Most people imagine the iconic fly fisherman standing in waste high water, and fully decked out in waders, boots, and fly vest. Many fishermen do indeed choose to carry all of their Fly Fishing Materials into the center of a river. However, this isn’t the only way to fly fish.
However, now it can be hard to find a part of the river to fish. With so many waders out there it can sometimes seem impossible. This is why more and more fisherman are turning to Fly Fishing Boats. Fly fishing boats offer many advantages over traditional river wading.
The Perfect River Boat
Fly fishing boats allow fisherman to fish miles of river without having to wade through the other wade fisherman. Boats are great because they move over the water without spooking the fish. Instead of fishing just a handful of holes, boats allow you to fish hundreds of different holes in a single trip.
Perhaps the most popular of the fly fishing boats is the drift boat. The drift boat is essentially a dory that has been converted for river use. These fly fishing boats have a flat bottom and sides that flare out. They ride high in the water and can spin around very quickly. This makes them ideal for maneuvering rapids and avoiding river obstacles. Many people use rubber rafts for river fishing, but rafts seem sluggish and hard to maneuver by comparison.
The reason drift boats make such great fly fishing boats is because they were designed with fishing rivers specifically in mind. They have ample dry storage, so you can bring your camera and dry cloths without worrying whether they will stay dry. Not only that, but they allow you to stand and fish. Many have knee locks that allow you to lock yourself in in standing position. This is great if you like to cast far even while running rapids.
Fly fishing boats come in many flavors. River rafts are perhaps the most common. However, drift boats offer significant improvements over rafts. they move much more quickly and turn incredibly fast. Additionally, they can drop anchor at any time. This allows you to stop and fish pods of fish.
The drawback to using a drift boat, is that you need a trailer to move it. You also need a boat ramp to launch it and remove it from the river. Additionally, they can bottom out in extremely low water.
The final caveat for some fisherman, is the high price of most drift boats. They often cost five grand or more. Of course, if well cared for, a drift boat will outlast any of the other fly fishing boats on the river.
You can find tons of info about fly fishing online. For additional information checkout this website on fly fishing boats.
