I like pontoon boats for fly fishing on the smaller lakes, and use it exclusively unless the hike into the lake is too rough. A pontoon boat allows almost the same maneuverability as a float tube when using your flippers, plus it can go into even shallower water. The main advantage though is the ability to cover the lake, I can easily row at 4 mph so it is never an issue to journey to the farther hot spots. This is my Outcast Boats pontoon boat to which I have added some accessories.
Completely ready for the lake, the boats weighs about 90 pounds, which is a little much to lift. The center of gravity is right under the seat as well, so it's pretty awkward to pick up. Aftermarket vendors sell a wheel unit for rolling around, but I decided to build my own.
These are the pieces that make up the unicycle wheel. The wheel is a spare from a old mountain bike. Total parts cost is under $25, plus the mountain bike or BMX wheel.
A coat of West Systems marine epoxy waterproofs the wood pieces.
The wheelie deellie is made to fit into the boat frame between the rear seat bar and the cargo deck. Aluminum tabs rotate to clip the frame in place so that the wheel stays in place over bumps. To move the boat around, you pick up the stern by the footpegs and roll around like a wheelbarrow. The fully loaded boat can be maneuvered very easily and most of the weight sits on the wheel, not your arms. Now I can park the truck away from the launch point and push the ready-to-go boat by myself. Oar rights keep the oar blades in line when the oars and dangling in the water, otherwise the oars rest in the bow on the pontoons as below.
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Sometimes a stripping apron is preferred to the side basket.
A stretchy front apron cord is run between the rear oar lock holes.
When the weather is hot, you can wear lightweight stocking foot hip waders instead of the full chest waders used for float tubing. This is worth the price of a pontoon boat alone. If the water is cold, I wear my neoprene chest waders with the bib and back straps rolled down to the waist. With a Goretex jacket and neoprene gloves, that's about as waterproof as you can get. |
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On bigger lakes it's useful to have a sonar unit. Mine's a Humminbird Matrix 27. The Etrex GPS plugs right in and the fish finder display is fully integrated so you can mark where the lunkers are lying in wait. When fishing a new lake, the fishfinder checks out all the deeper channels to find where the bigger fish are located, then it's a matter of figuring out the nearest feeding zone based on structure. The footrests are wrapped with bike handlebar tape. The tape makes it easier to rest your foot, rather than sliding off the bare metal. Aluminum insulation tape is over the end, this tape is the most waterproof sticky tape I have found. The sonar transducer mount (see picture above) is behind the seat where it won't snag the fly line, and can be lowered into the water after launch. PVC pipe is flexible enough that hitting bottom won't damage the transducer, worst case it will rotate with friction if whacked.. |
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When sight fishing for trout in the shoals, standing up helps a lot. Standing on a pontoon boat is not recommended, but if you must, having a platform is great. The Dave Scadden boats have a neat platform that slides away under the seat. My solution is to have a small platform that fits in front of the seat. One foot goes on the seat, the other on the wooden slats. The slats have sand sprinkled onto the wet paint to prevent slipping. |
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The platform slats shown above is a little too small to turn around on while wearing flippers, so I did a major modification to the seat mount. The seat is now bolted to a plate which is hinged at the rear, and is held down in front with a Velcro strap. New floorboards made from 1/2" plywood fit into gaps in the seat support frame. Flipping the seat backwards onto the cargo tray makes a large platform and you can stand in the middle of the boat. Changeover is a 5 second task. |
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On the seat back is a net holder and clothing pouch. Anyone who has rowed in one of these folding seats knows that your ass can get wet in the waves. A small plastic splashguard is sewn to the bottom of the pouch, this covers the gap in the seat back so splashes are no longer a problem. |
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A front anchor stops the boat from spinning in the wind, the front anchor is a small folding unit on 80 lb. braided line. Throw the anchor forward and then reel in the slack on an old fly reel mounted to the frame. Then tie off on a small cleat next to the fish finder. |
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Two Scotty fly rod holders are bolted to the left frame for trolling. I only fish one rod at a time, so the spare rod usually lays in the groove of the left dual pontoon pointing backwards. A small plastic container is used for throat samples. |
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A Pelican case on the rear cargo deck holds your un-dunkables. A B&D toolbox holds all the loose stuff (though it is not completely watertight) and your lunch goes into the insulated bag. |
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The toolbox clips to the rear cargo deck with two Fastex buckles on Velcro straps for easy removal. I keep necessary spare parts and inflation bits in the toolbox small parts bin so they never get lost. When transporting the boat in the pickup, the rear deck and toolbox are removed. |
Any other ideas?
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