Delta Today

[John H]

I did some kayak fishing today. Some stripers, some largemouth and a nice sunset. Nothing big but that is okay. A good way to start the fishing year.

http://i.imgur.com/DVffDyh.jpg (https://imgur.com/DVffDyh)

http://i.imgur.com/lC4lvLJ.jpg (https://imgur.com/lC4lvLJ)

http://i.imgur.com/bk9fMZN.jpg (https://imgur.com/bk9fMZN)

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Wonderful post John......



Getting out "on" the water in any kind of water craft will dramatically change your fly fishing experience.

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I started in the 1960s with a Sears 12' aluminum Jon boat that I bought new for $75.00.

I bought an old Elgin 6hp outboard and after working it over it pushed it along nicely.

After school I worked in a tire shop as the janitor and wore a green khaki shirt and pants.

I was running my Jon boat in a remote piece of Snodgrass slough one day and I went by two anglers on the bank.

One got up and ran up the bank and the other held up his fishing license? I guess they thought I was a game warden

because I had on my green khaki shirt and pants?

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Next we all got the round float tubes or 'donut' style that were a canvas skin stretched over a truck inner tube.

Tucker Duck and Rubber Company in Fort Smith, Arkansas was the first float tube I remember.

We first used them on Lake Solano fishing the mid-day Callibaetis emergence then we took them to Crane Prairie reservoir.

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On our next adventure we all bought 8 foot prams. TP&L fiberglass or Valco aluminum where the popular choices.

We used these pram mostly on smooth streams and lakes for trout and on the tide water of our coastal rivers for salmon and steelhead.

This really changed our lives because it was so nice to be on the water in a small stable boat.

We used oars, electric motors and small outboard motors to get around.

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Canoes were a big part of fly fishing in the 'good old days' with a Tumblehome or flat bottom, wider models with a keel.

Now kayaks have kind of displaced them to some extent with Standup Paddle Boards coming on very strong now too.

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Today I really like these new aluminum Jon boats from 14 to 17 feet with a tiller outboard, long oars and a bow mounted electric motor.

They come with nice decks, front and rear, and a flat floor with storage compartments too.

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If you need any help picking a good water craft just post questions hear or contact me or Andy Guibord as we have tried them all.



.

[John H]

That is quite a boat history. I had a pram for several years. That was a lot of fun on the small lakes like Manzanita. I feel like I need to get one of the aluminum Jon boats with the good casting decks. Storage is the problem for me. The garage is a very tight fit and I do not really want it in the driveway. A marina slip would be nice but pricey. The kayak sure is easy to use but I should probably try the boat life. We’ll see.

[tcorfey]

John,
You might want to look at prams instead of Jon boats:

https://kofflerboats.com/rmt-boats/

or

https://kofflerboats.com/white-water-prams/

or wider Jon boats like

https://bridgeviewmarine.com/product/boats/new-boats/sp14-rivited-and-welded-jon-boat/

.

[John H]

I need more of a delta boat. A bass boat would actually work pretty well but that might lure me to the dark side and I may be too weak to resist so I should stay away from the bass boat. If I had a Nitro boat I could zip around at 60 miles per hour. I have a drift boat already so that covers a lot of fishing.

[MThompson]

There's no use resisting it John.
Steer clear of the Nitro though.

[Rossflyguy]

There's no use resisting it John.
Steer clear of the Nitro though.

I’m already throwing some 8” swim baits out of my drift boat on some local lakes. The drift boat is going up for sale this year and there will be a bass boat in my future. California has destroyed cold water fisheries in the Bay Area.

[John H]

My garage is 20 feet deep and the door is 94” wide. I need to find something that fits that.

[MThompson]

Plenty of room and lots of options.

[McFish]

I don't want to sound like a broken record, BUT look at a Portabote, roomier than prams, less storage/garage space needed, launch anywhere, no trailer needed, carry on a roof rack. Very stable, very rowable, 15 mph with a 5 hp outboard. I can't run 10 miles on the delta, so delta striper fishing has to be near launch.

16536

[MThompson]

The more I look at these portabotes the cooler I think they are. Only 5 years ago we were launching in the dirt on all of the reservoirs I fish. That's not happening with my current boat. If things keep going the way they are I'm going to be wishing I had one soon.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

We need about 6 boats/PWC to do it all?

Everyone has different needs and different situations.