Canoes, prams, kayaks, float tubes, rafts, pontoon boats, and the like are not new to fly fishing. They have been available to us for decades. What is new is that these crafts are rapidly evolving into highly specialized tools that make accessible waters that were previously unavailable. It is not unusual to see kayakers a mile offshore in the ocean, just as for a long time now, it has not been not unusual to see an armada of float tubes any summer morning on Lake Crowley. Personal watercraft of all kinds are gaining popularity and are now offered with a variety of options, including motorization and pedal drive. It can be hard to decide what might be best for the kind of fishing you do. Each form of personal craft has its pros and cons and is best adapted to particular uses. Each also involves safety considerations and logistical advantages and disadvantages. I have personally owned or currently own several of the craft types discussed in this article and can offer some ways to sort out these issues.
Today’s Float Tubes
Float tubes got their start many years ago when stillwater fly fishers were looking for inexpensive and utilitarian ways to fish their local lakes and ponds. The first float tubes were homemade and used a truck tire inner tube with a seat sling. Their users had swim fins or dive fins that served to propel the craft and keep it positioned. Gear manufacturers saw an opportunity and started marketing float tubes based on the same model as the inner tube designs and fins designed to fit over wading boots. That became a hot market. However, if a tube flipped over, it was difficult for the user to escape, which resulted in drownings. Additionally, they were cumbersome when entering and exiting the water.
Today’s float tubes are in the shape of a U or a small frameless packable pontoon. Either way, they are safer and much more efficient to enter, exit, and transport. They also have storage compartments, comfortable and ergonomic seats, and many versions now come with oars and rod holders.
The attractive feature of a float tube is that it provides for an effective, safe, and fun day of fishing on still waters. Tubes take up far less space than other kinds of personal watercraft, which is an advantage when storing and transporting them, especially when deflated. Many float tubes are lightweight and come with shoulder straps that allow you to transport them on foot to remote waters. Float tubes are also more suitable for the budget conscious. Some float tubes that come with additional features such as oars can run in the $700-to-$1,000 range, but most kick boat models can be purchased for under $500.
Notice that I said that tubes are great for fishing still waters. If your intent is to navigate moving water, a float tube is not for you. In currents or (even worse) rapids, float tubes can be downright dangerous. They can spill you or flip, and they can’t be kept under control. It is even a good idea to pick your day when using a float tube on still waters. Wind and chop are not your friends when float tubing. On one outing, I got blown to the other side of a lake and could not fin back to my put-in point. I had to walk back with my tube and gear. Luckily, the lake was not large, but it did end my day of fishing.
When conditions are favorable, float tubing provides a relaxing and enjoyable angling experience and allows you to fish any lake or pond thoroughly. Keeping the tube positioned with your fins and casting to likely spots and using your fins to troll are both very effective ways to fish from a float tube. Most tubers wear waders, especially in cold mountain lakes. If the water is warm enough, neoprene wading socks in lieu of waders work fine, too.
One note of caution about tubing in waders: be sure the wading belt is tight and snugly in place. If for some reason you wind up in the water, the waders can fill up and make it difficult to get out of the water, whether back into the tube or ashore. And attach a cord or strap to your belt or another secure piece of clothing, such as a pants loop, and to the tube. If you end up in the water, the tube can float away from you, especially if there is a breeze. The tube becomes a life-saving device in such a situation, and you want to keep it near.
Prams, Canoes, and Kayaks
For stillwater fly fishing, there are other watercraft options beside float tubes: prams, canoes, and kayaks. Each has its pluses and minuses.
A pram is a small, one-person or two-person boat that usually has a flat bottom. Other small boats that have a V bottom and keel can also be considered prams, although in the nautical world, these are usually referred to as tenders or dinghies. Prams are generally 12 feet in length or shorter. Prams have been around much longer than anyone reading this article. Most are powered with oars, but they will also accept an electric trolling motor or a small gas outboard. In California, though, any vessel that has a motor on it, even electric, must be registered with the Department of Motor Vehicles and display a CF number.
There are build-it-yourself kits for wooden prams, and prams are commercially available constructed from fiberglass, aluminum, or molded polyethylene plastic. Like float tubes, prams are stillwater craft. Moving water, wind chop, and the ocean are not safe for prams. Most prams have a low freeboard, meaning that the distance between the surface of the water and the gunwale or top edge of the hull is 12 to 14 inches, sometimes higher, depending on the design. When loaded with a fly fisher and gear, the freeboard is usually low enough that in the wrong circumstances, the pram can be swamped by chop or errant wakes.
This is not to discourage you from using a pram. In the right conditions, prams are an excellent way to fish lakes and ponds. Prams are capable of covering a much larger area of water in a shorter time than a tube. If you like to have a few rods strung up so you can easily switch to different fishing applications, and if you want to be able to carry more gear, including a cooler, you can do so in a pram. They also allow the user to stand and sight cast, which has its advantages, as well. Plus, prams allow the angler to stay dry and fish without wearing waders.
When considering a pram, there are a few things to think about. Wood prams will require more maintenance, especially painting and varnishing. If you are a woodworking enthusiast, a DIY wooden pram made from a kit or plans can give you a very satisfying sense of ownership that includes your own craftsmanship, much like tying flies and building your own rods. If you are concerned about durability and occasional abuse, consider aluminum. The trade-off is that aluminum boats are noisier in the water, which will spook more fish. The best blend of durability, weight, and stealthiness is fiberglass. For the budget conscious, though, polyethylene boats will serve the purpose quite nicely.
Most prams can be car-topped, trailered, or carried in the bed of a pickup. The average weight for a pram runs anywhere from 60 to over 100 pounds. Take this into consideration if you are interested in purchasing a pram and plan to transport it on a roof rack. There are dolly wheels that come as accessories that attach to the transom. These allow you to wheel your pram from your vehicle to the launch and back to your car.
Canoes are the craft of choice for many stillwater enthusiasts. As with a pram, several strung-up rods, a cooler, and more gear can be carried in a canoe for your day on the lake. Canoe camping is also popular with many fly fishers who are interested in multiday trips. There are canoe designs for different applications, including canoes that are specifically designed for fishing. Most of these models are wider and therefore more stable. With that extra width, you give up some speed and maneuverability, but this is inconsequential compared with the benefits of added stability. Once again, if you have moving-water applications in mind, a canoe is probably not for you.
Canoes come in many lengths. Weight distribution is important in a canoe. If your choice is a shorter canoe, under 14 feet, you will notice that the bow section will be out of the water if you are paddling solo. You can counterbalance the canoe by stowing your gear in the front, but reaching it can be a problem if you are not comfortable getting out of your seat. For that reason, I would opt for a longer canoe, preferably something in the 15-foot range or longer. Canoes can also be tippy, so many manufacturers design the canoes they market to fishers with shallow-arch bottoms to increase the primary and secondary stability. There are also aftermarket floats or outriggers that can be put on a canoe to add stability. Some canoes have a square back or transom to accept an electric trolling motor or small outboard gas motor, usually five horsepower or less. If you have a canoe with a tapered back and wish to use a trolling motor, there are motor mounts that can be attached to the rear or front gunwales that will allow you to do so. When using an electric motor, if you are fishing alone, place the battery as far forward in the boat as the cables can reach. Cable extenders allow you to place the battery in the front of the boat, which is optimal. This will help with weight distribution and craft ballast.
Canoes can be all over the map with pricing. Polyethylene plastic prices can range from a few hundred dollars to over a thousand, and canoes that are made with composites such as Kevlar or graphite can cost north of two thousand dollars. Fiberglass is usually somewhere in between. What you would be buying with a composite boat is much less weight and more performance. A polyethylene canoe may weigh 70 pounds or more. A comparable composite boat would weigh about half that. The most common construction for sporting-type canoes is a process called rotomolding, which uses polyethylene that is melted over a mold and rotated while cooling. Although these boats weigh more, they also can take a remarkable amount of abuse. Fiberglass is lighter and more efficient for paddling than polyethylene, but it is more susceptible to damage. This is generally not a problem in a calm lake or pond. The biggest risk to fiberglass is if the boat gets dropped or falls off the roof rack onto a hard surface when unloading or loading. (How do I know, this you ask?) Another risk to fiberglass is a sharp blow from a hard obstacle, such as a submerged boulder. Rotomolded polyethylene canoes, although heavier, are very tolerant of hard obstacles and are not susceptible to damage.
Wood canoe kits can be purchased and assembled with basic woodworking skills and an assortment of tools. Additionally, beautiful cedar strip canoes can be crafted by enterprising woodworkers. This requires a great deal of skill, space, time, proper tools, and an understanding spouse, but they can be things of beauty. The commercially produced wood canoes are very expensive and generally not marketed to those of us who fish, although I suppose they would work well in calm water. There also are aluminum canoes that are ideal for the kids’ summer-camp lake. These also will work for fishing, but they are noisy in the water.
Kayaks for fishing are gaining popularity, especially for those of us who are not boat owners. All kayaks designed for fishing are sit-on-top models, with a few exceptions. Sit-on-top kayaks are slower than traditional sit-inside-the-shell kayaks, but tend to be more stable because of their additional width and hull design. Most importantly, they allow access to rods and gear that is not possible with a sit-in kayak. Also, most sit-on-top fishing kayaks allow you to stand for casting. Because I am in my late sixties, I choose to cast from a sitting position and do just fine, but I have seen many kayak fishers standing and casting, and they appear to be quite comfortable doing so.
Fishing kayaks are a big part of the marketplace for kayak manufacturers, and their designs are rapidly evolving into serious fishing machines. Most brands have a pedal-drive model, which allows the kayak to be powered with foot pedals that are attached to a propeller or, in the case of Hobie kayaks, a fin-drive system. All of these kayaks have the option of being paddled, as well. Most users use both options as the need dictates. The beauty of these kayaks is that the pedal drive allows users to go forward or reverse and maintain the kayak’s position while keeping their hands free for casting. They also have a rudder system with a hand-operated steering mechanism. Kayakers who can only paddle have to keep the boat positioned with the paddle or drop anchor.
Some brands of electric trolling motors are now making models exclusively for kayak use. These are expensive aftermarket items that mount on the stern and are steered with the foot rests or a hand-operated lever located next to the seat. Mounting a standard electric trolling motor on the side of the kayak will work, but it is far from optimal, because the kayak will not track as well. One very reputable kayak and canoe manufacturer now makes a kayak that has an integrated trolling motor that drops into a well in the cockpit area. The motor is controlled with a hand-held device and has a spot-lock feature. To engage the feature, the motor uses a GPS capability that automatically controls the motor to keep the boat perfectly positioned when the user is casting. The steering and speed are also controlled with the same hand-held device.
There are three kinds of commercially produced kayaks: rotomolded, like polyethylene canoes; thermoformed; and inflatable. Fiberglass kayaks are also available, but most of these are built for purposes other than fishing. Sea kayaks come to mind when referring to fiberglass. The majority of fishing kayaks are rotomolded boats, mainly because of the lower cost and their ability to withstand abuse. Thermoformed kayaks are made by heating and stretching a thermoplastic sheet over a mold. These kayaks are more rigid, lighter, and offer better performance, but are more expensive than rotomolded boats. The trade-off is that they are less tolerant of abuse, such as striking a boulder or other underwater obstacle. I own a thermoformed kayak and appreciate the handling characteristics of the boat and especially its lighter weight and paddling efficiency when used on still waters. If you intend to use a kayak in moving water, however, I suggest that you stay away from a thermoformed kayak if there is risk of striking hard objects. Consider a rotomolded kayak for most moving-water applications. Rotomolded boats also work fine in still waters, especially boats with the pedal option.
Inflatable kayaks made for fishing use high-quality materials and are designed and constructed for the serious angler. The advantage of these is that they can be deflated and easily stowed and transported. Additionally, many of them are suitable for moving water. I own an inflatable kayak that can also be used as a stand-up paddleboard. It has a pedal fin drive, and I purchased a storage crate that includes rod holders and is more than adequate for all of my tackle and gear for a day of fishing. This boat is very stable, and because it needs only about two inches of draft when loaded, it is very quick and maneuverable. I am not here to tout any particular brand. This just is what I use for most of my kayak fishing applications, and I find that it best fits my needs. But your needs may be different. (Editor’s note: for an example of the utility of an inflatable, paddleboard-type kayak, see the author’s article, “Kayaking for Delta Bass,” in our March/April 2020 issue.)
Hard-shell or rigid kayaks are much easier to accessorize than inflatables and can carry more gear. Additionally, many come with lots of amenities, such as ergonomically adjustable seats and builtin storage compartments for tackle and gear. As mentioned, they also allow you to stand. They are heavier, though, require more storage space, and are more difficult to transport. Some of the bigger hard-shell kayaks weigh over 100 pounds and require a trailer unless you feel very ambitious about wrestling one of these on and off the roof of your vehicle. I have and use both, and for my purposes, I usually use the inflatable, because it is easier to manage. My suggestion is to demo both types before you buy and decide for yourself which best suits your needs.
Kayaks can be used to fish moving water and the ocean, as well as still waters. Inshore ocean fishing usually is done in bays, coves, inlets, and other protected areas, such as near reefs and jetties. The effects of tide, waves, ocean swells, and wind are minimized in these areas. If you plan to fish offshore, as many are doing now, purchase a kayak that is suitable for that purpose. Rotomolded boats and inflatables are best suited for use in moving water. And fishing kayaks are not whitewater kayaks. Those are a totally different animal. Fish only those moving waters that you are very comfortable navigating at your skill level. Know and respect your limitations. When using any personal watercraft, always wear a personal flotation device (PFD), secure your paddle with a paddle leash, and know how to reenter your boat if you capsize. There are many YouTube videos on this, but better yet, take a class. You can practice reentry in a local lake, pond, or a swimming pool.
Rafts and Pontoon Boats
Inflatable rafts and pontoon boats can be used in a variety of fishing applications. Fishing rafts can be anything from a Water Master to drift-boat-type rafts designed for running rivers. All of these can be rowed, and some will accept an electric or gas-powered motor. I include the small Zodiac-type boats in the raft category, because they work well in many fly-fishing situations. These are actually tenders or dinghies, but as inflatables, they share many of the features and options of rafts. Many rafts can carry two people or more. Larger ones can take the form of a drift boat with up to three seats, thigh locks or braces, and stand-up capability. Others are simpler, with an inflatable or bench-type seat and oarlocks that allow for rowing. Some can be paddled only with a canoe-type paddle. Many of the newer designs, including Zodiac boats, have rigid inflatable flooring. This involves a matrix of strong threads between the plies. When the boat is inflated, it provides a very rigid floor that also adds to the raft’s floatability. Wood, roll-out metal, and soft air floors are other options. Some rafts also have a self-bailing feature, meaning that water that gets into the craft has a way to exit on its own. Lastly, there are the Water Master type boats that have an open floor, allowing them to be fished in a wide variety of situations. Users can have their feet in the water, which lets them use the craft in the same manner as a float tube or even walk along the bottom. There is also a strap footrest which lets the user keep feet and legs out of the water so it can be rowed or used in moving water. These rafts are very stable, but like a float tube, the lack of a floor means you’re unable to stand in the craft and cast.
If you will be fishing both moving and still water and you want one personal watercraft that suits both, consider a pontoon boat. Pontoon boats offer the qualities of a highly stable river craft that is capable of safely negotiating many moving-water conditions as well as providing you with an enjoyable day on a lake. Most pontoon boats allow users to put their feet in the water so they can use fins to move or keep the boat positioned that way, as well as with oars. There is also a foot rest to keep a user’s feet out of the water when rowing or in moving water.
There are two basic construction methods for pontoon boats. The first involves the use of a fabricated aluminum or stainless steel frame that can include fore and aft decks and two attachable banana-shaped pontoons for flotation. There now are also several frameless pontoon boats on the market that likewise offer the ability to row or fin. The advantage of a frameless boat is packability and storage. Anchoring systems and motor mounts can be added to a frameless boat and usually come standard on a framed model. Other features on a pontoon boat with a frame are an elevated seat, a rear deck that offers increased storage capacity, and a front deck that, when combined with a retractable standing stabilizer bar, offers the ability to stand and cast. Most framed pontoon boats have integrated anchoring systems that are engineered to operate in the same fashion as the anchoring system of a drift boat. There are also motor mounts that can be added to the frame or that come standard. If you choose to use a trolling motor on a pontoon boat, be aware that there is no keel or rudder, and the boat will track poorly. A way around this is to put the oars in the water with the blades vertical and facing backward. These will act as keels and help with the tracking, but this is not optimal. Additionally, some framed pontoon boats come with a swivel seat. If yours doesn’t have a swivel seat, I would advise you to install one if you plan to use a trolling motor. This will save your back a lot of grief by not having to bend awkwardly for extended periods of time to reach the motor with your hand. These boats are designed to be rowed, especially in moving water, where they need to be highly maneuverable. Most pontoon boats are designed for one user, but some have a two-seat option.
The ability to anchor is necessary if you use your pontoon boat on moving water or in wind on still water. There are several anchors that are made for these purposes, including the lighter drift-boat anchors shaped like a pyramid and cylindrical anchors with spikes. My personal choice is a chain anchor that can be fabricated inexpensively from materials bought at your local hardware store. Section the chain into two-foot lengths and loop the end of each section to a locking oval or locking carabiner. You can add or subtract sections as the need dictates. I like these as anchors because they rarely get hung up, and you are able to add or subtract weight. It is not a good idea to anchor your craft in swift current, and it is always a good idea to anchor the craft if it is beached. When fishing still waters from rafts and prams, use two anchors, one fore and one aft, to keep the craft stabilized.
Salt water, fresh water, moving water, still water, warm and cold water — we have it all here in California. Think about the personal watercraft that would best suit your needs as a fly fisher. Remember: the best way to enjoy your time on the water is to do so safely, so know and respect your limitations and always use a personal flotation device. Then go have fun. Personal watercraft can get you to places your feet won’t and provide a relaxing and productive day of fishing.
