Time to get that new boat for Fall fishing.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Nothing like a boat to open up tons of new water to fly fish.

A float tube will get you started with a pontoon boat getting you even closer.

Canoes and kayaks are getting more popular by the day around here for fly fishing.

Many of us old timers here started fly fishing from prams in the '70s here in Sacto.

We sold the little 8 and 10 foot tri-hull fiberglass TP&L prams from Los Gatos.

Really cool to take some food with you, tons of tackle and several rods rigged out on a lake for the day.

I guess being able to stand and cast from a wide stable boat is so exciting plus the ability to stand with Polarized glasses on and look down into the clear water and see structure and even fish at times.

I will always love wading but getting out on the water in something that floats can add a new dimention to the fly fishing experience.

Let me know if you need any advice/help in getting a new or used small flat bottom boat from 8 to 16 feel long.




MY brother Dick and I on Hosmer Lake in Oregon - mid-'70s.
(talk about memeories-"the good old days")

[matt johnson]

Hey Bill,

I might have already told you about it, but I am the proud owner of a TPL pram myself. It is an eight footer. I found my
pram leaning next to a garbage dumpster at Dillon Beach. It needded a little love....

Last summer I was fishing a run for stripers near Los Molinos in my TPL. Two guys in another boat approached me and said: "Hey, is that a TPL pram!?". The one guy used to be a distributor in Sacramento.... I wish I could remember his name, as you probably know him.

Later that summer my TPL fell off the top of my 65' Ford Falcon as I was driving to the boat launch. No serious damage, but a hole was punched in one of the tri-hulls which I have since neglected to patch. Soon after the "accident" I purchased the "Tuffy" (15 foot fiberglass skiff with a 30 horse outboard), and the pram has gone idle...

Another note: Back in about 1985 my mom took me on a camping trip to Hosmer. I fished the lake out of my brand new "Caddis" float tube I had recieved for Christmas. I had a great Mom... I caught the heck out of those Atlantics skating an Elk Hair Caddis. I even hooked, but lost one of the big Brookies on a twitched dragonfly nymph. I was about 15 years old. This was a big "turning point" in my fly fishing career. ODF&W had just stocked the lake and I was crazy for those smashing surface takes. I have never been the same since. Some day I'll return to Hosmer. It is one of the best settings in flyfishing. Matt

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Matt,

I guess when I get really old I can always think about all the wonderful places I have been to in my life.

I actually have lots of pictures that I can dig out and bring back memories.

Those land locked Atlantic Salmon in Hosmer Lake really like to jump. That is way we have so many pictures of them in the air.

I think it is really wild that there are tons of fly fishers that have no interest in fly fishing lakes. I think they have never had any exposure?