Kayak flyfishing...not a fan.

[Reno Flytyer]

For me, it's 1) Pontoon, 2) Electric motor, 3) Fins...I can turn on a dime, go forward or backward, anchor when desired, steer with my feet (fins) going either forward or backward & never have to put down the rod unless I'm opening a beer. Very few line traps & I leave the oars and oar locks in the SUV. Spotting fish is undoubtedly easier from a pram, but I'll take that trade off for the advantages I feel I have.
RFT

[Darian]

Each type of floatation has it's pros and cons. Like Dan, I'm a long time fan of prams. They can be used in moving or slow/still water, cover distances relatively quickly. Rowing is good exercise and you can attach a trolling motor. Anchoring only requires an anchoring system for each end and a wind anchor will slow down most any drift. Prams will accommodate depth/fish finders, too.

I can choose to stand or sit down in mine to cast/fish even when the wind is blowing. While standing, I can cast as well and as far from my pram as I can while wading or standing on dry land.

Best of all, a pram can carry much more than a tube or Kayak and be handy for access. When I'm out on a cold morning or day, I can stop and pour a cup of coffee, take out a sandwich or snack from the cooler and enjoy a break without leaving the water.

Now that I'm getting older, I fish from a bass boat. Ahhh, the creature comforts....

The only negative I ever found was that I had to load the pram onto the top of my vehicle at the end of the day when I was tired. I still did it every time, tho.

[Dan Blanton]

you still have to put your rod down when moving in a pram. In a float tube I never put my rod down and constantly have my fly in the water. If you fly is not in the water your not going to catch fish.

To me a kayak or pram are good for two things, when you need to get from point A to point B and do not want to fish along the way. Or if you plan to anchor in moving water.

But for stillwater, nothing beats a float tube, at least for me.

Scott: When moving (rowing or electric motoring) a pram you can choose not to troll or troll. I have Scotty rod holders on my pram and I can cast, place the rod in the holder and troll while rowing to a new spot. I can also troll while motoring with the electric.

I like my pram for lots of positive reasons: I can stand up in it for better viewing and to stretch the legs. I can have a couple of extra rods in my bags rigged and ready; my lunch box and small ice chest, plus camera gear is in the boat; and I can take a pee without having to go to shore... Of course there is more, but that's enough.

Each to his or her own; and each camp has its loyal followers. I've tried tubes, kick boats, yaks and canoes - I'll take a pram.

Dan

[Dan Blanton]

Can I get you some flashers to put on your line for you?

Hey Scott, send me some flashers too- Send some to most of the float tube gang to since I see most of them "kick-trolling" vs. actually casting. I once had a tuber troll right into the side of my pram on Crowley Lake. He wasn't looking where he was going and I just let him bounce off my pram. It scared the crap out of him and he was so apologetic. I just laughed, kidded him a bit and kept on casting my intermediate shooting head, catching lots of fish.

[jbird]

For me, it's 1) Pontoon, 2) Electric motor, 3) Fins...I can turn on a dime, go forward or backward, anchor when desired, steer with my feet (fins) going either forward or backward & never have to put down the rod unless I'm opening a beer. Very few line traps & I leave the oars and oar locks in the SUV. Spotting fish is undoubtedly easier from a pram, but I'll take that trade off for the advantages I feel I have.
RFT

I would love to go out with someone who has it dialed so I can see what you do. Theres no way I could have fins with mine (Which would solve most of my problems) because my kayak is 36" wide. I dont think I'm "cowboy" enough to straddle that. How are you sitting when using fins? What does "pontoon" mean. Do you have some kinda outriggers?

[Larry S]

jbird,
"I don't think I'm "cowboy" enough to straddle that." I'm seeing Slim Pickens in Dr,
Strangelove, here.
Best,
Larry S

[FRSam]

As has been said you can't cover all the bases with just one craft. They each have their advantages and disadvantages. The float tube is ideal for fishing a single cove where distance isn't a requirement and it's not too thick with weeds. There's nothing worse IMOP than trying to kick through heavy weeds. But if you need to cover more water, trying to locate fish, a tube doesn't cut it.

A kayak / canoe is pretty good for covering water, you glide over the top of weed beds, you can get into skinny water but as pointed out wind can be a real problem and anchoring rear and aft can be a pain. And once anchored you give up mobility.

Prams are nice...you can even bring your dog. More space and easier access to gear, food and beer. With a trolling motor you can cover a pretty good distance. You can get into the shallows and your line of sight is increased with the height advantage. Weed beds aren't a problem as you can paddle right over the top of them. But wind does present a problem and you're back to one or two anchors which again limits the area you can effectively cover. And when the wind really blows prams can be dangerous as the waves increase in size...been there done that.

I went through all of the above and still use some of them from time to time when the right situation presents itself. But by far my main mode of Stillwater fishing is done with my outboard 15 1/2ft Boston Whaler. The reason I like it is I can cover so much water quickly and once I get there I can put ashore and fish to my hearts content. Lakes like Davis, Almanor and Eagle no longer become limited to just fishing one area...if the fish aren't there I can quickly relocate to another bucket a good distance away and fish it. If the wind really begins to act up as it often does on these lakes it's no longer a white knuckle trip back in and finally there's plenty of room for my dog.

So I think your best bet is to get one of each and go from there..

Pete

[luckydude]

Yeah, Ive tried fishing from a canoe too. Please dont make me retell THAT story!!

Huh, I must be an odd ball, I have many many hours of canoe fishing under my belt but it was almost always w/ 2 people in the canoe. One person does the canoe, the other fishes. In my case it was with my dad, he didn't care for fishing so it worked out great

[Mike McKenzie]

Well I have now been out 4 times on the new kayak. After the mayden voyage, it was easy to see what needed to be done to maximize my experience.....

...So my conclusion is, a float tube is a far more effective way for ME to flyfish effectively. I dont mind the slow travel of a float tube. at least I can fish as I travel, unlike the kayak.

However, I did not leave the water empty handed I'll put a report in the warmwater forum.

Jay

Hey Jay,

Have you looked at these....Best of both worlds!

http://www.northforkoutdoors.com/sum...ummersale.html

Take a look at the Outlaw Series (if your richer and want to carry more "stuff") or the Escape (if your poorer) With either one you use the oars to get where your going or through the weeds, etc. Put your feet up on the bar and go. When fishin' you've got all the control with your fins! I love mine except it's a little to heavy for backpackin' but I don't do that anymore anyhoo!
Mike

[jbird]

Hey Jay,

Have you looked at these....Best of both worlds!

http://www.northforkoutdoors.com/sum...ummersale.html

Take a look at the Outlaw Series (if your richer and want to carry more "stuff") or the Escape (if your poorer) With either one you use the oars to get where your going or through the weeds, etc. Put your feet up on the bar and go. When fishin' you've got all the control with your fins! I love mine except it's a little to heavy for backpackin' but I don't do that anymore anyhoo!
Mike

Hey Mike. I agree those are probably the peak of performance for the kinda fishing I like. Maybe I should put all my crafts on craigslist with a goal to replace them with one of these. I hate how unique products have no commercial competition so they can set the price wherever they want. That price is just not do-able for me. Ive got 2 good float tubes, a pontoon and a kayak and I have less money in them all than one of these.