Originally Posted by
tcorfey
KBBGood, I have a Fishcat 9 also, it is a great pontoon for both Stillwater and moving water. But as has been said before if you do not have experience it is best to learn on Stillwater first.
Because you said it is a lot of work I would first recommend that you air up to the point of about 1/4" deflection when you press down on the tube. Secondly, when you want to cover any distance in the pontoon you should be rowing so your back is towards the location you want to go in and use your legs to power the stroke not just your back and arms. If you are rowing in the direction you are facing then it is a lot of work on Stillwater. Also the oars provided with my Fishcat boats have a curve to the blade, make sure the inside of the curve is the part that is pushing the water. Alternatively if you are in moving water you want to be facing the intended target so that you can adjust your drift like a drift using strokes to point you in the right direction i.e. for steering not for covering lots of water. Also make sure the inboard portion of your handles are adjusted so they are not overlapping, in some instances certain boats require that overlap but the oars on that pontoon are pretty short so I do not recommend an overlap.
If you find that you are more apt to cover distance on flat water you may want to invest in a "better" and longer set of oars. The oars that come with the boat are pretty good though, I was able to race my buddy in his pontoon, he had an electric motor and I had oars, we raced the length of snag lake in the gold lakes region and I easily beat the motorized toon. By the way at the time I was about 56 years old I am 60 now.
I don't think I want to write a tutorial on moving water here but there are lots of videos on that the concepts are the same if you use a drift boat or a pontoon so watch some of the drift boat 101 videos to gain some insights. I have drifted many rivers with my fishcat with no issues but I also have 40 years of experience running rivers in all kinds of crafts. Be careful and stay to the slower moving rivers when you start out as others have said things can happen fast and be sure to carry a spare oar just in case you break one. Also, always wear a PFD especially in moving water. I use one that has pockets like a fishing vest and is designed for kayakers so you get good arm movement. The inflatable ones work good too but I have had too many times when they went off by mistake and a reload kit is $40.00 so I stick with my regular floatation device.
Finally if fishing moving water it is easier to use the pontoon as transportation not a fishing platform. Locate the run you want to work and row over to a sandbar above or below the run. Beach the boat and work the run then get back in to locate your next spot to work.
Regards,
Tim C.
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