennis Dickson is a fisheries biologist with 17 years of steelhead flyfishing guide experience. Check out his website @ www.flyfishsteelhead.com

Other Features by Dennis Dickson at FlyFish.com include:
The Grande Ronde and Mrs. Brown River Etiquette Playing and landing steelhead

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