What has pontoon boat done for your fishing?

[TANGLES]

Floated the Yak last Saturday so now I'm contemplating buying a pontoon boat, mainly for floating the Yak. Mostly, I like rivers and spend a lot of time on the forks of the Snoqualmie. For lakes I've got my float tube which has served me well, but I like rivers. There were a lot of waders on the Yak in many of the good spots. With the water so low, it's easy to cast to the far bank. My question, do you think it's worth getting the pontoon to float the river or will wading work most of the time? When water is up, I can see it opening a lot more fishing spots on the Yak, but enough to deal with the added expense and hassle of transporting a boat? Any advantage on lakes, other than distances covered? What has owning a pontoon done for you?

[Panhandle]

I bought one two years, stored it in my shed and that's where it has stayed.... unused to this day. I just can't find a reason to use it.

[Evan Burck]

i use mine close to every time i go fishing. it rarely leaves the bed of my truck

[Josh Root]

I have been thinking of getting one simple because I've been asked to go fishing enough times with people who use them to float where ever they are going. On my own, the only times I have really wished I had one were places like the methow.

[Salmo_g]

I don't have a pontoon boat, but I've had a small raft and recently a Watermaster for over 20 years. I've fished and covered a lot of miles of rivers that I otherwise wouldn't have. Some rivers that I fish aren't worth fishing without some kind of boat due to lack of access.

You don't need a boat on the Yakima in the fall, but you can't fish much of it in the spring and summer without one in my limited experience there.

Sg

[chadk]

I love my new pontoon boat. On my last float, we covered so much nice water, and never saw a single fisherman. But in those cases where the river is crowded, you have a much better chance of finding quiet water.

Fishing from the 'toon is fun as well. You really need fins for that, and a decent anchor system is recommended for those times you want to stop and cast in that froggy river water where all the fish are rising and rolling.

It's also just plain fun - hitting the rapids, enjoying the scenery, etc. It can just add to the adventure.

But if you don't have a good place to store it and a good vehicle to haul it, I'd have second thoughts for sure.

[Dunny]

I have a couple of pontoon boats. In the summer, they rarely get used unless I am lake fishing in an area where I can't get my drift boat. I do like to use them in the fall when the water is lower, especially if I want to fish the Yakima River above Cle Elum or if I want to get on small skinny rivers like the Naches. They are easy to use to cover more water where it is not practicable to take a drift boat. In summer though, no use on the Yakima, I do all my fishing from the drift boat. Water is moving to fast and you really can't anchor a pontoon anywhere to fish that time of year on the Yakima like you can a drift boat, but the pontoon is great in the fall/winter once the water level drops.

just my .02.

[Old Man]

I've had several of them and all they seem to do is sit in the heat and swell up and pop.
This happened to a couple of the pontoons when they were stored in the sun instead of the shade. Hell I even deflated one pontoon and the sun just swelled it up until it split a seam. You need a good cool place to store it at or this will happen to us all.

Jim

[Itchy Dog]

Dunny makes a good point re: the Yak during high summer flows. In a personal craft, be it a toon or a kickboat, you would be trying to fish as you floated quickly past a lot of great water, because you can't anchor up.

I personally love my Watermaster for spring/fall on waters like the Yakima. The two things that convinced me to get a WM over a toon are that (1) it's compact when folded up so easy to store and haul, and (2) I like to be able to hop off the seat when I want to stop, spur-of-the-moment-like, and not have to tether up.

[Dick Ross]

I have had one for years and I am now thinking of getting a drifter. I do love my pontoon boat and have had many great adventures from single day to multi day floats. I have just started fishing drift boats some this year. IMO the advantages of the toon' are:
1. you are the master of your own destiny (it only takes one to fish a toon')
2. you can navigate smaller water
3.your buddy doesn't get into YOUR beer while YOUR fishing.

the drift boat:
1.you can change sides of the river with little or no river loss.
2. you can hold or anchor in a lot more fishable waters
3. You can get into your partners beer while HE is fishing

[Tony Mull]

On lakes that increased range is no small point. You can hit the spots you know to be productive without wasting time kicking through all that water where you never get anything. That alone is worth upgrading from a floattube. You have more options too like kicking till you get tired and then rowing for a while, rowing at a little faster troll than you could kick, casting is much easier, you can see farther, you can see into the water (amazing how many follows you see) you don't get nearly as cold, you can anchor in the wind.... My favorite is that with my standing platform I don't have to kick in to the shallows to pee.

[sharpshooter223]

some pontoons can take trolling motors even.

[chadk]

There are places where the 'put in' for a drift boat is so bad, or washed away, that if you want to fish that water, you need something that can be carried by hand or at least wheeled... I did a beautiful river float this last weekend, and you coudn't have done it with a drift boat becuase the put in spot has been washed away...

But I do like that I can take my kids, or guests down a river or a lake in a drift boat if I wanted....
So if I could afford both, I would.

[Jason B]

3. You can get into your partners beer while HE is fishing

That must be why I just dropped 3.5K on a used deluxe Clackacraft!

[TANGLES]

Actually, pretty surprised by the responses. What I'm hearing is that; it's okay for the Yak except in when river is high. (don't really mind about summer when it's so crowded anyway.) You can't anchor a 'toon like a drift boat in "more fishable" waters (why?). Also checked out the Water Master reviews on this site at the suggestion of a friend. Seems like a good idea but price took care of that. I plan on doing the spring and fall so that's good. Probably stow it in summer, or try some longer floats on rivers I've never done, looking for trout on a light rod.

[Kevin J. Burnham]

Rich, I love both and I think if you shop around you can find a toon or boat for a reasonable price. I saw a Toat N Float on E-Bay last year for 300 bucks and it looked new. If I had a choice I would use the boat because you can fish so much more effectivly in rivers BUT !! If your fishing solo or small water then the toon is a great fall back. I love small water steelhead fishing in the summer & fall out of my Toat it's big fun !! The draw back is big heavy water. I see alot of guys on like the C Fork fishing in toons and it just looks like a pain in the ass. But again if it was that or staying home I'll use the toon.

[Stewart]

Access has been the biggest thing. Some places you can stroll to the bank, some you have to hike, and some you have to own the land. A pontoon is cheaper than buying up private property.

The set up and take down of the boat factors in for a lot time-wise, but sometimes it just nice to drift and fish, stop and fish, repeat. It also makes carrying snacks and beverages easier.

[Josh Root]

Man, now I want a pontoon......sigh.

[Charles Sullivan]

I love mine. I use it to float rivers. My dog floats on the right toon. The only issue is that when I am alone I have to try and bum a ride back upstream because the pooch is a moron and can't be trusted to run alongside a bike, even on a leash (sp?).
The other nice attribute of my toon is that it only cost 420.00 bucks.
Oh, I also crab out of it. It certainly makes me feel like I have earned the crab when I row out to pick them up.

1 800 54 giant,
cds

[riseform]

I also am very happy with mine. I pretty much use it for the Yakima, a two man pontoon (the brand people on this forum love to hate). It allows me to access water I'd be hesitant to float in a drift boat (crappy access points, logjams) and fits in my truck without taking it apart on the days I'm in town. I usually fish from shore and prefer fishing above the canyon, so the desire to fish from an anchored craft isn't a big deal. When the front passenger is fishing streamers, they do have to be more mindful of line control as compared to a drift boat.

[TANGLES]

Was almost talked out of it until last two posts. I'm thinking for the price (used around $300) it's worth the shot. Have a station wagon so it'll go on top. I'll figure some kind of roller system. Probably PVC around a crosspiece. Was looking at the Yak map again and it should really open up a lot of new spots. Still don't know why you can't anchor a tube like a driftboat.

[SteelieD]

But if you don't have a good place to store it and a good vehicle to haul it, I'd have second thoughts for sure.
iagree

I bought one used a time or two and just sold it. The extra hassle of transporting it (I don't have a truck and have to put the racks on the car and the boat on the racks) just made it too much of a hassle. Plus I figured out quickly that I'm not really a lakes guy. If you are planning on rivers, I would get as large a boat as you can, especially if you are wanting to haul and anchor and a days worth of stuff. $300 will make that kinda tough. Mine was 8 foot by the way.

Just my 2 cents. Your experience may differ.

[seatownbrock]

But if you don't have a good place to store it and a good vehicle to haul it, I'd have second thoughts for sure.

I would agree... although many of them are a lot easier to put together than they look. My 9 foot outcast spent a lot of time in the back of my small wagon(subaru impreza) this summer with the frame in 3 pieces and the pontoons half inflated. Takes 10-15 minutes to toss the frame together and pump up the floats and attach. The thing I find though, is if I am in my pontoon I always fish longer than my tube. It is more comfortable and easier to take a lunch and a bunch of beers or what not. Maybe it is just me, but the short time putting together usually translates to more time on the water....

[riseform]

Still don't know why you can't anchor a tube like a driftboat.

A pontoon can flip when anchored in fast current, which can be scary if the anchor gets stuck and you don't have a sharp knife in your hand.

[theworm]

I prefer lake fishing in a float tube over a pontoon hands down. I have fished in lakes with both and a float tube is way more comfortable. I was getting back pains from my pontoon. That went away as soon as I went back to a float tube. At some point, I dump my toon and get a Watermaster. It looks to me like that is the all-around best option.

[chadk]

Yep - anchoring can be tricky. Anchor systems for most pontoons are that great - but can be made. I need to get a better system for mine. Right now, I only anchor in walking speed or slower current and I always have my knife handy and floating on.

I keep my 2 toons in a trailer in my back yard. That way I don't have to ever take them apart or fully deflate them. I can toss one or both in the back of my truck, spend 30 seconds pumping them up the rest of the way, and I'm ready to fish. The trailer is for when we take my wifes suburban as the 'turn around' rig.

[salt dog]

I have a 2-man cataraft with a casting platform in the bow. Great for many rivers. However, once river flow is past about 1800-2000 cfu, like the Yakima River after May 31, you can not anchor up as, unlike a drift boat, the stern digs down into the water and you start fish tailing uncontrollably with flipping a very real possibility. Same thing for pontoons. Still it's great for shuttling to otherwise inaccessible sections of water and parking it and wading. Superior for the many rivers that are too rocky, or have sections too shallow, for drift boat use.

[FishMonkey]

2-man pontoon is the way to go! I take it on the Yak, the Klick, and all the OP rivers.

[Richard Olmstead]

You can't anchor a 'toon like a drift boat in "more fishable" waters (why?).

Small, 1-person, pontoon boats are not stable when anchored in fast moving water and can lead to serious swamping/overturning. Most folks use them to get from point to point then beach and wade, or cast while drifting. If you're going to anchor, be sure to do it in slow water and be ready to abandon your anchor line if you run into trouble.

[TANGLES]

Well, thanks for all your good points. So, despite being warned about storage, transportation and anchoring, I'm going to get one tomorrow and hopefully hit the Yak on Sunday. What the heck, life's an adventure. Don't see any problems I can't solve and have my eye on a sturdy raft for a good price. Looking forward to all those new fishing spots. I'm jazzed.

[rockymountain_brown]

It has gotten me killed nearly twice.